Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As a socially responsible organisation with people at its heart, equality, diversity and inclusion is at the core of what we do
Hillcrest is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our role as a provider of housing, care and support services and as an employer. We recognise and value difference and the importance of encouraging everyone to contribute to their full potential. This is vital to the success of the organisation.
We will engage with the communities we serve, celebrate difference and bring diverse teams together to enhance talent, foster innovation and continuously improve as an organisation.
Our structure
We have an EDI Policy which is shared with all staff. This policy notes our legal and regulatory obligations, our commitment to promoting equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion and our expectations of staff. This includes a clear statement that we will not tolerate any form of discrimination, prejudice, harassment or victimisation. Also noted are the various measures we have in place to support our EDI Journey such as:
- Our EDI Strategic Board, supported by an EDI Action Group made up of volunteers from across the organisation
- Our Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) process
- Data Collection and Monitoring
- Training and Development
Our EDI Action Group meets every two months with the core purposes of:
- Developing and progressing EDI related actions
- Recommending and proposing priorities for training
- Raising awareness of EDI across Hillcrest
Our actions
In 2022, we carried out an anonymous tenant survey to gather in statistical equalities data about our tenants. We used the responses provided to compare our tenant demographics against local authority data and to identify any potential issues. The results of this survey can be seen in the graphic below:
In 2023, we developed an EDI Strategy to set out our vision for creating a positive, fair and welcoming environment for everyone. In 2025/26, we will be reviewing and revising this strategy to ensure it continues to be fit for purpose.
In 2023/24, we rolled out EDI training to be completed by all staff. This provides staff with a core understanding of what is expected of them whilst carrying out their duties. This has been followed up with new unconscious bias training in 2025. This new training supports staff to understand unconscious bias, recognise their own bias and put in place measures to prevent this from affecting their decision-making. We continue to identify further training needs and opportunities for staff.
In 2024, we introduced an EDI intranet page for staff which provides access to various resources including:
- Key definitions such as harassment, victimisation and direct discrimination
- Details of who is on our EDI Strategic Board and EDI Action Group and the remits of these respective groups
- A calendar of EDI related events
- Training videos and guides for completing EQIAs
We are members of the Housing Diversity Network (HDN), which gives us access to resources and support. The HDN have partnered with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) to host a Scottish Diversity Group, which Hillcrest attends on a regular basis.
We have added in functionality for staff to add their pronouns to their profiles in Microsoft Teams and encouraged staff to add pronouns to their email signatures.
Our Engagement Team has undertaken an equality check on our tenant’s ‘Feedback Forum’ to ensure it is truly representative and is creating strategies to ensure tenants from all demographics have opportunities to get involved.
To raise awareness, we regularly publish articles to our intranet and social media about EDI related matters and events. For example, articles about World Down Syndrome Day, Autism Acceptance Week and International Women’s Day.
In 2025, we revised our recruitment process to anonymise job applicants during the initial stages of shortlisting. This reduces the potential for unconscious bias to affect decisions during recruitment.
Recently, we recruited an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer to further drive forward improvements and initiatives in this area.
Networks and groups
This group gives our young people a safe space to network and share ideas and opinions on changes happening within Hillcrest. You can find out more about our young workforce here.