Cheltenham talent company nurtures staff diversity and inclusion

By Nicky Godding

13 August 2020

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An award-winning HR tech company is launching a new offering to help employers support and develop underrepresented talent from all walks of life.

MyKindaFuture, headquartered in London but with a 10-strong office in Cheltenham, is offering a new service to help companies nurture diverse staff of all ages and backgrounds, as well as attracting, hiring and retaining new talent which may have been overlooked. This will include individuals from underprivileged backgrounds, former military personnel and those returning to work after an extended period of parental leave, long-term sickness, or furlough.

The launch will be facilitated by an updated version of the company’s digital employee engagement platform, Connectr, which has been developed in partnership with leading behavioural scientists to instill a vital sense of belonging in employees. This is essential, given that MyKindaFuture research suggests that 80 per cent of those who don’t feel as though they belong within a company are likely to leave within a year.

The technology, originally developed to enable employers to build a sense of belonging amongst young diverse talent, has been redesigned in order to offer vital support to overlooked individuals of all ages. Available for users to access on-demand, Connectr includes one-on-one digital mentoring services, helpful forums, and learning modules tailored to cater for each user’s age, background, interests, and seniority. The platform also provides space for employers to share upcoming events and job vacancies with both internal staff and external candidates.

With COVID-19 expected to drive a new, long-term trend for remote working, this type of technology will play an essential role in helping employers to maintain crucial relationships with diverse staff at a time when making in-person connections is more challenging than ever before. Engaging and upskilling staff in this way will also help to counter productivity issues that may have arisen as a result of a disruptive and unsettling year.

One company which has already successfully used Connectr to build relationships with staff and prospects from a broad range of backgrounds is the telecommunications company Three.

Will Akerman, Founder and Managing Director at MyKindaFuture, said: “There are huge advantages to building a diverse workforce, with research proving that teams made up of people from a range of backgrounds are significantly more effective. With the impact of COVID-19 putting the progress of the diversity and inclusion agenda at risk, companies must work harder than ever to cultivate and support diverse teams made up of the very best talent.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.