Goodman Masson

Goodman Masson  is a finance, technology and Recruitment Process Outsourcing recruitment business, with offices in London, Dusseldorf and New York.

• The company founded its ‘Be a hero, make a difference’ – BAHMAD – team in January 2020, which places diversity, inclusion and respect at the heart of the corporate ethos.
• Its DI&R change initiative, which is split into four networks, has fundamentally changed the way staff understand and think about equality. Everyone has participated in training.

                1) Pride, embracing the LGBTQ+ community.

                2) Origin, supporting a race-inclusive culture and providing a safe space for employees to educate themselves on social issues around race, class, religion and heritage

                3) Balance – supporting gender equality through encouraging positive career support and

                4) Access – the exploration of the company’s approach to disability

• The company used its connection with the world of social housing to roll out two new offerings during the pandemic: The company recognised that lockdowns would be a very lonely time for many residents, particularly the vulnerable and elderly, who would be in need of social interaction. So, a befriending offering called ‘We’re free to chat’, was designed, in which volunteer furloughed staff called residents at home. During the height of lockdown more than 2,600 people across nine housing associations were called. Second, Careers Start @Home was a series of five online programmes designed to boost residents’ employability skills. Each of the five recorded webinars last roughly 15 minutes and have been attended by at least 250 people per webinar. Included were: how to navigate LinkedIn; CV writing; searching and applying for jobs; preparing for interviews; and additional qualifications and development.

Judges’ comments: “As with the ‘small’ category, we focused our judging on firms’ reactions to Covid-19, as opposed to financial performance. The winners went the extra mile by helping out their community. For example, having furloughed staff speaking to the lonely via their befrienders programme, and helping housing association residents upskill with an employability skills programme.”

Also: We were impressed by companies’ speed of reaction in assisting their staff and clients throughout the pandemic.