Donna Cezair, our CEO, on National Inclusion week 2021

Donna Cezair, CEO here at First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO), talks about her aspirations and focus for the company as part of National Inclusion week 2021:

“I want to head up a company that’s ‘at ease with itself’, where every colleague can be themselves, whoever they are or whoever they choose to be. I don’t want anyone to feel like they must leave any differences at the door when they come to work.

“We are at the start of our new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) journey here at FCHO. We already are a company with a diverse workforce and customer base. We have delivered several initiatives around inclusivity, but there is much more we can and are committed to doing.

“With the help of all our colleagues we have developed a new EDI strategy, putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do and turning our previous approach on its head.

“We are going back to basics, talking about what we mean by being different, whether that be race, sexuality, disability, localism, age or anything else, and where and how  we can recognise, support and celebrate these differences in the workplace and in the communities we support.

“I want us to value and appreciate other people’s differences and feelings, and I believe to do that; it’s important that we talk, share experiences and educate each other to try to understand the challenges we  can sometimes face.

“I don’t want any of our colleagues or customers to feel they have to hide or lessen their cultural or personal identity to not stand out and to ‘fit in’.

“I am mixed race; my mum is Irish and my dad is from Trinidad. They have told me about their experiences in the 60’s being a mixed-race couple, not being allowed into places and being verbally abused. I have also experienced prejudice due to my background, and sometimes my gender, so hopefully I am in a position to authentically lead, educate and inspire others to develop this ‘at ease’ culture.

“As a company we are starting to challenge everything we, our contractors and partner organisations do, and asking are we being true to inclusivity, could we do more?

“So what are we doing at part of our plan to achieve this.. we’re celebrating Black History Month in October across FCHO with lots of activity planned including colleagues talking about their culture and backgrounds. We’re engaging with young people across Oldham, through the government Kickstart programme 35 youths aged 16 to 24 are now working with us, and our apprentice scheme is developing and going from strength to strength. We’re working closely with Oldham’s youth mayor and local colleges to engage young people, too and we are currently advertising for a young person to join our company board.

“We’re setting up lunchtime learning sessions around all areas of inclusivity from disability and menopause to localism, race and sexuality - nothing is off limits and it’s about colleagues being able to discuss and challenge openly and honestly to break down barriers.

“Social value is also really important to us and runs through everything we do. We work closely with all partners to ensure all our projects and schemes are as inclusive as they can be. Whether it be offering apprenticeships to the underrepresented, working closely with local disabled groups, or supporting our diverse communities, we want to make sure everything we do supports our ambition to be a truly inclusive employer.”