Ways in which we manage diversity within our company:

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations have had a great impact across the airline. Prior to the legislation, British Airways ran focus groups to assess employees opinions on the changes.
There was a broad range of responses, most people felt that the age legislation was a positive step and that flexibility was the key to working for longer.

As a result of this consultation British Airways has built a robust programme to:

Working and travelling with BA as a disabled traveller in a wheelchair I get to see at first hand the service offered to additional needs customers and staff, good and bad. In most instances the service levels are of high standard but if things have not been right on the day, feedback has been acted upon.
Richard – British Airways Manager, Credit Cards

The ba.com team are continuously looking at improving site accessibility for people with disabilities. In addition, disability awareness training has been introduced for all customer-facing staff. British Airways is working closely with BAA in the construction of Terminal 5 to ensure all aspects of disability are covered.

As a company we are committed to ensuring that disabled employees can achieve their full potential. Reasonable adjustments are made for employees if they are disabled or become disabled whilst working for British Airways. We work in partnership with the Employers' Forum on Disability. We also work with the Disability Rights Commission to support our disability strategy.

"Flexible working has become an important part of the way we work and represents part of a continuing change of attitude. There are clear benefits for our people and for our business and we will continue to support flexible working solutions that are appropriate and meet our needs."

Kim - Customer service agent

British Airways support a wide variety of flexible working options that are aimed to meet different types of work. These solutions assist the employee to balance home and work life whilst contributing to the ongoing changes requested by the organisation to assist cost reduction.

"When I started Air Training School in 1991 there weren't even any showers for the girls as we were such a rarity. There was a real 'lads together' type environment. The skills required for selection as a pilot have expanded and changed over the years. These days interpersonal, situation management and team skills (so called "Human Factors") are emphasised although of course basic flying skills are still important. A lot of women have natural ability in these areas but simply don't realise that it is a large part of what being a pilot is all about these days. These skills can be trained too. I think that most young women wouldn't consider flying for a living simply because it is not something that comes to mind they think about their future career. I hope that the idea of a possible career in aviation can be suggested much earlier to girls at school, than they have time to plan their studies accordingly, as a good grounding in science is handy. You need to be interested in flying and trying a lesson is the easiest way to see if it is for you."

Karen - Shorthaul Pilot

British Airways has introduced a number of flexible working initiatives that have benefited women who tend to assume responsibility for most dependant care. One objective is to increase the focus on work-life balance to encourage women to return to work after maternity leave.
We are also committed to improving the representation of women in non-traditional areas of the business, such as Flight Crew and Engineering.

The diversity team work with the diversity champions, who represent their own departments, to ensure employees are aware of our harassment and bullying policy and to raise awareness of dignity and respect within the workplace. As a company, we are members of the DTI/Amicus Dignity at Work partnership and work closely with other companies on sharing information and best practice on eradicating harassment and bullying in the workplace. We also undertake activities across the company such as roadshows, poster campaigns, journal articles in local publications and seek to create innovative and engaging communication through the production of a video and a variety of training activities.

“I had no idea when I started at BA that I would work with such a diverse group of people.  I have learnt so much about the cultures and beliefs of others and I like to think that they have learnt from me too.  During my career I've had a number of very supportive managers who recognised my potential and encouraged me to seek opportunities to progress.  I take advantage of all opportunities available and have enhanced my skills through a combination of training, development and also through experience. I've never felt that my colour or background have held me back.  Now that I'm a manager myself, I try to pass on my passion for learning and development to others so that they can grow their potential too”. 

Elaine - British Airways Manager, eSolutions and Professional Training

It is a priority of our race equality strategy to listen to our ethnic minority employees. We encourage sharing ideas on how we can work on issues such as career progression, training and development, internal and external recruitment, harassment and bullying.
Our main objective is to increase the representation of ethnic minorities at senior levels of the organisation. We work closely with organisations such as Race for Opportunity and the Commission for Racial Equality which provides advice and guidance to us on race equality issues.

We have worked closely with our corporate responsibility and procurement teams to develop responsible procurement standards on labour rights. We are currently examining a supplier diversity strategy to meet the future needs of the business.

British Airways is a global and diverse company, which employs individuals of all faiths. To reflect the extended range of religions followed by our employees we provide prayer facilities across the business and we publish a monthly religious festivals newsletter on our intranet site with the aim of raising awareness on the different cultures across the company.

Some religions or beliefs have specific dietary needs. We provide a range of dietary options to ensure key requirements are catered for and foods are labelled. In addition, the British Airways Uniform Committee has adapted the new uniform to ensure that it upholds the corporate image whilst allowing flexibility to meet key religious needs.

British Airways offers an inclusive environment to all of our employees, whether gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. British Airways has for many years included sexual orientation in its the diversity policy. We support our strategy by working closely with organisations such as Stonewall (an organisation committed to equality for gay, lesbian and bisexual people). British Airways joined the Stonewall champion scheme in 2005, where employers can work with Stonewall to promote diversity in the workplace.