23 July 2021

The Supply Chain Sustainability School, an award-winning collaborative initiative comprised of construction suppliers, contractors and their clients, has released its Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) Annual Culture Survey Report.

The report highlights how construction businesses and organisations are becoming more conscious of FIR and its benefits to people, profit and enabling a more sustainable business model. This is an important development as the construction industry can be a driving force for encouraging positive action regarding the environment. By placing sustainability at the heart of construction projects, the industry can help lay the foundations of a more inclusive world around us.

What does the Supply Chain Sustainability School do?

The School is part-funded by CITB and industry Partners, with the direction of the School being led by over 125 Partners – working in collaboration, they share knowledge and free resources to inspire the UK built environment to drive positive change.

The School’s vision is to encourage greater collaboration within the industry to make it more sustainable and inclusive. With over fifty thousand registered users, it provides free practical learning and support for the industry, through networking, sustainability training, tailored assessments, learning modules and online resources.

The School has been identified as a powerful tool to help organisations embed sustainability into their business practices.

You can find out more about its work here.

Building a fairer, more sustainable world

As well as sustainability, there has been an increased focus on FIR in recent years, as the wider industry has recognised the importance of highlighting how fair, inclusive and respectful it has become – and the School’s FIR resources have become increasingly popular. The Annual Culture Survey Report found that 89% of respondents felt more empowered to effectively deal with fairness, inclusion and respect issues as a result of the FIR Programme. Additionally, 82% said they felt confident in being able to challenge poor behaviours in the workplace. FIR issues in construction are thankfully very uncommon, but calling them out when they occur is vital to foster an inclusive environment.

As well as construction employers, clients are placing a greater focus on FIR and sustainability. The survey found that 55% of members felt participating in the School’s programmes helped them win more business, and 58% said it led to increased productivity. Not only are members building a more inclusive and sustainable environment, they are also constructing faster with increased profitability – win, win!

The benefits of a fairer, more inclusive and respectful are felt within companies, too. 62% of respondents said the programmes help them retain talent, alongside a boost to stakeholder engagement.

A workplace that works for everyone will naturally achieve better results, and it’s heartening to see this trend replicated across the industry, from large employers to SMEs. The construction industry is welcoming, diverse and vibrant – it really is the place to be.

For more information, check out how the culture of construction is changing here, as well as diversity within construction here.

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