Workplace communication as a catalyst for inclusion and racial equity
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Discover how intentional communication can drive real inclusion and racial equity in your workplace.
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in partnership with Race Excellence we hosted a powerful conversation exploring how communication can drive inclusion and racial equity in the workplace.
The session offered valuable insights into the role communication plays in creating fairer, more inclusive environments – where everyone feels heard, respected, and empowered.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
Make space for timely conversations
Having open, honest conversations at the right time matters. When significant events happen – globally or within your own organisation – your team are affected. Proactive communication helps people feel supported and creates space for reflection, empathy, and action.
Bring the right voices into the room
Involving senior leaders, subject matter experts, and individuals who can influence others ensures conversations lead to action. To create meaningful change, the right people need to be in the room – especially those with the authority to make decisions.
Prioritise active listening
Sometimes the most powerful part of a conversation is the silence. Good communication isn’t just about what you say – it’s also about how well you listen. Give people space to think. Avoid jumping in with answers. Create opportunities for reflection and let quieter voices be heard.
Choose your channels carefully
Communication isn’t one-size-fits-all. Consider how best to reach your audience – whether it’s workshops, one-to-ones, shared documents, or live conversations. Be thoughtful about the tools and platforms you use.
Keep your messaging clear and constructive
Whether you’re talking about policy change, allyship or team culture, everyone should leave the conversation knowing what comes next. Avoid jargon, lead with clear questions and make sure conversations end with actions.
Maintain respect
Respect should sit at the heart of every conversation. Even when opinions differ, it’s possible to challenge constructively and keep doors open. Communication that focuses on shared goals, solutions and unity is far more effective than blame or defensiveness.
Communication shapes inclusion
Words matter, so when language is restricted or policed, the impact can be exclusion, disconnection, and fractured identities. In many workplaces, race is still seen as too complex or risky to talk about – leading to silence, self-censorship, and missed opportunities to understand each other.
Communication done well, though, can flip that script. It can become a tool for liberation – making space for lived experiences, validating identity, and giving employees permission to bring their full selves to work. Inclusion doesn’t come from silence, it comes from stories, language, and meaningful dialogue.
Telling isn’t enough
Workplace communication often defaults to telling – issuing updates, sharing top-down messaging, or rolling out policies. But simply telling people what to do or believe isn’t enough to create change. It can even do more harm than good if it overlooks how people are really feeling.
To make a real impact, communication needs to do more than inform. It needs to listen, educate, inspire, and reassure. It needs to raise awareness in a way that connects with people’s emotions – not just their inboxes. It needs to make space for difficult conversations, reflection, and vulnerability.
Say the thing. Don’t dodge it.
One of the biggest communication challenges in DEI is avoiding “the elephant in the room.” Whether it’s a disbanded ERG, a delayed strategy, or an external event that’s affecting your teams, silence creates space for mistrust and disengagement.
Filling that silence with open, honest, human communication – even when the message is tough – builds credibility and trust. Employees are adults. Treating them as such by being transparent about decisions, even when there’s no perfect solution, goes a long way.
Surface the human library
Your organisation is full of unseen stories. These lived experiences are powerful, personal, and valuable. When people share them, they create connection, understanding, and culture change. But those stories don’t surface on their own. You need to make space for them, and ensure people feel safe and supported to speak up.
Culture and communication go hand in hand
If you want honest conversations, you need a culture that supports them. That means:
- Being clear on the purpose of conversations
- Making sure the right people are in the room – especially those with decision-making power
- Building psychological safety so people feel confident to speak up
- Leading with questions, not assumptions
- Ending with action, so people know what’s changing and why
When we use communication intentionally, we create momentum. When we pair that communication with inclusive culture, we create change.
We’d like to thank Ann and Gifford from Race Excellence for sharing their insight. Race Excellence partners with organisations to embed diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging into the heart of their business – supporting CEOs, Boards, employee networks and HR leaders to take a sustainable and innovative approach to inclusion. Learn more about Race Excellence.
If you’re looking for support with harnessing the power of communication to create a more equitable workplace, then talk to us.
Watch the webinar: Communications – a catalyst for inclusion and racial equity
The key trends shaping happy and high-performing teams
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
To celebrate B Corp Month, our CEO, Sally Pritchett, joined a panel of B Corp leaders and industry experts at Uncommon Holborn to explore just that. In conversation with Bleddyn Harris, Head of People and Culture at B Lab, the discussion revealed key trends shaping the future of work and what businesses can do to create thriving, engaged teams.
Rethinking workplace culture
Too many businesses are still stuck in an outdated industrial mindset – viewing employees as cogs in a machine that need to be optimised and replaced when they break. But workplaces are ever-evolving living ecosystems, filled with diverse identities, ideas and experiences.
To create a culture where employees thrive, businesses must:
- Listen deeply – go beyond surveys to understand the real undercurrents shaping employee experience.
- Make change an engaging process – design change communications to be creative, inspiring and participatory.
- Enable flow states – consider how workspace design, communication styles and celebrations contribute to culture.
- Embrace conscious leadership – leaders should create a positive and collaborative environment where everyone can thrive.
Tackling loneliness
Loneliness has become a big and unfortunate trending topic, but it is important to know that it is not caused by remote work – it’s caused by fractured cultures. Return to office mandates are part of the loneliness problem; what could be lonelier than feeling disconnected from your colleagues while sitting in a buzzy office? Communication plays a vital role in bridging that gap.
Valuing feedback
Surveys, suggestion boxes and employee groups may seem like standard tools – but they only work when they are inclusive and transparent.
Key principles of effective feedback include:
- Providing multiple ways to contribute – recognising potential language and other barriers, offering different ways to feedback.
- Appointing spokespeople – ensuring non-native speakers and those not comfortable with speaking up can have a voice.
- Creating a genuine feedback loop – sharing all survey results, addressing difficult feedback and being honest when changes aren’t possible.
- Targeting disengagement – where you are seeing signs of disengagement, for example low survey response rates, investigate the cause. Would tailored training or perhaps surveys in multiple languages or formats help?
Communicating through change
During times of change, clarity and consistency are everything. Strong leadership voices, regular updates and a visible presence – with an example given of a CEO spending time working from reception – can create a sense of stability.
Humans are natural storytellers. If leaders don’t shape the narrative, employees will create their own – and that’s where misinformation can spread. Tapping into the stories that drive purpose fuels both innovation and productivity.
Creating human-centric work environments
A desk and chair are no longer enough. The spaces we work in play a crucial role in collaboration, focus and connection. The venue itself, Uncommon’s Holborn location, is a perfect example of how human-centric design, greenery and calming aesthetics can enhance workplace wellbeing.
Modern workplaces need to provide flexibility, offering spaces that support both deep work and collaboration. Thoughtful design can create an environment that facilitates productivity and meaningful interactions.
Supporting volunteering programmes
Businesses offering paid volunteering days is on the rise, but offering the benefit doesn’t automatically result in take-up – businesses need to actively encourage participation.
Volunteering isn’t just good for the individual – it strengthens engagement, productivity and workplace culture. It tackles loneliness, builds community and enhances wellbeing. The key is making it easy for employees to get involved.
Want to see how we helped a client inspire over 120,000 employees to volunteer? Find out more here.
Overcoming communication overload
Communication tools like video calls and instant messaging were meant to streamline work. Instead, they’ve created a culture of constant communication – where employees are drowning in notifications, meetings and distractions. The workplace is now like a crowded room where everyone is talking at once. It’s affecting productivity, wellbeing and relationships. To fix this, businesses must:
- Set clear communication guidelines – establish expectations for response times and message urgency.
- Encourage mindful communication – leaders should model concise, purposeful messaging.
- Reduce unnecessary noise – assess which platforms are essential and eliminate redundant ones.
Communication: the key to workplace happiness and performance
At the heart of all these trends lies communication. Getting it right means understanding what, when and how to communicate – ensuring efficiency without overload. Talk to your teams, listen to what they need and create a workplace where communication fuels success rather than hinders it.
A happy, high-performing team isn’t built overnight. But with purposeful communication, inclusive culture and thoughtful leadership, businesses can create environments where people truly thrive.
At Something Big, we help businesses communicate with clarity, creativity and inclusivity – making workplaces fairer, healthier and happier. From shaping strategy and change programmes to fostering wellbeing and inclusion, we work with some of the world’s best workplaces to engage leaders, managers and frontline teams through impactful communication.
Ready to build a thriving workplace? Let’s talk.
Guide: How to create authentic, accessible and inclusive communications
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Discover how to create communications that connect with audiences through authentic, accessible, and inclusive messaging in this essential guide.
Inclusive, accessible, and authentic communication has the power to connect, inspire, and drive meaningful change. This manual, How to Create Authentic, Accessible, and Inclusive Communications, is an essential resource for anyone striving to create messaging that resonates with diverse audiences and delivers real impact.
Packed with insights, guidance, and actionable tips, this guide will help you ensure your work is inclusive, accessible, and authentically representative. Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding, refine your communication approach, or start embedding inclusion into your processes, this manual provides the tools and inspiration you need.
In this manual you’ll discover:
- Why inclusivity in communications matters and how it drives connection and impact.
- What inclusive communications should look and feel like with practical examples.
- How to foster diversity and authentic representation while avoiding tokenism.
- Practical tips for accessibility making sure your communications reach everyone.
- Advice on using AI ethically to support inclusivity and authenticity.
- How to build an inclusive mindset and embrace continuous improvement
Download the guide now and start creating communications that inspire change, connect with audiences, and make a lasting difference.
Choose the right version for you
We’ve created several versions of the manual, each with different accessibility features. Please choose the option that works best for you. If you need assistance navigating these options, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us hello@somethingbig.co.uk.
PDF version
A PDF that can be read out by a screen reader
Dark mode PDF
A PDF in dark mode, that can be read out by a screen reader
Audio PDF
A PDF with the option to be read aloud by an AI voiceover
Video audio
A video of the manual, read by an AI voiceover
Creating cultures of neuroinclusion
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Diversity of thought and minds can bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. According to Deloitte, “organisations that make an extra effort to recruit, retain, and nurture neurodivergent workers can gain a competitive edge from increased diversity in skills, ways of thinking, and approaches to problem-solving”. With an estimated 15-20% of adults being neurodivergent, businesses that fail to support neurodiverse individuals risk falling behind. It’s essential for businesses to support the neurodivergent community by making necessary accommodations for everyone, regardless of diagnosis.
We were delighted to have Becs Tridgell from Autism Unlimited join us for our most recent ‘Tune In’, session, where we tuned into the voices of the neurodivergent community, looking to learn practical steps and strategies to foster a neuroinclusive workplace culture that values and supports every employee.
Watch the video below for a full recap, and check out the session highlights and key insights below:
The benefits of a neuroinclusive workforce
Neurodivergent employees bring unique strengths that can transform workplaces. Skills like hyper-focus, creative thinking, innovative problem-solving, empathy, and detailed analysis are just a few examples of the value neurodivergent individuals can offer when supported effectively.
However, these strengths can only thrive when workplaces address the challenges neurodivergent employees face. By fostering a culture of neuroinclusion, organisations unlock not only individual potential but also greater collaboration, loyalty, and long-term success.
Common challenges faced by neurodivergent employees
Many neurodivergent employees encounter significant barriers in the workplace. Traditional recruitment processes, such as interviews that emphasise eye contact or sociability, often overlook the strengths of neurodivergent candidates.
Masking – where individuals consciously or unconsciously hide their neurodivergent traits to appear more “typical” – is another challenge. While masking can help individuals fit into workplaces that may not be inclusive, it often leads to exhaustion, burnout, and reduced engagement.
Sensory sensitivities, like difficulties with noise, lighting, or smells, can also make everyday tasks unnecessarily difficult. For example, an open-plan office might create challenges for someone with auditory sensitivities, reducing their ability to focus or perform at their best.
The power of effective communication
Communication is a cornerstone of neuroinclusion. By prioritising clarity, consistency, and compassion, organisations can create an environment where neurodivergent employees feel understood, supported, and empowered.
Clarity
Clear communication ensures that everyone, regardless of neurotype, can engage fully. This includes:
- Sending agendas in advance of meetings
- Chunking information into smaller, manageable parts
- Using visual aids to support verbal explanations
- Providing assistive technologies
Consistency
Consistency builds trust and reliability. Neurodivergent employees often thrive in environments where expectations and processes are supported and made clear. Examples include:
- Assigning a buddy to new employees for ongoing support
- Standardising accommodations, like offering quiet spaces or noise-cancelling headphones
- Implementing policies to create sensory-friendly environments, such as discouraging strong smells in open-plan offices
Compassion
Compassionate communication acknowledges individual needs and ensures everyone feels valued. Tailored adjustments might include:
- Allowing regular breaks for employees who need to manage energy levels
- Providing specific ergonomic tools, like supportive chairs or coloured overlays
- Offering flexibility in how tasks are completed, enabling employees to work in ways that suit their strengths
Practical steps to build a neuroinclusive workplace
Neuroinclusion requires thoughtful, tailored adjustments that enable everyone to thrive, not just the neurodivergent.
Some practical steps include:
- Rethinking job design: Tailor roles to individual strengths rather than expecting everyone to fit into rigid job descriptions.
- Creating dedicated quiet spaces: Offer areas where employees can decompress or work in silence.
- Normalising accommodations: Provide tools like noise-cancelling headphones, visual aids, or flexible schedules to support productivity.
- Improving recruitment processes: Redesign interviews to focus on practical skills rather than sociability or traditional cues like eye contact.
- Fostering a supportive culture: Encourage open dialogue about neurodiversity to reduce stigma and build trust, ensuring employees feel safe to share their needs.
While supporting neurodivergent employees is both a legal and moral obligation – it’s a strategic advantage too. Through education, adjustments, and open dialogue, we can create workplaces where every mind is valued, and every employee can thrive.
If you need support on your journey to building a more neuroinclusive working environment, we’re here to help. Whether it’s developing culture change programmes, creating communication campaigns that drive inclusion, or ensuring your communications are accessible to all, we can provide the expertise you need. Talk to us today to start making a meaningful difference in your workplace.
Webinar: Empowering workforces to be neuroinclusive
2025 Workforce Trends Every Communicator Needs to Know
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
We’ve reviewed insights from leading organisations, including Great Place to Work, Top Employer, Make Work Better, Gallup, Mercer, and more. We’ve identified the six key trends shaping workplace culture, and how communicators can play a pivotal role in supporting these trends.
1. Changing workforce demographics
As the workforce spans more generations than ever, the growing generational gap could lead to intergenerational tensions.
How communicators can help:
Earlier in the year we explored the communications challenges that can cause friction between different generations. Check out our practical guides on unravelling ageism, improving collaboration between generations, shifts in language, channels and communications format and hear from experts on how the multigenerational workforce can be united.
2. Creating Neuroinclusive workplaces
With greater awareness of neurodiversity, organisations are recognising the value of different ways of thinking. To unlock this potential, workplaces need to become more neuroinclusive.
How communicators can help:
Explore how to create neuroinclusive work environments or sign up to this event on the 10 January with Autism Unlimited, to learn practical steps and strategies to foster a neuroinclusive workplace culture.
3. Adapting to evolving technology
While technology promises greater efficiency, it also risks overwhelming employees if not managed carefully. Adding new communication channels without retiring outdated ones can lead to digital overload.
How communicators can help:
Discover how to identify and address communication overload in your organisation. Read this article for practical fixes and insights into improving digital body language for more meaningful, productive interactions.
4. Focusing on sustainability and ESG
The climate crisis demands urgent action, and organisations need to actively engage employees in their sustainability and ESG efforts. There’s no room for “climate fatigue.”
How communicators can help:
In this research, we discovered how different generations talk about climate and sustainability so that we engage employees and create a culture of sustainability.
To carry on the conversation in 2025, join our Green Monday sessions to hear from sustainability and comms leaders on how they are engaging their communities.
5. Strengthening belonging and inclusion
Everyone deserves to feel safe, included, and free to be themselves at work. Accessibility plays a vital role in creating an inclusive environment where everyone can fully engage and contribute.
While progress in DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) has accelerated, there’s still much work to do – especially as rising workplace loneliness highlights the gaps in creating truly connected and supportive cultures. Accessible communication can help to ensure no one is left out, fostering a sense of belonging that goes beyond physical and digital barriers.
How communicators can help:
For communications to be impactful and inclusive, they must also be accessible. Give everyone the same access to your comms with our practical advice on levelling up accessibility in your communications
6. Prioritising health & Wellbeing
Declining employee wellbeing continues to raise alarm bells – from burnout and mental health challenges to rising cancer rates and reduced physical activity.
How communicators can help:
Take the first step in building a culture of wellbeing. Read our guide for practical strategies, or explore how to support employees living with cancer.
As we approach 2025, fostering a workplace culture that is healthy, safe, and inclusive has never been more critical. If you’re looking for expert support to develop internal communications strategies that engage and empower your workforce, we’re here to help.
B Corp insights: Delivering and scaling impact
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
B Local Surrey is a network run by local B Corps, fostering a community of purpose-driven businesses and individuals committed to building a better world. It brings together certified B Corps and those aspiring to join the movement through networking and information-sharing events, empowering businesses to grow their impact.
At the newly B Corp-certified Denbies Wine Estate, this vibrant community gathered for an inspiring conversation on scaling up and doing business better. A quick show of hands revealed a diverse audience – seasoned B Corps, newly certified businesses, and those curious about joining the movement.
The keynote speakers, Anuradha Chugh, former CEO of Pukka and B Lab UK Board Member, and Douglas Lamont, CEO of Tony’s Chocolonely and former CEO of Innocent, shared powerful stories of leading purpose-driven brands.
Putting purpose at the heart of business
Anuradha spoke passionately about building a culture that sustains purpose through growth, challenges, and change. She likened it to being a farmer – constantly tending, listening, and nurturing the culture of the business to ensure values are deeply rooted. Her reflections on how purpose, culture, and courage intersect were a reminder that real solutions often emerge from within, empowering teams to lead the way.
Douglas took us on a journey into Tony’s Chocolonely’s mission to eradicate exploitation in the cocoa industry. He reminded us that being mission-first isn’t just a business strategy; it’s a way to drive systemic change. Through innovation, like sharing their open supply chain, Tony’s Chocolonely exemplifies how a purpose-led model can be both impactful and profitable.
Showcasing local B Corps
Members from of our Surrey B Corp community also shared their inspiring stories. Tad Ostrowski from Artington Legal explored the balance between time, cost, and quality, emphasising how aligning your values with how you spend your time can maximize your impact.
Kate Gibson of Gibson Games reflected on her family business’s 100-year legacy of creating joy and connection, sharing that consistent, everyday actions toward positive change are often what drives the greatest impact.
Dan Webber from Chimney Fire Coffee shared how they build equitable supply chains through long-term farmer partnerships. By staying true to the business’s founding mission of fairness and sustainability, they’ve maintained their values while growing the business.
Finally, Matthew Wood from Millwood addressed wellbeing in the construction industry, a field known for its challenges. He discussed how even small efforts – like trying to do just 1% more – can lead to significant and transformative changes.
Key insights for driving and scaling impact
Here are some standout takeaways from the event speakers on scaling impact effectively:
- Drive culture: A mission-led culture attracts top talent and motivates teams to achieve extraordinary results. It creates a positive cycle: purpose draws in exceptional people, who drive success and amplify impact, which in turn attracts even more talent. Culture is the foundation of impact.
- Collaborate for solutions: Form coalitions and explore partnerships, even with competitors, to address shared challenges. Movements like B Local Surrey demonstrate the power of collective effort and knowledge sharing.
- Aim to inspire others: Look for solutions that are clear, simple, and easy to replicate that can scale beyond your business or the B Corp movement. By empowering others to adopt your approach, you amplify your impact.
- Have patience: Change rarely follows a straight path – it ebbs and flows like the tide. With persistence and purpose, even small steps build momentum over time.
- Bring joy to your mission: People respond to connection and positivity, not lectures. Communicating your purpose in an engaging, relatable way encourages action and builds understanding.
- Sign the Better Business Act: Commit to driving change at a systemic level by supporting initiatives like the Better Business Act, which aims to ensure all businesses prioritise people and the planet alongside profit.
These are undeniably challenging economic and globally turbulent times, testing the resolve and potential of purpose-driven businesses. But staying transparent and honest – both with your team, customers, suppliers and wider community – is vital. Sometimes, protecting your mission may mean making tough decisions, like scaling back projects that don’t fully align with your impact goals. What matters is staying true to your values, making a difference where you can, and being upfront about the challenges along the way.
What’s next?
For more opportunities to connect and collaborate, join the B Local Surrey LinkedIn group. Plans are already underway for the next B Corp Month event in March.
And for another dose of inspiration, save the date for Green Monday on 20 January 2025, where we’ll transform Blue Monday into a day of sustainability and optimism. Packed with networking sessions and thought-provoking panels, this event is designed to inspire action. Find out more.
How can we support employees living with cancer?
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
One in two people will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. This means cancer is likely to impact us all at some point – whether we receive a diagnosis or know someone facing cancer.
In the UK alone, 890,000 working-age people are living with cancer, and around 700,000 are balancing work while caring for a loved one with the disease. However, half of those living with cancer are afraid to tell their employers and over a third feel isolated at work during their cancer journey.
At such a difficult time, people should feel supported by their employers and colleagues – not afraid to share their diagnosis and left feeling like they aren’t receiving the support and flexibility they need.
Joined by Lindsay Bridges, Global Head of HR at DHL Supply Chain and Anna Dunn, Associate at Working With Cancer, our CEO, Sally Pritchett, started an honest and insightful conversation about how we can better support employees living with cancer.
What common challenges do those living with cancer face in the workplace?
One of the biggest challenges around cancer is the misunderstanding it creates, both for the person facing it and their employer. Until someone experiences diagnosis and treatment, it’s hard to know what recovery will be like. Cancer recovery isn’t linear – everyone responds in their own way and with different emotions. Understanding this can help create a more supportive and empathetic environment for those going through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
What can employers do to better support employees facing cancer?
Understand that everyone’s situation is different
Cancer recovery isn’t the same for everyone. People with similar diagnoses can still experience very different emotions, treatments and challenges. This makes having a standard ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy difficult.
While it’s important to have a workplace policy, employers should also guide colleagues on who they can talk to and what processes are in place, and provide flexibility to meet each individual’s needs. Offering a clear, open line of communication can help reduce stress and create a supportive environment during an already challenging time.
Give your managers clear guidance
Equip line managers with the tools and information they need to confidently support team members facing a cancer diagnosis. Clarify what support your company provides, let them know their role in supporting the employee (versus the responsibilities of HR) and provide helpful resources. This not only ensures employees receive the support they need, but also helps them feel less like a burden, knowing managers are prepared to offer the right support.
Consider creating a guide for managers or running training sessions to help line managers within your company feel more confident handling these sensitive situations.
Support employees with their return to work
After cancer treatment ends, many people face a new set of emotions – loss of identity, a lack of confidence and fear of recurrence. While they may want to return to normality, navigating these feelings can be tough, and added pressure from employers can make it harder. Compassion and open communication are key during the return-to-work period.
When discussing an employee’s return to work, it’s important to ask how they’re feeling and what feels right for them. Let them lead the conversation so they can be honest about what feels right for them. Just like treatment, the post-treatment phase is not the same for all. A phased return to work period of at least 12 weeks can help employees ease themselves back into work and rebuild their routine without feeling overworked or overwhelmed.
How can employees better support their colleagues who are facing cancer?
Give people control
When someone is facing cancer, they may feel a loss of control. Asking how they’d like to discuss their diagnosis and treatment – or if they want to talk about it at all – can help them regain some control by setting their own boundaries. It’s important to respect their wishes and follow their lead on how open they want to be.
This conversation should continue after treatment too, so you can continue supporting them in the right way for them. Asking simple questions like “How’s your health?” allows someone to choose how much they want to share and whether they want to discuss their cancer moving forward.
Treat your colleagues as you normally would
Cancer doesn’t define a person, and many may not want to be seen only through that lens. Treat your colleagues as you normally would, while being mindful of their needs and how they’ve said they’d like to talk about their cancer.
A quick call or message to check in can mean a lot, but remember – there’s more to their life than cancer. Keep conversations balanced, acknowledging their interests and experiences beyond their diagnosis, so they continue to feel recognised for who they are beyond their diagnosis.
Think about what you say
It’s normal to feel unsure about what to say to someone facing cancer. A simple acknowledgement, like ‘I don’t know what to say, I’m sorry,’ can be enough. Avoid making assumptions about their journey or suggesting treatments, as everyone’s experience is unique.
Let the language that they use guide you – some people may feel empowered by using language like ‘battling’ or ‘fighting’ cancer, while others might prefer to say they are ‘living with cancer’. Respect their chosen language and be sure to support them in a way that feels right for them.
Advice for colleagues and employers who want to better support those living with cancer
There are lots of amazing resources available to help you better support someone living and working with cancer. Charities like Macmillan offer online communities and advice specifically for those supporting a loved one, friend or colleague through their cancer journey. Organisations like Working With Cancer can help employers and employees, employers to manage cancer and work.
For employers, offering training about cancer recovery can help teams better understand what someone may be experiencing. This awareness helps them offer more compassionate and informed support, creating a more understanding, supportive and empathetic work environment for everyone involved.
If you want to make your workplace fairer, healthier and happier by better supporting your employees living with cancer, we can help. Get in touch to find out how we can help you educate your workforce and create a culture of care and support.
Tune in: Supporting employees living with cancer
Employee Wellbeing Calendar 2025
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Download your free Employee Wellbeing Awareness Days Calendar for 2025.
Stay committed to your employees’ health and wellbeing in 2025 with our free downloadable calendar that highlights key health and wellbeing dates and events.
Why Employee Wellbeing Matters
Engaging your employees and delivering important health and wellbeing communications is an ongoing process that requires consistent attention throughout the year. Recent statistics reveal a concerning trend: global workplace wellbeing is declining, with a staggering 78% of employees reporting that work stress has negatively impacted their physical health.The role of employers in addressing this issue is increasingly clear and crucial. A overwhelming 93% of employees believe their employer is responsible for helping them manage their mental health.
Encouragingly, 89% of employees report that their company’s leaders openly discuss their own mental health, indicating that discussions around wellbeing in the workplace are becoming more commonplace and expected. This shift highlights the growing importance of prioritising employee wellbeing as an integral part of organisational culture and strategy.
How Can Our Calendar Help You?
- Comprehensive Planning: Helps you plan your employee wellbeing programmes for 2025.
- Key Dates: Includes important health and wellbeing celebration and awareness dates throughout the year to keep your business on track.
- Conversation Starters: Provides top tips for initiating important discussions about health and wellbeing with your employees, encouraging healthier behaviors and breaking down stigmas.
If you find this calendar useful, then check out our Diversity and Inclusion Calendar and Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Calendar.
If you’re looking for a partner to help you roll out your employee health and wellbeing programmes, we’d love to hear from you.
Download our Employee Wellbeing calendar
Diversity and Inclusion Calendar 2025
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Download your free Diversity and Inclusion Awareness Days Calendar for 2025.
Never miss an important date in 2025 with our free downloadable calendar that includes key diversity and inclusion awareness dates and events.
Nurturing a true sense of belonging among your employees can’t be a short-term objective – it’s an
ongoing commitment to ensuring that everyone in your workforce feels heard, respected and
valued. And with 65% of employees wanting to feel a strong sense of belonging at work, now is the time to ensure your business is aware of diversity and
inclusion days that matter to your employees.
How can our calendar help you?
- Helps keep your diversity and inclusion employee engagement programmes on track.
- Includes a wide range of cultural, racial, religious, age, gender, sexual orientation and
disability awareness dates. - Top tips for opening up and developing important conversations to help you make the
most of these events
If you find this calendar useful, then check out our Employee Health and Wellbeing Calendar and Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Calendar.
If you’re looking for support in rolling out your diversity and inclusion programmes, get in touch to see how we can help.
Download our Diversity and Inclusion calendar
Great for women, great for all
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
We’ve been ranked in the top 10 UK’s Best workplaces for Women (Small Businesses), alongside 330 companies including industry-leading and global brands. This achievement is a team effort, not based on management promises, policies and words on an entry form, but on day-to-day actions leading to genuine and personal team feedback through Great Place to Work’s independent employee survey. Data analysed looks at how well organisations have removed barriers to female career advancement and created workplaces where all employees can flourish, regardless of gender.
Whilst we’re delighted to have achieved this incredible accolade, our mission is to create workplaces that are fairer, healthier and happier for all – both at Something Big and in the organisations we support.
Our journey to this achievement hasn’t been about giving women special treatment. It’s been about driving a positive and inclusive workplace culture, for everyone, which means breaking down barriers for women in particular.
Regardless of where we want to be as a world and society, we’re not there yet. The world is still patriarchal, unconscious bias continues to be a challenge, there are still not enough visible female role models and gender pay gaps remain a problem.
‘”Parity in the workplace remains a work in progress.”
Great Place to Work
Positive change is visible on the horizon though. In the UK’s Best Workplaces for Women, 42% of C-suite positions are held by women versus just 28% in FTSE 350 organisations. Pay gaps are narrowing in the UK, with women earning 92p to their male counterparts £1, and companies ranked in this list have closed that gap further, with the UK average of female employees agreeing they are ‘paid fairly for what the work they do’ at just 53%, in the Top 5 UK’s Best Workplaces for Women a whopping 83% of female respondents agreed they were fairly paid.
The UK’s Best Workplaces for Women are also proof that delivering work/life balance is possible, whilst the UK average stands at 60% for ‘people are encouraged to balance their work life and personal life’ in the UK’s Best Workplaces for women, a significantly higher 84% of employees agree with this statement.
What are we getting right at Something Big to earn our 8th place ranking?
#Flexibility
Flexibility isn’t a buzzword, a policy or a broad commitment – it’s a huge undertaking that takes a team effort to deliver. According to GPTW’s report, 40% of women not working say that access to flexible work would mean they could take on paid work and 77% said they’d be more likely to apply for a job if it advertises flexible working options.
At Something Big, flexibility is a way of life. From changing and flexing working hours around ever-changing care arrangements to sabbaticals mean that work can fit around life, rather than squeezing life around gaps in work.
Our tip: Delivering flexibility successfully isn’t just about senior leadership commitment, it’s also about peer-to-peer support. Working alongside colleagues on different hours or shorter days/weeks can be tough, it takes empathy, great communication skills and respect for boundaries to make it work without sacrificing quality, productivity or pace. Support and nurture your whole team to make flexibility work for everyone.
#Appreciation
Everyone wants (and deserves) to feel appreciated. For women, this is especially critical, when outside of work their effort and contribution can often feel invisible and taken for granted. In the workplace, there’s a disparity between genders when it comes to feeling that management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort. 64% of men feel appreciated versus 58% of women. Unsurprisingly, this gap is closed in companies featured on this list, with both genders scoring equally and with higher appreciation levels, with both genders scoring a significantly higher 85%.
Our tip: Appreciation often costs nothing. We believe it’s as critical a component as other rewards are often overlooked or left to busy line managers who might not always have time. Set up structures that encourage regular peer-to-peer appreciation, celebrate awareness days like Employee Appreciation Day, even when budgets are under pressure try to make space for fun.
To find out more about what it takes to create a workplace where women can thrive, you can read the full report here or talk to us about our journey and how we’re helping the organisations we’re supporting.