Greater Anglia is a train operator delivering passenger rail services across the UK. Evenbreak is delighted to welcome them onboard as the latest inclusive employer for disabled candidates. Find out more about their commitment to accessibility below.
The company already has a great track record of prioritising accessibility and inclusion. In 2019 Greater Anglia became the first operator in the country to implement accessibility courses that meet the rail regulator’s new standards. The company commissioned a team of disabled-led Accessibility and Inclusion trainers to deliver regular sessions over the next two years to ensure its 2,500 strong workforce feels empowered to help improve the journeys of people with accessibility needs.
Greater Anglia also wanted to enhance the customer experience of disabled and older passengers across its 134 stations and on its trains. After working on a series of successful projects together, Greater Anglia commissioned BA Events and Rennie Consulting to design, manage and deliver an engaging e-learning refresher course that would support all employees in the business to better serve all customers. The e-learning course was well-received by Greater Anglia’s employees and provided them with knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance both the accessibility of services and inclusive workplace practices.
The train operator is also dedicated to supporting passengers with hidden disabilities, through the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard scheme. The lanyard and ID card feature a sunflower on a green background to signal to others that the holder may have a disability that is not immediately obvious, such as learning difficulties, mental health as well as mobility, speech, visual or hearing impairments. Stocks of the Sunflower lanyards and ID cards are available to passengers who need them at main staffed stations so that they can get the help they need when travelling.
This year, Greater Anglia installed new accessibility features on its website. As part of the company’s accessibility strategy, website visitors are now able to access a wide range of accessibility and language support tools to customise their digital experience through Recite Me assistive technology. The internet can be a frustrating place for those with access barriers, and those lacking the tools they need to adequately understand or communicate are at a significant disadvantage.
James Bonehill, Greater Anglia’s Accessibility & Inclusion Manager, said: “Accessibility is extremely important to us, and we are committed to ensuring that all of our customers can access information and services in a way that best meets their individual needs. Therefore, we are incredibly proud to be able to provide Recite Me’s innovative assistive technology across our website.”
Greater Anglia values a diverse workforce with people who bring different experiences, thoughts and ideas. They are committed to making everyone feel welcome because they believe we are Greater Together. Greater Together is their internal brand linked to everything they do that drives Diversity and Inclusion including their culture awareness programme. The programme supports employees to foster an inclusive environment where people feel safe to be their authentic selves at work.
The train operator has also been named as one of The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2023. This award celebrates England’s outstanding apprenticeship employers, recognising their commitment to creating new apprenticeships, the diversity of their apprentices, and the number of apprentices who successfully achieve their apprenticeships. Since 2017, Greater Anglia has created over 180 adult apprenticeships to enable its teams including train drivers, conductors, station and office staff to continue to learn new skills and improve their career progression under the government’s Apprenticeship Levy scheme.
