VIVID's approach to equality diversity and culture across the organisation
Wednesday 10th of June 2026
Written by Natalia Hadfield, Head of Customer Experience, VIVID
Embedding inclusion, not adding it on
Over the past year, we’ve been challenging ourselves to think differently about what inclusion really looks and feels like at VIVID. Not as something we say, but something our customers actually experience.
A big part of that has been recognising we don’t have all the answers. The starting point has been listening better and being prepared to act on what we hear. That thinking shaped our revised Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. More than 360 customers shared their views, giving us a clearer picture of lived experiences and where we need to adapt and improve.
What’s been just as important is what followed. This hasn’t been a one-off exercise. Some of those customers are now part of a regular Inclusive Service Group, helping to test ideas, challenge decisions and shape thinking as it develops. That group has shifted the dynamic, bringing lived experience and diverse perspectives into decision-making early enough to influence outcomes, rather than validating decisions after the fact.
It’s also helped us reach customers who haven’t engaged with us before, which is just as important as the insight itself. The group also plays a role in shaping service delivery and tracking progress against equality impact assessment actions, helping to make sure feedback leads to change.
We’ve also been more deliberate about drawing on external expertise. Partnerships have helped strengthen our approach and build confidence, whether that’s refining our Equality Impact Assessment process or developing a better shared understanding of inclusion across colleagues and customers. It’s less about adding layers and more about making better informed decisions from the outset, supported by insight from those accessing our services every day, and organisations who understand the communities we serve.
That shift is starting to show. Equality considerations are no longer something revisited at the end; they are shaping decisions from the start, reducing the risk of services unintentionally excluding certain groups and ensuring they’re inclusive by design. This is coming through more clearly in how we plan, communicate and deliver.
For example, insight from customers has directly shaped how we communicate, leading to clearer written materials and the introduction of more accessible formats for those with different needs, including sensory impairments. Customer feedback has also influenced how we approach doorstep engagement, helping colleagues adapt their approach for customers who may feel less comfortable with unannounced visits or require a more tailored interaction.
Running alongside this is a wider shift in how we think about customer influence. We’ve moved away from the idea that involvement sits with one team. Instead, the focus has been on building confidence across the organisation so working with customers becomes a more natural part of how colleagues approach their roles.
The role of the customer influence team has evolved in response, becoming more about enabling others than leading everything themselves. This sits alongside a more structured approach to customer influence across the organisation, with a clear ambition to retain Tpas accreditation.
That’s starting to show in practice. Customers are more visible in key moments, including decision making. Customers are now actively involved in recruitment for key roles, helping shape appointments so services better reflect and respond to the communities we serve. Conversations about customer voice are also happening more often and, in more places, with a clearer sense that this is a shared responsibility.
This is really about consistency. It’s not about individual initiatives – it’s about how everything joins up. Making sure listening leads to action, that insight is picked up and used at the right moments, and that inclusion is built into decisions, not added on afterwards.
That’s what changes things. Not just hearing different perspectives but using them at the points where they shape outcomes. The result is services that are accessible, more representative, and better aligned with the needs of the customers they’re designed for.