Press releases

Using actors to dramatise typical workplace scenarios has earned transport group Arriva a top industry award.

The innovative approach it uses to promote diversity awareness was commended by the inaugural CBI Human Capital Awards, which recognise organisations' investment in people.

The glittering ceremony saw Arriva receive an award alongside business and industry leaders including Nationwide, BMW, KPMG and Royal Bank of Scotland .

For the Innovative Ways of Working category, judges looked for businesses that had radically changed their working practices in response to competitive challenges and could show demonstrable results.

Judges pointed to the male-orientated image of the transport industry and Arriva's efforts to encourage a more diverse workforce, where peoples' differences are valued and welcomed.

Involvement from the Arriva main board to supervisor level has ensured that the messages underpinned by its Valuing and Welcoming Difference programme filter through the company.

Workshops feature actors who help employees become more aware of their own attitudes and behaviours and how they may affect others.

A unique factor is that the 'Valuing and Welcoming Difference' workshops are delivered by employees from across Arriva businesses. These trained facilitators work for Arriva in roles ranging from clerical workers to depot managers. They signed up to the programme after hearing of Arriva's aims.

“We're thrilled”, said Alison O'Connor, director of human resources for Arriva plc:

Feedback from employees attending the courses has been terrific. They have a better understanding of the true meaning and benefits of a diverse workforce. And, back in their working environments, they are the ones who can really make a difference.

Arriva introduced the initiative following national statistics which indicate that the UK labour pool will change significantly over the next few years. Alison O'Connor added:

As a business, we need to anticipate changes in the labour market, and as an employer, we need to ensure that we provide a working environment that people enjoy, and that we are an employer of choice

Notes to editors

• Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers of passenger transport in mainland Europe, employing nearly 33,000 people and providing more than one billion passenger journeys every year.
• Arriva provides transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses, and operates in eight European countries: Denmark, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
• Arriva is the largest private bus operator in Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands and is London's largest bus operator.
• Revenue from Arriva's mainland European operations has doubled in the past three years to £621.2 million.
• Arriva was the first UK transport company to become a signatory of the European Road Safety Charter.