Diversity & Inclusion at QinetiQ

Our people are critical to our success, so it is vital that we create a workplace that is inclusive; where our differences are not only embraced but make us stronger.

To achieve this, our Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging strategy ensures we build a workplace and culture where everyone can be authentic, feel valued and realise their full potential. An environment where we can each benefit from the experiences of a diverse range of thinking from people with varied backgrounds, and at different stages in their careers. We are inspired by each other, enjoying the exploratory journey we are on, and recognising the impact we have on the safety and security of the world around us. It helps build the life-time relationships between QinetiQ and its people and is essential for our business performance.

As part of our programme we are focusing on leadership and culture, training, communication and awareness, recruitment and outreach. We collaborate with like-minded organisations and networks to learn and to share ideas. For example, we are global members of the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei), we have contributed to the Royal Academy of Engineering Diversity programme, and we are proud to participate on the board of NeuroCyber UK. We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme.

Ways of working are changing within society and we have seen a huge shift during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our workforce encompasses five generations so we understand that everyone has different needs when it comes to balancing work and other aspects of their life. We also recognise that for a global business to be successful, embracing and supporting flexible, asynchronous and distributed working is essential. We believe that a flexible working environment enables us to build a high performing, inclusive, collaborative and customer focused culture.

We have a number of employee networks for our people including Neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ (Just Like Q), Ethnicity (RISE), Hormonal Imbalance, Disability and Carers, Ex-Military, and Gender Balance. The aim of the networks is to encourage education and awareness amongst us all, providing support for our colleagues, creating an environment where we can all be our true selves at work and to contribute to and influence policy on diversity and inclusion.

We are proud to be signatories of the Women in Defence Charter and are committed to a target of 30% female representation by 2030 for our Global workforce. We are also delighted to be sponsors of the Women in Defence Innovation and Creativity Award.

QinetiQ is subject to Gender Pay Gap Reporting legislation and our Gender Pay Gap reports are available here:

Case Study: Reverse mentoring

In FY20 we worked with our early careers community to develop a new programme of reverse mentoring. The aim is to encourage partnerships between junior and senior communities, where the junior person is the mentor. Through the programme we provide opportunities for both mentee and mentor to learn new skills, listen and share perspectives and value our differences. The first cohort included 10 senior leaders as mentees including two members of our Global Leadership Team. Based on the success of the first cohort we will be rolling the programme out further.

Graham Ollis, International Integration Director: “I can honestly say I’ve started doing things differently since I’ve been working with my Early Careers mentor.”