We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is supported to do their best work. We aim to lead by example, both within the professions we represent and across the wider built environment industry.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion are central to our mission to be a great place to work. They help us attract talent from the widest possible pool and are essential to our goal of designing better places to live. We’ve built a culture of collaboration and are known for policies and practices that show meaningful care for our people.
We know that an inclusive environment and a diverse workforce lead to better outcomes—for our practice and for the places we help shape. Embracing a wide range of identities, lived experiences and perspectives enables us to better understand the challenges faced by our clients and the communities we work with.
In 2021, we launched our first Inclusive Leadership Programme, facilitated by Danna Walker of Built By Us, offering our leadership team deeper insight into the lived experiences of colleagues from diverse backgrounds. Over the past six years, we have also improved the diversity of our graduate intake through partnerships with Blueprint for All (formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) and Urban Recruitment.
We recognise that inclusion is an ongoing journey. We are proud of the progress made so far, shared through our D&I Journey timeline and in annual editions of our ED&I newsletter, The Neighbourhood, first published in 2017.
Our ED&I Strategy
Our ED&I Strategy sets out our approach to creating lasting change in how we support and develop our people, and how we influence the wider industry and society through our work. It assesses where we are now and outlines the actions we will take to improve over the next five years, through to 2026.
Our actions are data-driven and employee-led, targeting the areas where progress is most needed. We will set clear goals and hold ourselves accountable, while remaining adaptable to external change and internal feedback, gathered through our annual Staff Opinion Survey and consultative forums.
We are committed to improving the way our projects are designed and delivered, strengthening the outcomes of community consultation and post-occupancy evaluation. Our aim is to be a leading example of inclusive practice, one that others in the sector look to and learn from.
Our ED&I groups
We involve colleagues from across HTA through our ED&I groups and consultative forums, which support staff and help build community through shared experiences and common interests.
At the core of this is our People Forum, made up of representatives from every team, discipline and studio, providing a space to share ideas and shape actions that can be adopted across the practice.
Our EDI Sub-groups
Our ED&I sub-groups design and promote programmes shaped by their members’ experiences and priorities, helping to strengthen inclusion across the practice. By recognising and valuing the diverse backgrounds and cultures of our people, these groups play a vital role in making HTA an inclusive and supportive place to work.
The Black African Caribbean Collective (BLACC@hta) is a forum for members identifying as Black. The Forum provides a safe and supportive space for black colleagues at HTA to discuss issues around racism and equality within the workplace and wider society. BLACC seeks for the continuation of education and discussion on racism and its impact upon black people and through support of our allies advocates the adoption of an anti-racist stance in behaviour and practices at HTA. BLACC will promote with its allies the further diversity of the wider built environment sector.
HTA’s LGBTQ+ network group - incl. – was launched in May 2017. The formation of incl. was prompted by staff who identify as LGBTQ+ and wished to establish a network to support and inform within the practice. Inclusivity is at the heart of the group’s ethos and a space is created for allies to join and participate in discussions and events.
We actively support the progression of women at every stage of their careers. Our aim is to build strong, diverse teams supported by a range of women- and family-friendly policies that underpin long-term development. Women at HTA are mentored by colleagues across the practice, helping them grow in confidence and reach their full potential. We are proud to maintain a long-standing gender balance across the practice. Our focus now is to increase the number of women in senior roles. We are doing this through a combined strategy of mentoring, internal promotion, and targeted senior recruitment. We promote a healthy work-life balance and reject the long-hours culture common in many practices, helping reduce the number of women leaving after maternity leave. Alongside this, we offer mentoring and training designed to build skills and confidence when navigating the more challenging aspects of development and construction, while working to improve culture across the industry.
We launched our Neurodiversity Group in September 2022 to promote greater awareness and understanding of neurodivergence, not as a limitation, but as an asset. The group focuses on how we support neurodivergent colleagues within our studios, how we design inclusive homes and places, and how we engage with communities in more accessible ways. It explores the specific challenges neurodivergent people may face and ensures that HTA considers studio environments, behaviours, and business practices that support broader accessibility.
Our goal is to apply the group’s insights to the buildings we design and the places we shape, helping to create healthier, more inclusive environments that support long-term wellbeing for everyone.
HTA is committed to delivering social value, both through our projects and in our work with local communities. Led by our dedicated Outreach Lead, we develop strategies in collaboration with clients, project teams and residents, focusing on local priorities. Our programmes support people of all ages, with a particular emphasis on those from marginalised or underrepresented backgrounds. We offer opportunities for young people to build skills and gain experience through careers advice sessions, interactive workshops, work experience placements, apprenticeships, and mentoring.
The Neighbourhood
The Neighbourhood is our ED&I round-up newsletter, collecting together a summary of all of our activity throughout the year.
Student - Drummond High School