As an integrated marketing agency, we tend to shout about how great our team is, the clients we work with, and the results we have achieved.
However, there is a lesser-known part of tigerbond that has been growing behind the scenes since 2021 and has become just as much a part of who we are as an agency as the incredible work our team does.
After being named as a DE&I Champion finalist in The Lloyds Bank British Excellence Awards, we thought it was time to let the tiger out of the bag, so to speak, and start roaring about our Equity, Diversity, Decolonization and Inclusion programme (fondly referred to as EDDI).
We spoke with Emma Laye, People Director, and Anne Marie McDonnell, Operations, People & Culture Manager, who have been instrumental in taking the business on this journey.
Where did tigerbond’s EDDI programme come from?
Our EDDI programme was formed organically due to a shared vision, along with genuine passion, of a group of people across the business, that was very reflective of not only our company but also society in terms of age and backgrounds.
Why was it important to include EDDI when tigerbond was formed?
With the management buyout and the dawning of ‘tigerbond’, this was an opportune moment to embrace EDDI and formalise certain pillars that were important to everyone within the business.
Implementing an EDDI programme was the perfect step as this allowed us to incorporate these pillars, including the evolution of policy, procedure, language, training, and recruitment practices.
Can you share some examples of the positive impact EDDI has had on the company's workforce, culture, or operations?
We didn’t create EDDI to be awarded for it, but with the intention to live and breathe it.
It’s part of our appraisal process, where engagement with and impact of the programme is as much valued as professional results.
It’s part of our hiring practices, where we ensure our language is inclusive and applications from diverse applicants are actively encouraged by our unconscious bias trained recruiters.
It’s part of our events team, where the suppliers we work with are considered very carefully to ensure that who we work with also matches our EDDI values as much as possible. The same goes for advising our clients on partnerships and initiatives.
Everything we do is impacted by EDDI in some way, for all the right reasons.
What specific challenges or barriers did the company face when implementing the EDDI programme, and how were they overcome?
Maybe not a challenge as such but we were keen to make sure that the programme was a genuine DE&I strategy and not just a box-ticking exercise.
We were keen to get outside help in the early stages as we didn’t want to claim to be specialists.
This is why we were very careful and selective about who we partnered with, who we sought help from, and how we incorporated ideas and perspectives from across the company.
The introduction of our internal, dedicated EDDI Platform was a great starting point, which to this day is home to our anonymous suggestion box, our EDDI policies and procedures, the timeline of our journey so far and all our educational resources.
We took on the ‘tiger’s share’ of the work, believed in ourselves, and just got on with it, making it a very personal project.
Was it always supposed to be rolled out to clients or is that testament to how successful the programme is?
Categorically, no!
Once EDDI organically became a pillar of who we are as a company, it was hard to keep it under the radar.
We haven’t shouted about it until now, two years down the line, and kept it very low-key externally until we felt comfortable that we were doing the right things, getting positive feedback from our team, and seeing progress.
But, when you know it’s so effective, you want to share it with everybody.
Do you have a favourite topic that you have covered from a learning point of view?
There have been many, but the ones that explore something joyous, such as religious celebrations (and the food that goes with them!) and pieces on Pride.
It is important to highlight a broad spectrum of issues, and the people that we have invited to speak and educate us have been incredible.
One particular highlight was the Katie Piper Foundation. They discussed visible difference, how it affects people’s lives and how we can all do better when it comes to representing society. It was such a hard-hitting message and incredibly eye-opening.
What’s next for the EDDI programme?
We are always finding new partners and sponsors to work with and making sure it remains a team project. Our next goal is to increase further personal active engagement across our business, and with the introduction of our new dedicated volunteer time off policy, we hope to drive more positive impact in this space.
What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the beginning of the EDDI journey?
It’s been a journey and even though it’s been challenging and hard work, it’s been amazing to experience the cultural shift in our business.
Without getting too emotional, I’d say ‘do nothing differently. Do exactly what we did and it will all be worth it.’
For more information, contact the tigerbond team.