Background
In 2016, ODEON Cinemas Group was growing fast. They sought to build on their EVP and initiate cultural change after analysis revealed a need for more consistency in their Diversity & Inclusion strategies.
Starting with gender - the highest diversity population with potential for greatest impact - they addressed the gender gaps at senior levels and internal promotions, which were more likely for men. They ran focus groups and gathered insights from teams to target these issues most effectively.
Approach
Their strategy, ‘Our Incredible Differences’ (OID), laid out their plans for ensuring they celebrate the differences that make them stronger and achieve more as a team. Tailored approaches were introduced for colleagues based on their needs, including leadership development, public speaking and mentoring. Integral to this was involving the entire business in all elements; for example, men were part of the solution for gender imbalance through the ‘plus one’ concept—connecting women leaders with male colleagues to support one another’s career journeys. Additionally, senior leaders spent 530 hours on D&I training in 2017.
"Celebrating the differences that make them stronger and achieve more as a team"
Outcome
OID was backed by the Executive team from the start and prominently features in team meetings and values campaigns. In one year, women in senior positions increased from 18% to 34%; 50% of the pilot group were promoted in 2017; and a 15% uplift in women applying for internal progression was seen. ODEON also exceeded EBITDA budget, growing 7.8%, and total revenues increased by 6.1%.
Addressing other areas of diversity, ODEON have begun evolving their parental return-to-work practices by creating an online hub that gives expectant parents all the support, guidance and information they need. They also held ethnic diversity workshops in 2018, in which they discussed experiences at ODEON and ideas for how to continually grow and celebrate their ‘Incredible Differences.’