Skip to main content
Search

We want our teams to reflect the diverse communities they serve, because that will help us to understand our members and customers better. And we want our colleagues to feel included, because people who can be themselves at work are more engaged and productive.

We know teams with a range of perspectives solve problems better. So we’re building a brighter future for the Co-op by creating diverse teams that give us a real, competitive advantage in our modern multi-cultural society.

You can find out more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion here.

Visit our Diversity Blog to hear from our colleagues on their own experiences of Diversity and Inclusion at Co-op.

Group of employees

Co-op colleague networks

““As a national business, it’s common sense that we celebrate the diversity of our millions of customers and our tens of thousands of colleagues. The Co-op has a long tradition of supporting diversity in our workplace and in our wider Co-op membership. Through our colleague networks, we’re championing best practice and a culture of fairness and equality. That’s the right thing to do and it makes good business sense too. I’m proud that we’re putting these issues at the forefront of our thinking and that our work is being recognised nationally.”

Steve Murrells - Chief Executive Officer
CEO

Aspire is a community of colleagues who are passionate about personal development and gender equality. We’re fully inclusive and welcome colleagues of any gender to join our group.

We’ve been around for over six years now, and some of the things we’ve delivered include our mentoring programme, lunch and learn workshops, roundtable sessions for colleagues to share their career journey, and focus groups on numerous issues. We’ve also developed links to charities which support gender equality in our local communities.

As a Co-op colleague you could become a member of Aspire. To find out more check us out on Twitter @aspire_co_op

Respect is a network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) colleagues. We have two simple aims: make sure LGBT+ colleagues can be themselves at work, and promote LGBT+ equality throughout the Co-op and beyond.

We think everyone has a responsibility to create a workplace where all colleagues can thrive. That’s why everyone is welcome to join Respect, whether you identify as LGBT+ or not.

As a Co-op colleague you could become a member of Respect. To find out more check us out on Twitter @cooprespectLGBT

Rise is a colleague network that focuses on increasing cultural awareness and ethnic diversity within the Co-op.

We know ethnic diversity is good for our business. A diverse company is better positioned to meet the needs of the future economy. And an inclusive organisation that supports and encourages all colleagues to bring their whole selves to work can reap the benefits of diverse ideas, backgrounds and perspectives.

As a Co-op colleague you could become a member of Rise. To find out more check us out on Twitter @Coopukpeople

The Youth network connects young Co-op colleagues and offers advice and support in areas like career progression and development. We aim to tackle stigma surrounding young people.

Over 77% of our colleagues aged 24 and under would recommend Co-op as a great place to work. We want to make sure we retain and develop these talented young colleagues to grow the Co-op leaders of the future.

Anyone with an interest in supporting young colleagues can join our network. To find out more check us out on Twitter @Coopukpeople

Awards and partnership

Co-op has frequently been recognised for its inclusive culture, and we partner with other organisations to make sure we get the best advice and support to help us build a diverse organisation.

Stonewall

We’re consistently named in the Stonewall top 100 LGBT+ inclusive employers list. We’ve also partnered with Stonewall on a ground-breaking piece of research to better understand the specific issues that the lesbian, gay and bisexual community face when it comes to later life planning.

WISE

Co-op became a WISE member in 2017 to increase gender diversity in our technology teams. We’ve worked with WISE to better understand some of the challenges affecting the tech community, and shared ideas with other member organisations so we can address these challenges collaboratively.

Clear Company

In 2017 Co-op worked with the Clear Company to perform a diversity and inclusion audit of all our recruitment processes. We discovered that we’re doing well in some areas, but we need to do better in others, and now we’re taking action by changing the way we approach attraction, selection and on- boarding.

Times top 50 employers for women

In 2018 we were named in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women list for the second time. The list is published in partnership with Business in the Community and the Prince’s Responsible Business Network. It celebrates UK employers who are building gender equality into their business strategy and have committed to creating a culture of inclusivity and supporting progression for women at work.

Disability Confident

Co-op is proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme which supports employers to successfully employ and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. As a Disability Confident employer we want to ensure equality of opportunity, and give candidates the best possible experience throughout our recruitment process.

Lana's story

Lana is a customer team member in our Malmesbury food store. She was supported every step of the way through her transgender journey by her Co-op colleagues. You can find out more about how we supported Lana to be her true self at work.

Read the story

Latest jobs

Sign up for job alerts

Set up a Job Alert now and be notified as soon as new vacancies go online.

Sign Up