Celebrating Black History Month at Clear Business
Meaningful conversations, supporting local businesses, and cake. What better way to spend Black History Month?
In October, we celebrated Black History Month with inspiring content and activities across all our sites. We highlighted the remarkable contributions of black individuals both from history and today. It was a month of learning, reflecting, and celebrating black culture and heritage.
Fighting Hate with Heart: Our Dovecote Office's £100 Donation to Stop Hate UK
In the spirit of giving back, our Dovecote office raised around £100 for the charity Stop Hate UK with company matched funding. This contribution supports the charity’s efforts to combat hate and discrimination, and we take pride in supporting this cause.
Celebrating Black History Month with flavour
Our colleagues at Dovecote had a delicious experience exploring the rich flavours of traditional Jamaican cakes. These were baked locally at Old Trafford Bakery. Since the early 1960s, this small, local bakery has been supplying Caribbean hard dough bread, fruit buns and patties to the Old Trafford neighbourhood.
We also introduced a colleague-led recipe book that features a diverse array of recipes from various cultural backgrounds within Clear Business, celebrating our unique culinary traditions.
We received heartfelt colleague testimonials, emphasising the importance of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) in our workplace. Check them out below!
“I identify myself to be mixed race, both White British and Jamaican heritage. I'm proud to have experienced and embraced two distinct cultures in my upbringing meaning I was adapting to two different ways of living from an early age. This is something that has helped me through my life and career, and I truly believe being mixed race is a unique and special identity all on its own.
I feel inspired or feel a sense of affirmation when I connect with anyone whom I share similar traits of experiences, whether that be a woman, a mother, a Jamaican or someone who is mixed race. In-fact my face lights up when I meet someone who is of the same mixed heritage as me, as I know they will have shared similar cultural experiences. Identifying with people in life and in the workplace means that you feel more comfortable in bringing out those special qualities, differences and be your authentic self, which we know can lead to great things – however, unfortunately this is not a place I’ve always felt comfortable.
I used to work at a company where I identified with no one. I spent a lot of my early career trying to fit into a norm, trying to be someone else’s professional, someone else’s effective or communicate in a certain way.
Companies I have worked for since have become more and more diverse over the years, but I can honestly say that Clear Business is the most diverse company I have worked for!
I've discovered that I can truly be myself here. This is because I identify with lots of colleagues for so many reasons, and when you identify with people, the more comfortable you feel being your authentic self and that’s very important to have in the workplace.”
- Melissa Hickman (People Project & Culture Manager)
Rabia talks about how we can collectively work to ensure that allyship is not just a one-time effort but a continuous commitment throughout the year?
“To make sure we stay committed to being allies all year long, we can set up a dedicated place in our office fo ED&I efforts. This space will be like a central hub where we can keep learning, discussing, and taking action to support each other all year round.
Getting to know different cultures and backgrounds isn't just about building bonds within our team; it also helps us understand our diverse customer base better. I’m on the phone to customers everyday so if we continuously celebrate and learn about various cultures, it makes us more inclusive, compassionate, and better at meeting our customers' needs.”
- Rabia Zeeshan (QA & Complaints Advisor)
More Than Just a Month: Our Ongoing Commitment to ED&I
Black History Month reminds us that our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion is an ongoing journey. At Clear Business, we strive to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered year-round. Our ED&I journey is integral to our company culture, and we're dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where every voice is heard and diversity is celebrated.
Our commitment to ED&I is a continuous journey that extends beyond one month.