The Bellrock Group has been accredited as a Good Work Standard Employer by the Mayor of London. The Good Work Standard is an industry recognised accreditation that sets the benchmark for employment quality throughout London.
The Bellrock Group achieved excellence in all four pillars of the accreditation: fair pay and conditions, workplace wellbeing, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.
The award panel was particularly impressed with Bellrock’s skills and development programmes, especially the supported internship placements which provide pathways into work for those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Supported internships at Bellrock
Bellrock client Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, work with Action on Disability, to provide a supported internship programme with long-standing success of teaching skills and creating pathways into employment for individuals with special educational needs. As the Facilities Management provider, Bellrock were keen to get involved and have provided several internship placements within their contract team.
The programme excels at helping the interns find roles and tasks that they’ll thrive in. In the most recent internship, the Bellrock team supported Mira to find she excelled in tasks that required high attention to detail. Previously, Intern Chris, achieved great success on his training internship and secured a permanent role in Bellrock’s Soft Services team.
Jamie, who has autism, underwent a six-month internship where the team supported him with tasks to improve his communication skills and boost his confidence. The completion of his placement was celebrated with a graduation service attended by his family and members of the Bellrock team.
The programme isn’t without its challenges, but the Bellrock team understand the importance of empathy and flexibility when taking on and working with interns and highlight how rewarding and beneficial everyone involved find these placements.
Royal Borough community projects
It was Bellrock’s work within The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) that formed the basis of the accreditation. Alongside the supported internship programme, Bellrock people took time out of their roles to complete a project for the Royal Borough’s Learning Disability Resource Centre.
Individuals from across Bellrock’s Social Investment and Property, Safety and Workplace Help Desk, and Facilities Management teams at RBKC, worked to transform the garden space at the Learning Disability Resource Centre for Adults.
For the attendees of the Resource Centre, the garden was crucial for providing a calming outdoor space where they could enjoy the benefits of nature. However, it had fallen into a state of disrepair which made it difficult to be used safely.
Over a period of four weeks all areas of the garden were cleaned, repaired, or rebuilt and painted. Green spaces were maintained and replanted. The Bellrock teams carried out the work and supplied all materials. The result was a safer and enhanced sensory outdoor space to be enjoyed by all users of the centre.
Recruitment of under-represented groups
The accreditation panel also commented on Bellrock’s proactive approach to the recruitment of under-represented groups through our partnership with Inspiring Leadership Foundation. The relationship opens mentoring and work opportunities at Bellrock companies for disadvantaged or vulnerable women and girls.
The Inspiring Leadership Foundation themselves have already helped over 6,000 such women and girls, with the ambition to support 100,000 by 2030. Bellrock is helping meet that target, contributing time and expertise across the whole spectrum of workplace and property management services.
Matching experienced leaders with the right mentees creates huge potential for personal and professional growth. Bellrock are also using ILF’s digital platform to advertise Facilities Management roles to a hugely increased audience of potential female candidates.
By signing up to the accreditation assessment for The Mayor’s Good Work Standard, employers signal that they are committed to fair and inclusive workplaces. This is an important step in attracting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce and we hope to assist other employers in realising these benefits.
A benchmark for employment excellence
The Mayor of London launched his Good Work Standard as part of his commitment to making London the best city in the world to work.
Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business commented “The Mayor’s Good Work Standard sets the benchmark for the highest employment standards and demonstrates that as an employer, your organisation is contributing to a fairer and more inclusive London. These good practices are also an important step in attracting and retaining a diverse, talented, and successful workforce.”
”“We are delighted to be one of the Mayor’s Good Work Standard employers in London. Our policies and programmes strive to ensure inclusive and supportive workplaces for all, and we believe this accreditation is an important recognition of our commitment to both our people and our local community.
The biggest praise must go to the team within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that continue to go above and beyond not only within their roles, but in their support of our interns and their wider community.”
John Hamilton Chief People Officer
Bellrock: Technology enabled workplace solutions
Our expert teams work across the built environment. With a unique mix of professional skills, supply chain partnerships, technology, and data analytics, we help organisations to manage their buildings and facilities more efficiently to deliver long-term value.
Our success is technology-enabled. But it’s also people-driven. So, we’ve worked hard to define what it means to be part of Bellrock – and at the heart of our business is a culture that can help everyone to shine. Find out more here: https://bellrockjobs.com/our-culture
The Mayor’s Good Work Standard
The Mayor’s Good Work Standard sets the benchmark for the best employment standards and helps employers contribute to a fairer and more inclusive London economy. This means an economy that works for all Londoners and means more Londoners can access good jobs. To read more about the Mayor’s Good Work Standard, visit: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/business-and-economy/supporting-business/good-work-standard-gws
Inspiring Leadership Foundation
The Inspiring Leadership Foundation is a charity organisation working to achieve economic empowerment for vulnerable and disadvantaged women and girls. Find out more here: https://inspiringleadership.foundation/
