National Inclusion Week at AirTanker
Category: AirTanker Released: 26 September 2022
“Time to Act: The Power of Now” is this year’s National Inclusion Week theme. At Airtanker we are taking this as an opportunity to focus on our inclusion journey by raising awareness as to why it matters, whilst inviting and emphasising to everyone that the time to act is Now!
Why Inclusion at AirTanker?
We are endeavouring to recognise and appreciate everyone’s uniqueness by tapping into diverse skillsets, backgrounds, thought processes, diverse experiences, 
making sure everyone feels valued and psychologically safe. This is a great opportunity for our leaders to reflect on how they can embrace the whole team and appreciate everyone’s qualities and uniqueness.
As part of our strategic planning, Diversity and Inclusion was identified as one of our top priority areas of focus and thus, enabling us to take full responsibility in our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.
How are we embracing Inclusion this week?
To celebrate National Inclusion Week we are running a series of virtual and in person events, talks, and podcasts.
We are focusing on Language and how it can build relationships and forge connections, but is equally liable for creating barriers and impacting upon one’s sense of belonging. Inclusive Language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equitable opportunities.
Our CEO, Phill Blundell, shares his thoughts on the importance of acting now and encourages employees to expand their knowledge and learning to take part and be a part of our inclusion journey.
Our colleagues share their stories and personal journeys that highlight the importance of inclusion. Imagine a workplace where all LGBTQ+ colleagues are free to be authentic and can realise their full potential... We aspire to this and understand that an inclusive workplace is key to being recognised as a great place to work. However, we know that inclusion is not a given.
For most of us, choosing the correct toilet door to walk through based on its signage; whether female, male or accessible, is no more than a split-second decision. However, for transgender individuals and those questioning their sexual status, it is an everyday struggle that reminds them how society requires them to “fit in a box” that they may have battled with their whole lives. We are exploring ways to support an inclusive environment and ask our colleagues to take part and share their views with us to help shape our future.
And we are launching our Women’s Network - a forum which aims to provide everyone with an opportunity to be part of shaping and building practical solutions to challenges faced by Women, and specifically their career journey, progression, promotion, and retention at AirTanker.
In addition, throughout inclusion week are sharing a series of short webinars with our colleagues from the International Labour Organisation, allowing all colleagues to take time to listen in and increase their awareness of the importance of Gender Equality.
Carolyne Newall, AirTanker Wellbeing & Inclusion Manager, said:
Smart teams will produce astonishing results, but truly diverse and inclusive teams will do the impossible! It is not our unique authentic differences that divide us. It is our failure to distinguish, accept, and rejoice those differences. It is human nature to aspire to lead a meaningful and purposeful life by contributing to our communities and to a more sustainable workplace environment.
To promote equality, embrace diversity, prioritise equity, cultivate inclusion and nurture a sense of belonging, we must make conscious decisions and commitments to nurture everyone’s talents.
That's at the core of inclusion, everyone engages and participates, innovation and productivity increase and AirTanker becomes a greater place to work where everyone feels they belong! This is National Inclusion Week at AirTanker and summarises what we are doing now. We acknowledge that we must keep this momentum going!