Sonum is empowering people to embrace the digital world at work and outside of work. She
loves helping people and volunteers her time to help people stay safe online and use their tech.
“I
just love helping people, whether that’s part of my job or people in the community.”
Sonum | Business Change Specialist
Raj’s hands-on approach has taken her team to new heights, and her passion doesn’t
stop at the office. Balancing work, family, and her love for bhangra, Raj is all about energy and
drive.
“I really think I found the perfect rhythm in my life.”
Raj | Talent Acquisition Manager |
Service
Cassie is always helping others. She leads a team of over 100 and has a busy family life with her children and twin sister.
“The number one reason that I do all of this, why I get out of bed every morning, is my family.”
Cassie, Operations Manager | EE
Sheryl is at the start of her career journey – find out how she balances her coding and cooking skills.
“BT is so huge and there’s so many different things. I just want to be a bit greedy and you know, get a taste of everything.”
Sheryl, Software Engineering
Apprentice
Robyn’s paved her own way – she shares her passion and creativity for storytelling and connecting people through the power of social media and her book club.
"I’ve always been an ambitious person. I’ve always wanted a little bit better for myself and knowing I’ve done it myself, it’s empowering, especially as a woman."
Robyn, Social Media Executive
See how Zara’s launching a career in cyber, supported by her team at BT Group, as well as propelling herself towards the Olympics, with the backing of Team GB.
"I always knew I wanted to work in the cyber space ever since I went to a careers event at school - It just really caught my attention. Whereas sport... that's something that never really came naturally to me."
Zara, Cyber Security Apprentice
Vicky’s an expert at turning day-to-day chaos into calm – whether she’s helping our landline customers deal with change or getting her youngest ready for Rainbows.
"My role is dealing with the day-to-day chaos that comes with change. We're leading a once-in-a-generation programme across all of the UK. And it impacts everybody."
Vicky, Senior Manager,
Digital Voice Programme
Kerry first came into contact with the Guide Dogs For The Blind Association when her mum was diagnosed with an eye condition. Now she’s lending them the leadership skills she's sharpened shaping BT’s future.
"I wanted to do something more with my skills. So alongside my full-time role at BT, I'm also a non-exec director for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association."
Kerry, COO, Product
When she’s not crunching numbers 9-5, Holly’s probably in a gym with 70kgs hovering above her head. How does she balance it all?
'A big part of what I do and why I do it is mental resilience. Your brain is telling you "Absolutely do not do that. That's a really stupid idea." And then it's learning to overcome that fear.'
Holly, Senior Finance Manager
Welcoming more women into our business isn’t just a target for us – it’s hardwired into every decision we make about the way we work together, the way we bring people into our business and the strategy that drives our growth.
Outdoor School for Girls
Recently, our CEO Allison Kirkby visited GHPS Sarjapur in Karnataka, India, to experience the Outdoor School for Girls program. This initiative, run by our charity partner Going to School, aims to teach digital and STEM skills through football to girls in government schools.
Flexibility at BT Group
Flexibility can mean many different things to our colleagues. While searching for case studies showcasing the different forms of flexibility that colleagues have within our business, we discovered Nayna and Janine's incredible 20+ year job share story.
Gender bias and lack of encouragement blocking girls from tech careers
Our study of 11 to 17-year-olds in the UK found that twice as many boys see themselves as well-suited for tech careers compared to girls (25% vs 13%). Click the link to find out more about our research.
Our Inclusion, equity and diversity ambition
Our Manifesto includes bold targets for diversity. We’re making progress in our ethnic minority and disability representation. But we’re clear that there’s much more to be done.
The Gender Equality Network – informally known as the GEN – is an inclusive group with a focus on gender equality. Their aim is to raise awareness around gender issues, support colleagues and to inspire changes to BT’s policy, processes and culture.
Everyone’s welcome to join the GEN. They host monthly events (both online and in person) and host speakers from organisations like Code First Girls and Women Returners. It’s a great way to network and connect with like-minded colleagues from around the business.
It’s imperative that we welcome more women into our business, especially in areas where they’ve always been underrepresented – like in technology, sales and engineering.
Why? Because BT Group provides the digital backbone for the nation. We’re shaping modern life in the digital world, helping millions of customers to make trillions of connections between the people, places and things that matter most to them.
We must do that in a way that’s responsible, sustainable and inclusive, so that no one gets left behind. Focusing on all our customers, in every community – seeing their perspectives as we solve some of the world’s biggest challenges – means making our team as diverse as possible.
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Family leave policy
For parents, we’re introducing a new family leave policy. No matter how your family is made up, all parents welcoming a new child get the same family leave benefit. That’s 18 weeks’ full pay, then 8 weeks’ half pay followed by up to 26 weeks at the statutory rate.
This puts us in the top 33% of FTSE100 employers – currently less than 50% of companies offer aligned maternity and paternity leave.
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Carers leave
The UK’s changing demographic means that more and more people have caring responsibilities. According to Carers UK, 1 in 5 people are forced to give up work to care and 59% of unpaid carers are women.
To support our colleagues who care for someone because they’re ill, older or have a disability, we’re offering up to two weeks’ paid leave. Again, we’re going above and beyond the statutory requirement, which entitles all carers in employment to just five days’ unpaid leave.
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Healthcare support
We know that colleagues find it difficult to book an NHS GP appointment when they’re working, so we’re offering free access to a 24/7 online GP service for all our UK colleagues, their partners and children up to the age of 21.
We also offer additional health services specifically for women including help with periods, targeted cancer screenings and a 12-month menopause support programme.
