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Boots focuses on 'inclusive IT' and professionalism

Boots focuses on ‘inclusive IT’

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Boots focuses on ‘inclusive IT’

Boots CIO Rich Corbridge explains that the idea is to show everyone what an ‘ally’ is, and empower them to take action

Retailer Boots is focusing inclusion as it moves towards hybrid working, aiming to ensure that the return to stores and offices is right for all of its staff.

It has launched a programme called ‘Inclusive IT', which its CIO Rich Corbridge explained is aimed at creating ‘allies'.

"We're doing lots of work around the DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] agenda, creating a programme known as Inclusive IT to try to create allies of people in IT," Corbridge began. "We've created business reference groups around different aspects of DEI to try to educate people in topics like neurodiversity, in an effort to make sure the return to the workplace is right for everybody.

"The focus is to try to explain to everyone who works in IT what an ally is and empower them to do that," he added.

The programme is broad, and includes ensuring diversity in IT recruitment, reverse mentoring for senior leaders and mental health training for all staff.

"That's a three-hour refresher on how to look after your own mental health and how to spot issues you might not ordinarily know or recognise," said Corbridge.

He admitted that Boots might not necessarily be top of IT professionals' choice of employer, and this programme is part of the design to make the organisation more attractive, coupled with a focus on professional training and accreditation.

"We aren't necessarily top of list of orgsanisations to come to work for if you want to work in digital, so we've come up with ways to make ourselves more attractive. We joined BCS [British Computer Society], and are getting many people in IT accredited as fellows of the BCS. We also joined the Information Security Forum, a non-profit global organisation which aims to improve how people use the disciples of cyber and information security in everything they do.

"We've also done some modules to bring pharmacists up to speed around what digital healthcare is in partnership with an organisation called HIMSS."

"We've tried everything to really empower people to put in an hour a week for professional development. We also created an IT academy with Pluralsight for more bite-sized training. And we're working with the BCS to create a specific chapter around retail."

Corbridge said that the benefits of the above work are already being felt.

"Over twenty per cent of new recruits put this focus on professional development as one of the reasons they joined us. In a recent staff satisfaction survey, we gained an extra three points relating to those improvements."

Boots focuses on 'inclusive IT' and professionalism

Boots CIO Rich Corbridge explains that the idea is to show everyone what an ‘ally’ is, and empower them to take action

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