WINNER
Inclusive Design Initiative, Claremont Group Interiors
Sponsored by: Equans
It’s understandable that addressing workplace inclusivity through a focus on workplace design can have a significant impact on an organisation and its employees. And now, through its award-winning approach, Claremont Interiors’ Inclusive Design Initiative has managed to set a new benchmark for this type of process.
Claremont sees its initiative as an embodiment of an ethical approach to work, “where we aim to embark on a collaborative journey with clients to craft workplaces that genuinely nurture both their business and their workforce”.
But what does it involve? Claremont’s in-house workplace psychologist and Head of Design, supported by the firm’s senior leadership team, develop workshops, one-to-one coaching and educational sessions to ensure a consistent approach for everybody when delivering gold-standard inclusive spaces.
Workshops with EDI networking groups are held to capture nuanced requirements and avoid assumptions. These allow employees to share experiences and co-create inclusive environments in line with the client’s EDI strategy, with contributions from team members seeing features like visual impairment filters, sensitivity mapping and ergonomic footprint audits introduced.
Design teams draw from academic and industry research to understand the fundamentals of inclusive workplace design, while EDI-specific workshops with clients facilitate gathering insights into lived experiences and environmental barriers within the workplace. These inform the outputs and principles that are then communicated to the design team, emphasising the ‘why’ and ‘what’ of best practices.
Designs undergo review so that aspects ranging from neuroinclusion to physical accessibility are catered for, while a change-support process helps facilitate client adoption, collaborating with colleagues to help them understand the design’s purpose and how they can benefit from the EDI considerations.
And where projects can be challenged by the significant obstacle of budgetary constraints, Claremont offers alternative costing solutions without compromising on EDI principles.
What’s next for Claremont is further education and training for its design team so that EDI remains central to our design approach and the development of EDI Audit, a comprehensive EDI audit tool to assess the inclusivity of workplace environments that will encompass various dimensions of diversity, including physical accessibility, neurodiversity, cultural sensitivity, and gender inclusivity.
Lessons in best practice
Always include the supply chain if you’re to realise your vision: Claremont has worked with flooring manufacturers to advocate for neurodiversity considerations in product design. Claremont is also working with delivery partners to support diverse on-site workforces through initiatives like apprenticeships and dedicated multi-faith spaces.
Push your learnings to all areas of the business: Claremont prioritises internal education, ensuring their colleagues are equipped to integrate inclusive practices into every project.
Key quotes
“Past approaches often fell short by merely checking boxes for EDI without considering how these components support users in practice. Understanding the impact of inclusive design components on end-users is crucial for meaningful change.”
“Incremental, deliberate design changes, such as high-contrast signage and accessible pods, have a significant impact on inclusivity.”
“Seizing the initiative…”
“By sharing our insights and collaborating with stakeholders, we’re driving change beyond our organisation, advocating for inclusivity in workplaces and influencing industry practices for a more diverse and equitable future.”
From the Judges
“An excellent presentation that embraces the whole of inclusion and diversity in the workplace environment. Claremont has changed its strategy from a workplace to a people offering, demonstrating how that change has impacted on how they deliver an inclusive workplace. Becky & Richard demonstrate a desire to build awareness of the importance of people focussed, inclusive design. A team that is passionate about bringing this change to organisations.”