Balfour Beatty has launched a 'Right to Respect' initiative, described as the 'equivalent of Zero Harm for inclusive behaviour'.
In a statement to the sector, Paul Raby, Balfour Beatty Group HR director and executive committee member, outlined what the campaign could mean to his company and the wider construction and infrastructure industry.
'It is our equivalent to Zero Harm for inclusive behaviour and will be launched in phases across our UK operations this year,' Mr Raby said.
'We’re taking action to help develop a shared understanding of where the boundaries are, and how to challenge unacceptable behaviour when we see it – with the launch of Right to Respect – a new approach to driving positive behaviours across our business and the wider construction and infrastructure industry.'
'Successfully piloted with 1,000 of our employees last year, Right to Respect is the first step in a long journey ahead. We know that we have a way to go but we are confident that it will help us, and our supply chain partners, truly ‘Value Everyone’ through a combination of awareness sessions, toolbox talks and visible communications.'
The aim is to help staff understand how their words and actions can affect others and also empower them to deal with situations when they arise, effectively and confidently.
Right to Respect also aims to 'change the perceptions that have loomed over our industry for far too long and bring fresh, new ways of thinking'.
Raising some of the historic issues in the area of diversity and inclusion, Mr Raby highlighted that infrastructure has been previously seen as 'typically male-dominated, steeped in the imagery of spades in the ground and hard, manual labour'.
He emphasised that while incredible work is done on the ground, on the frontline, the construction and infrastructure industry is becoming increasingly diverse and modern.
And, he suggested, 'in this fast paced world we all need a bit of help to understand where the new lines are'.
The Right to Respect campaign builds on earlier work at Balfour Beatty through its cultural framework, ‘Value Everyone’, which was introduced as one of the five behaviours to which we hold ourselves accountable.
