Diversity and inclusion

Download our impact report 2023 (17MB)

We want to be an employer with whom all colleagues have – and know they have – the opportunity to grow and succeed if they share our values and have the passion and determination to make a difference every day.

How we have performed

Engagement survey

Our 2023 engagement survey saw a 1-point improvement to 71, based on a 70% response rate generating more than 63,000 comments. The 2023 question set was reviewed to provide additional focus on diversity and inclusion. Action plans will now be developed by the business. In addition to the main survey, several targeted 'Pulse' surveys have been deployed to gauge engagement on specific Contracts and other areas of the business.

White Ribbon accreditation

We completed a ‘Respect and Equality’ survey in Asia Pacific in support of the Division's ‘White Ribbon’ accreditation.

Employee value proposition

Serco North America have led on reviewing our employee value proposition (EVP). Based on research and focus group output, they developed an employee brand strategy to share what it is like to work for Serco. The results are being tracked which will shape the potential roll out across the company.

Share plans

Following their launch in the UK in 2022, we have now launched share plans in Australia, Canada, US and the Middle East.

Women in leadership

Since 2021 we have improved female representation within our senior leadership team including Board and Executive management to 34.3%.

We are very proud to have been awarded 'Gold' in the UK Inclusive Employers Standard 2023. Inclusive Employers are the UK's leading membership organisation for organisations looking to build inclusive workplaces. This award is independent recognition of a wide range of inclusive workplace activities and achievements across Serco. That we are one of only two private sector organisations to have achieved the Gold standard to date is an encouraging indicator of our progress.

Non-disclosure rates and gender diversity

Serco UK & Europe has successfully reduced non-disclosure rates for ethnicity to 13.8% (and increase of more than 50%) and improved gender diversity of its Executive Leadership Team from 0% to 31%.

In 2023, Serco stepped up its support for the UK Black Talent Awards, which exists to recognise and celebrate Black professionals across the UK. In 2022, Serco was actively involved as a headline sponsor for the event. In direct continuation of that collaborative relationship, Serco hosted the inaugural Black Talent Awards Conference at our Solihull office in March 2023, regathering the Black Talent Awards community for a day of continued professional development. Later in the year, Serco once again proudly joined the Black Talent Awards as a headline sponsor for the 2023 awards event, participating and lending support in various ways. Find out more.

Colleague communities

We continue to increase engagement through Colleague Communities to support inclusion. Our Embrace network reached the final shortlist for Top Network Group in the UK Ethnicity Awards. Serco UK & Europe have launched two new networks: the Serco Veterans & Armed Forces Community and the Serco Parents & Carers Network. Serco North America launched Serco Unlimited to remove barriers and challenge perceptions about disabilities and health conditions, both visible and nonvisible.

In recent years, Middle Eastern governments have poured new energy into building mature and inclusive societies for people with disabilities – often referred to as 'people of determination' (POD). In late 2022, Serco Middle East launched a fresh new programme to support employment for people with disabilities, aligned to reinvigorated regional ambitions. Through 2023, this has included: establishing new partnerships with specialist recruitment agencies, strengthening inclusive practices and growing their POD colleague community; hosting and attending regional forums to share best practice; driving visible, personal inclusive leadership through training, open dialogue around lived experiences and a new 'POD Champions' leadership network; and sponsoring, participating in and observing an expanding schedule of local, regional and international events aligned to the POD agenda.

Reflecting nationalisation

Our Middle East operations are committed to reflecting nationalisation in our regional workforce composition. Our national workforce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has doubled to 25% since 2022, and our United Arab Emirates (UAE) nationalisation rate has increased more than 2.5 times from 2021. In 2023, 17% of our hires have been nationals, with 41% being national women.

Serco Middle East celebrated International Women’s Day 2023 with an event at the Expo City Women’s Pavilion, Dubai, led by Divisional Chief Executive, Phil Malem. Organised with SercoInspire – our global network focused on ensuring female colleagues feel valued, confident and able to progress their careers without limitation – 'Women in Serco: Leading with Purpose' featured external speakers and was attended by colleagues from across the business. In addition to celebrating women in Serco, the event explored new opportunities to empower women and promote diversity and inclusion across the organisation. Find out more.

Awards and recognition

In North America, we have been awarded the VETS Indexes 5 Star Employer for the third year. The award recognises our continued commitment to recruiting, hiring, retaining, developing and supporting veteran employees, military spouses and others in the military-connected community. We were also awarded Silver as a 2023 Military Friendly Employer and received a Triumph Award, which recognises the employer that demonstrated the 'Most Transformative Hiring Process' for veterans and military spouses in the state of Virginia.

Leadership programmes

We have committed to achieving gender balance on leadership and management programmes and have achieved this for all Leadership Oxford Programmes. The gender analytics for Advanced Leadership Programme are tracking at 66% male and 34% female.

What next

Reduce voluntary turnover to below 25%.
Improve female leadership representation to 37%.
Improve representation of underrepresented groups across leadership.
Deliver Division and Contract action plans developed from our 2023 engagement survey with the objective of achieving 72 engagement score with a >70% response rate in 2024.
Develop a service offering for the business to enable easier access to Glint, our colleague engagement survey solution, as a survey tool for colleague voice.
Report on ethnic minorities within our 2024 Gender Pay Gap report.