In May 2023, Bristol-based social enterprise Babbasa began a new partnership with Triodos Bank UK, also based in Bristol, to help the organisation deliver on its mission to create a thriving society that promotes quality of life for all.
By providing co-workers with training and recruitment support, the partnership aims to help Triodos Bank reach more young people from diverse communities and enable them to thrive within the organisation. This is in line with the bank’s current three-year Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Key to this piece of work was a sizeable project for Babbasa to deliver intercultural communications skills training to more than 300 Triodos co-workers. This training supported attendees to discuss the complexities of a diverse workforce and delved into how we can create a sense of belonging for ethnically diverse co-workers, clients and customers.
Feedback on the training was overwhelmingly positive, with one attendee saying: “It has given me more food for thought about how to act in all kinds of situations. It will make me more reflective and more alert to when I need to intervene – call in and call out”.
The training was co-delivered by Sangeetha Wynter Babbasa’s Training and Inclusion Manager and Babbasa’s team of experienced EDI facilitators, Taz Rasul and Mikella Richards.
Sangeetha Wynter, Training & Inclusion Manager at Babbasa said: “The Triodos co-workers demonstrated not only a willingness, but an enthusiasm to engage in the conversations around intercultural communication skills. It was evident that having opportunities to discuss actual scenarios, whilst being provided with tools to create more inclusive workplace practices, was where the most learning took place. Having facilitated conversations around EDI is so important to avoid people feeling uncomfortable, and if this can’t take place in person logistically then online can be just as effective”.
Taz Rasul, Babbasa Inclusion Associate said: “Triodos staff already bring many nationalities, backgrounds and identities. They often described Triodos as more warm and human than previous workplaces, and that was a great starting point for our discussions about inclusivity and cultural differences. Triodos staff largely cared about inclusion because of their own lives and interests, their roles as co-workers and their sense of responsibility towards their customers. They seemed to come away more conscious of cultural differences, and how to spot and respond to behaviour that excludes people.”
Catherine Ridd, HR Director at Triodos Bank UK, said: “It’s essential to our values as a sustainable bank that Triodos is an inclusive environment and that our co-workers can bring their whole selves to work. Through working with Babbasa’s expert team, we were able to develop an intercultural communications skills programme that has been really well received. “The missions of Babbasa and Triodos are very aligned and we look forward to working with the team on future projects.”
If this work sounds of interest, and your organisation could benefit from inclusion support, please contact trainingmanager@byep.org.uk to find out more.