Today Phoenix Group, the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business, announces it is joining Business Disability Forum and will be establishing its own internal, employee-led network to focus on disabilities, or more importantly, the different abilities that people have, and provide a collective voice for its employees.

Phoenix aims to create a diverse and inclusive environment that reflects its customers and the communities where it operates. Business Disability Forum is a not-for-profit membership organisation which exists to transform the life chances of disabled people by working with businesses to create a disability-smart world. The Forum is an opportunity to share and learn from others, in order to support even greater diversity in the workplace.

Phoenix recently joined The Valuable 500, a global movement putting disability on the business leadership agenda, and has also signed up to the Government’s Disability Confident Scheme.

Commenting, Sara Thompson, Group HR Director, Phoenix Group, said:

“We’re delighted to be joining Business Disability Forum and very much looking forward to meeting the other members. At Phoenix Group we aim to ensure our workplace is inclusive and reflects our diverse range of customers and the communities where we operate. We continue to build a culture where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, which recognises and values all our unique differences, and enables every employee to contribute and fulfil their potential. That’s why being “disability smart” is so important to us.

“Phoenix is a signatory to the Government's Disability Confident Scheme and by being an active member of Business Disability Forum we will continue to share experiences and learn from others. If we’re disability confident we will be more agile and responsive, with true diversity of thought helping us to make even better decisions. That’s what makes us sustainable and it’s imperative businesses don’t lose sight of that as they respond to the challenges of the post Covid-19 economy. We’re looking forward to putting the insight we gain from membership of the Forum into practice as we champion this at all levels across our Group.”

Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, says:

“Business Disability Forum is very pleased to welcome the Phoenix Group on board as a new Member. We look forward to working with the team in this important step of its commitment to becoming a disability-smart organisation”.

Phoenix Group has seven active employee networks in place, including those supporting mental health, gender diversity and the armed forces. The new disability network planned for the Autumn will bring the total number of employee networks to eight. The networks create supportive communities and are a powerful driver for greater understanding and inclusion. Phoenix Group consults with the networks when forming and reviewing working practices.

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Enquiries

Rachel Esland
PR and Public Affairs Manager
Phoenix Group
07892 705093
Rachel.esland@thephoenixgroup.com

Leonie Garfield
Account Director
Lansons
07530 626 212
leonieg@lansons.com

Notes to editors

About the Business Disability Forum

We are Business Disability Forum. We believe the 26 million people in the UK and over 1 billion people worldwide with disabilities and long-term conditions enhance the social and economic health of our societies. We exist to remove barriers in business structures and Government that prevent disabled people from thriving and contributing in this way.

Business Disability Forum works with over 300 employers and service providers, meaning we are uniquely equipped to transform the life chances of disabled people. We do this by bringing business leaders, disabled people, and Government together to understand what needs to change to contribute a balanced voice on how we can together advance the participation of disabled people as workers, users of services, and citizens in our society.

We think. We advise. We share.

Our community of businesses, thought leaders, and disabled people develop research which influences policy development. Find out more on our website: www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk