Feel like you belong

We believe in creating an environment where our people are able to grow, thrive, and truly be themselves. We respect and celebrate differences. That’s what makes us stronger. We believe all our people should feel included and comfortable working here. And we do everything we can to make sure they do. 

Inclusive recruitment

We ensure that everyone is treated equally regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, colour, ethnic or national origin, culture, religious belief, philosophical belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. If you require any additional support with your application, please contact

recruitment@b-and-q.co.uk

Wellbeing support

We care for our people and offer a range of tools and programmes to take care of their wellbeing – such as our partnerships with The RetailTRUST and Shelter. Alongside offering support with financial worries and flexible working options, we’ve created Yammer groups, e-learning modules and workshops, and an in-depth online wellness article library to encourage colleagues to understand their own wellness and that of those around them.

Our partnership with Stonewall

Stonewall are the UK’s leading LGBT rights charity. In 2018, we became a Stonewall Diversity Champion, and the following year we were awarded our first Rainbow Honours Award (runners up) for ‘Start-up LGBTQ Network of the Year’.

B&Q Foundation and LGBT Foundation, Manchester

Through our fundraising and support to the B&Q Foundation, we have been able to support charities like the LGBT Foundation in the purchase of a counselling pod for their new LGBT Centre. This will allow the charity to deliver in-person counselling sessions again, after 2 years of remote delivery.

B&Q Foundation and The Proud Trust ltd

Through B&Q’s fundraising and support to the B&Q Foundation, the Foundation has awarded grants to charities that support the LGBTQ+ community. For example, helping the Proud Trust in Manchester to transform their roof terrace to provide a space for young LGBTQ+ people to come together, meet people, and build support networks.

Our Colleague Inclusion Networks

We have 5 colleague networks (Gender Equality, Embrace Cultural Diversity, PRIDE, Ability, Armed Forces Community) whose elected reps work together with senior leaders and our Board to share collective feedback and strategic ideas from a specific community viewpoint.

Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse

We work with EIDA to educate and inform our colleagues about domestic abuse. Once a year we focus on domestic abuse as a wellness topic, raising awareness of the support available to help colleagues and those they love to escape domestic abuse, in all its forms.

Inclusive Leadership workshops

Following our culture review with Green Park in 2020, we deliver an annual programme of Inclusive Leadership workshops to provide our top 500 leaders with a common understanding of inclusive behaviours, evolving their cultural and emotional intelligence, and equipping them with the skills and understanding they need to help make B&Q a place where everyone can feel they belong.

Level 2 disability confident employer

Kingfisher partner with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Business Disability Forum (BDF). They help us to provide facilities, work environment adjustments and tech solutions to make our business an inclusive place for all.

Learn more about what it means to be a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer on the DWP website.

Our national people's forum

Our people's forum is a group of elected colleagues from across all areas of B&Q. They regularly meet with the Board and senior stakeholders to represent the ideas and opinions of fellow colleagues. 

Unstereotype Alliance

We’ve partnered with The Unstereotype Alliance, a thought and action platform that seeks to eradicate harmful gender-based stereotypes in all media and advertising content. Convened by UN Women, the United Nations entity for Gender Equality, the Unstereotype Alliance brings together partners and seeks to collectively use the advertising industry as a force for good to drive positive change all over the world. 

Support for ex-forces

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation, ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces are treated fairly. We do all we can to support ex-armed forces individuals in developing their careers and wellbeing in our workplace.

Green Park Culture Review

Throughout 2020 we completed a project to really understand our culture. Working with Green Park, an independent consultancy firm who specialise in Diversity, Inclusion and Culture, we completed hundreds of colleague interviews and listening groups to find out what it’s really like to work at B&Q. Every year since then we’ve launched an evolving D&I strategic plan and continued to partner with Green Park to keep our cultural growth, well, growing!

RetailTRUST workshops and MHFA

We’re partnered with The Retail Trust to deliver a range of wellness support and education initiatives including webinars, workshops, monthly content, and wellness roadshows. We’ve recently launched our own Wellness Warriors in our Store Support Office, and are trialling mental health support workshops for our senior leaders.

BRC D&I pledge

In March 2021 we signed the British Retail Consortium’s Diversity & Inclusion Charter. Alongside the other signatories, we pledged to play our part in driving positive change within the wider retail sector, as well as within our own business.  

The Valuable 500

The Valuable 500 is a global movement which is working to get 500 of the world’s largest businesses to commit to placing disability inclusion on their business leadership agendas. B&Q joined The Valuable 500 in September 2020.

Sunflower Lanyard Scheme

Whether they need a little more time or assistance, a sunflower lanyard is a discreet way our customers can let us know if they have a hidden disability and would like a bit of extra help while shopping.