30 June 2022
With Pride Month drawing to a close, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the diversity among our teams and to look at how we are ensuring FirstPort continues to be an inclusive place to work now, and in the future.
Development Manager Ronan Jouffe has joined colleagues from across the FirstPort group in becoming a founder member of our new Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) working group. The group recently met for the first time to discuss ways to ensure that FirstPort has a diverse and inclusive workforce across all areas of the business.
Ronan, who joined FirstPort in 2016, following a successful career in the hospitality industry, is keen to ensure colleagues from all backgrounds can flourish in their work in the same way he did. “We had the first meeting last month and we’ll be working with external people as well as colleagues from across the business to see how we can drive the change to make FirstPort more diverse, equal and inclusive,” said Ronan
The Development Manager, who initially joined the business as a night concierge, added:
Everybody’s different, and we should all be judged on how good we are at our job and nothing else. Everybody should be able to do something that I’ve done, which is to grow and progress up the ladder.
At FirstPort we believe that continually striving to improve our business practices and culture will improve the service we provide to our customers. Ronan is a long-time supporter of LGBTQ+ causes, and now in his professional capacity, he is keen to promote inclusivity at the development he manages, working with his concierge team to educate them on important topics, such as the use of correct pronouns, to create a safe and welcoming environment for all residents.
Ronan concludes:
“With the broad and varied customer base we have, the staff should reflect that. Our colleagues and our customers should be able to find someone they relate to within the company. By having a diverse workforce, we can educate each other, to ensure that our colleagues work in an inclusive environment, and we can meet the needs of our customers and bring a happy environment to the place they call home.”
As Pride Month reaches its conclusion, we are committed to learning from our customers, colleagues, and other partners, to ensure that our business, our practices, and our services are inclusive and accessible for all.
