Broadbent case study: an inclusive workplace

Broadbent is a Yorkshire-based business with a century-old reputation for providing engineering excellence. The family-owned business is committed to supporting clients with innovative and insightful service.

Prioritising an inclusive environment

As part of its inclusive workplace culture, the business prioritises a supportive environment for employees at all levels to develop and thrive.

Charlotte Ilkiw, Global Head of HR, shares the changes teams have implemented to ensure a more inclusive culture and recruitment process.

What they did

Outreach and attract

Charlotte highlighted the team’s outreach work with schools and other organisations to attract apprentices, including their support of National Manufacturing Day and her own participation on a Women in STEM panel at West Yorkshire Manufacturing Services.

Recruitment process changes

Broadbent’s People team made significant changes to its recruitment process to attract more women and girls as candidates.

They took steps to improve their policies for new parents and highlighted them as reasons to apply for a role on their job ads.
Every interview had a woman present to conduct the interview, to demonstrate from the outset that women are represented in the business.

Uniform and facilities

To further support women and apprentices in the business, Broadbent introduced small but impactful changes such as adapting uniforms to provide female tailoring for tops and shirts; and building female-only toilets and changing rooms.

Support networks

The firm has built a robust support network for their apprentices, including regular check-ins with the apprentice, their co-ordinator and a member of the People team. Regular contact gives everyone involved the chance to identify and address any issues faced early on. The team seeks feedback from apprentices to ensure workers keep learning and improving their approach to recruitment and retention.

What they learned

Broadbent discovered that implementing these changes has created strong signals of inclusivity to women and girls interested in joining the team. With female representation during recruitment, plus family-friendly benefits and a commitment to apprentices’ personal and professional development, the company is ready to make further changes to enhance the inclusive workplace culture.

Seemingly small changes like tailored uniforms and women-only changing rooms are making a significant difference in creating a supportive and comfortable work environment. Ongoing open communication, and a continuous willingness to learn and adapt has also been crucial to supporting female apprentices and ensuring their success.

Women on staff have responded positively to the changes within the workplace environment. The company has renewed its commitment to supporting women in STEM, which helps to inspire more women and girls to pursue apprenticeships in male-dominated fields.

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