DEIBA policy
At Sleek Events, we believe that diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility (DEIBA) are fundamental to our success as an events agency. These principles not only shape our internal culture but also influence the experiences we create for clients and audiences around the globe.
This policy outlines the principles and commitments that inform our expectations for our team members, leadership, clients, and stakeholders. By embedding DEIBA into our core practices, we aim to create an environment that values every individual’s unique perspective, promotes fairness, and ensures that our events are inclusive and accessible to all.
Our DEIBA policy serves as a guide to foster a workplace and event ecosystem where:
Our values are at the core, acting as a uniting force to build inclusion.
Every voice is heard and respected.
Differences are celebrated and leveraged to drive innovation.
Opportunities are equitable, ensuring everyone has the tools and resources needed to thrive.
Belonging is nurtured, so every individual feels seen, valued, and connected for the unique individual they are.
Accessibility is prioritised, ensuring our events and initiatives remove barriers and are welcoming to all participants.
Scope
This policy applies to all colleagues, contractors, vendors, clients, and other stakeholders involved in our operations and events. It is a living document that will evolve as we continue to learn and grow in our commitment to DEIBA.
Each section of this policy is divided into two main sections: internal practices and external event commitments. Each outlines the steps we take/aim to take to foster diversity within our team and the broader event ecosystem.
DIVERSITY
Commitment to Diversity
Our goal is to build a workplace that reflects the broad spectrum of society, where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. We understand that diversity extends beyond visible differences and includes unique ways of thinking, working, and experiencing the world.
Diversity Training and Awareness
We believe that knowledge is a key driver of change, and we are committed to providing ongoing DEIBA training for our team. Our training sessions are designed to increase awareness, challenge biases, and create a more inclusive and respectful workplace.
These training sessions are delivered by external experts to ensure the content is up-to-date, evidence-based, and impactful.
We recognise the importance of all colleagues receiving these training sessions, which is why we record all sessions, where possible, and integrate them into the onboarding schedules of all new joiners.
Promoting Diversity in Client Partnerships
Diversity goes beyond our internal teams. We actively seek to partner with clients from diverse industries and sectors. By doing so, we expose our team to new perspectives and broaden our industry knowledge, while also supporting diverse communities and businesses.
Celebrating Cultural and Religious Holidays
We are committed to recognising and celebrating the diverse cultures, traditions, and religions of our team and the communities we serve. We invite all employees to share their cultural experiences and suggest celebrations that matter to them, ensuring that every voice is heard. This ensures celebrations are genuine and respectful and has filled our HQ calendar with a range of cultural celebrations, providing visibility into important events and promoting awareness and respect for different communities..
These initiatives help foster a greater sense of inclusion and understanding within our team, encouraging everyone to appreciate the richness of diverse cultures.
Embedding Diversity in Everything We Do
At Sleek, belonging is not just a goal — it is a commitment embedded into every aspect of our business. From training and education to client partnerships and internal celebrations, we aim to create a space where everyone is seen, valued, and empowered.
By nurturing diversity, we strengthen our team, enrich our creativity, and foster a workplace where differences are not just welcomed but celebrated.
EQUITY
Commitment to Equity
At Sleek we are committed to fostering a fair, supportive, and inclusive workplace where every team member has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Equity goes beyond equality by recognising that different people have different needs. We strive to provide enhanced support that ensures all employees have an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of their personal circumstances or background.
Employee Benefits to support Equity
We have implemented a range of employee benefits designed to promote equity and support our diverse workforce. Our key benefits include:
Enhanced Holiday Time Off: We recognise the importance of work-life balance and ensure that our colleagues receive above-statutory holiday leave to recharge and maintain wellbeing. We are open to colleagues requesting changes to public holiday usage, should they prefer to use them at a time which has more cultural significance to them.
Generous Discretionary Bonus: Our team members are eligible for a discretionary 20% bonus, reflecting their hard work and contribution to the company's success. Targets are company wide, rather than individually focused.
Wellbeing Weeks: During deadline-heavy periods, we introduce "Wellbeing Weeks" to prevent burnout and ensure that colleagues have time to maintain their physical and mental health.
Enhanced New Parental Leave: To support new parents, we provide enhanced primary and secondary caregiver leave that goes beyond statutory requirements. More details are provided in the New Parental Leave section below.
Caregiver Leave: Whilst it’s optional for businesses to pay care giver leave, we believe it’s right for it be fully paid leave to enable colleagues to care for loved ones.
Bereavement Leave: We go beyond statutory leave, offering two weeks fully paid leave for anyone experiencing the loss of a dependent as standard. However we realise it’s one of the hardest things a person must go through and therefore open space to agree how much time away is needed.
Fitness Memberships: To support our team’s physical health, we offer subsidised fitness memberships, allowing colleagues to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Medical Insurance: Following one year service, all colleagues have the option to join our comprehensive medical insurance.
Charity Day:
To encourage community involvement and social responsibility, we offer all colleagues a dedicated charity day each year (outside of their leave allowance) to give back to causes that matter to them.
To further encourage the use of charity days we plan 4 days within our holiday year in which the team can use their designated charity day towards.
To further promote the use of charity days, we organise dedicated dates throughout the holiday year in partnership with various charities, giving the team opportunities to use their allocated charity day.
These benefits are reviewed regularly to ensure they meet the evolving needs of our workforce.
New Parental Leave
We believe that all parents and caregivers, regardless of gender or family structure, deserve the support they need to welcome new family members. Our parental leave policies are inclusive and designed to ensure that every team member feels seen and valued. Our parental leave options include:
Primary Caregiver Leave: 16 weeks fully paid leave
Secondary Caregiver Leave: 4 weeks fully paid to support their new family
Shared Parental Leave: We offer a flexible shared parental leave option, allowing parents to split their leave time in a way that works best for their family.
Adoption Leave: Adoptive parents are fully supported with leave arrangements equivalent to primary and secondary caregiver leave.
We recognise that no two families are the same, and we are committed to ensuring that all types of parents feel supported in our workplace. Our parental leave options are designed to provide both flexibility and security, giving families the opportunity to thrive. For a more detailed overview of our New Parental Leave Principles click here.
Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) Policy
To ensure fairness and recognition for additional hours worked, we operate a Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) policy. This policy allows colleagues who work on weekends to deliver events to reclaim their time as paid leave at a later date.
Fair Pay
Pay equity is a fundamental pillar of our equity strategy. We ensure that our team members are paid fairly, both in relation to their colleagues and to industry standards. Our approach to fair pay includes:
Industry Benchmarking: We conduct regular benchmarking to ensure our salaries are competitive with industry standards.
Salary Frameworks: Each role within our organisation is associated with clearly defined career levels and corresponding salary ranges, not how well someone can negotiate. This ensures that pay is consistent and fair across all levels at Sleek. Colleagues can clearly see how their role fits into our broader structure and understand the pathways for career development.
Sick Leave and Carer’s Leave
We understand that colleagues may experience health-related challenges or require time away from work to care for loved ones. Our leave policies reflect our commitment to providing the support needed during these times.
Sick Leave: We offer comprehensive sick leave, which includes both short-term and long-term support.
Carer’s Leave: We understand that colleagues may need to care for family members or dependents. Our policy allows employees to take up to 5 working days per year of fully paid carer's leave to manage their caregiving responsibilities without the stress of work-related obligations.
INCLUSION
Commitment to Inclusion
Inclusion means creating a space where all colleagues feel they belong, have their voices heard, and can fully participate in all aspects of work life. Our goal is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background or identity, feels seen, supported, and celebrated.
Providing a Welcoming Environment
We prioritise creating a welcoming environment for all colleagues from their first day and throughout their journey with us. As part of this, we provide expert-led training sessions on a variety of topics, including unconscious bias, inclusive communication, and neurodiversity. This training equips our team with the knowledge and skills to create an environment where everyone can feel safe, seen, and supported.
Building a Social Environment Where Everyone Belongs
We recognise the power of social connection and work to ensure that everyone feels welcome at our social events. To achieve this, we organise a diverse range of social activities to accommodate all preferences and lifestyles. Our social calendar includes events that cater to both drinkers and non-drinkers, introverts and extroverts, and those with varying social needs. From creative workshops to wellness activities and everything in between, we strive to ensure that we organise events for everyone.
In addition to regular social events, we host company away days to bring the whole team together for team-building, cultural exchange, and shared experiences. These away days strengthen relationships, encourage collaboration, and promote a unified company culture where everyone feels included.
Celebrating Cultural Diversity
We understand that cultural celebrations play a vital role in promoting inclusion and fostering a deeper understanding of one another. That’s why we recognise cultural and religious occasions from various communities. These celebrations provide opportunities for employees to share their customs and build connections that bridge cultural differences.
Whether it’s celebrating Diwali, Eid, Pride, Chinese New Year, or simply a cultural night to celebrate a colleagues’ heritage, we recognise and honor the diversity of our team. These initiatives provide a platform to educate, celebrate, and create a stronger, more inclusive workplace community.
"Working With Me" Document
We recognise that each individual works, communicates, and thrives in their own unique way. To ensure we understand and respect each other’s preferences, every employee completes a "Working With Me" document.
This document captures key insights about how a person likes to be managed, their communication preferences, working styles, and personal needs. It encourages openness, transparency, and mutual respect, enabling teams to collaborate more effectively. By sharing this knowledge, we unlock the power to work better together, reduce misunderstandings, and foster a more inclusive working environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.
Commitment to a Diverse Workforce
Diversity is essential to our success as a company and as a community. We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the society we serve. We actively encourage diversity in our recruitment processes and work to ensure that our hiring practices are free from bias.
We do not discriminate against employees or candidates based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, gender identity, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We strive to create opportunities for underrepresented groups and build a team that reflects a rich tapestry of perspectives and experiences.
Our recruitment process includes measures to ensure fairness in selection and evaluation, inclusive language in job postings, diverse hiring panels and invitations to make adjustments to the recruitment stages to meet diverse needs
Promoting Inclusion in Everything We Do
Inclusion is at the heart of every aspect of our company. From onboarding to everyday work life, from social events to training, and from recruitment to recognition — inclusion is our guiding principle. We want every employee to feel seen, heard, and valued in every interaction.
By embedding inclusion into every touchpoint of the employee experience, we are building a workplace where every person, regardless of their background, can contribute, grow, and feel like they truly belong.
BELONGING
Commitment to Belonging
At Sleek, belonging means that every individual feels connected, valued, and seen for who they are. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable being their authentic selves, where differences are embraced, and where each person can thrive. We believe that fostering belonging is essential for personal wellbeing, team collaboration, and business success.
What binds us is our shared values, no matter who we are, how we identify, what we believe in or how we look.
Listening to Our Team: Quarterly Feedback Surveys
To ensure every voice is heard, we conduct quarterly feedback surveys that give colleagues the opportunity to share their thoughts, experiences, and suggestions. These surveys are designed to:
Identify areas for improvement: Colleagues can voice any concerns they have about their role, the work environment, or the wider company culture. Leadership commits to action as a result, with colleagues holding them accountable.
Celebrate what works well: Colleagues can highlight positive aspects of their experience at Sleek, allowing us to continue building on our strengths.
These surveys are anonymous to ensure honest feedback and are reviewed by senior leadership to identify actionable insights. Feedback is then used to inform changes and improvements that support belonging for all.
Creating a Welcoming Onboarding Experience
We understand that a strong sense of belonging starts from day one. To support this, we have developed a comprehensive onboarding process that ensures new joiners feel welcomed and supported. Key elements of our onboarding experience include:
Team Introductions: New joiners are given the opportunity to meet every member of the company through organised introductions. This allows them to feel part of the wider team, understand each person’s role, and build early connections.
Training Sessions: As part of onboarding, new joiners receive essential training on company values, processes and principals.This helps them feel informed, equipped, and aligned with our company mission from the outset.
Buddy System for Peer Support
We understand that the transition into a new role or a new project can sometimes feel overwhelming. To provide an extra layer of support, we have implemented a buddy system. Each new joiner is paired with a dedicated "buddy" — an experienced team member who provides guidance, answers questions, and serves as a friendly point of contact.
The buddy system promotes:
A smoother onboarding experience: New joiners have a trusted go-to person to support them in navigating the company culture and internal processes, above and beyond their line manager
Peer-to-peer learning: Buddies offer practical advice and insight.
A sense of belonging: New employees feel more connected and supported as they integrate into their teams and the wider company.
Existing colleague development: Being a buddy not only offers new joiners support but also helps existing colleagues feel recognised, valued and trusted, particularly empowering for more junior colleagues looking to grow their skills.
Prioritising Mental Fitness
At Sleek, we believe that mental health is just as important as physical health. It is why we refer to it as Mental Fitness. We are committed to providing ongoing support for the mental fitness of our team. Our support includes:
Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA): We have trained three Mental Health First Aiders who are available as first responders for any mental health concerns raised by colleagues. These individuals are trained to listen, support, and signpost employees to appropriate professional resources.
Wellbeing Weeks: During high-pressure, deadline-driven periods, we run Wellbeing Weeks to ensure employees have space to take a break and recharge.
Mental Health Policy: Our approach to mental health is embedded in a formal ISO-compliant mental health policy.
Mental Health Resources through Medical Insurance: As part of our medical insurance package, colleagues have access to a confidential 24/7 mental health support line and additional resources.
By providing a holistic approach to mental fitness, we ensure that every team member has access to the tools, resources, and support they need to maintain their wellbeing.
Encouraging Open Conversations About WellBeing
We believe that no one should suffer in silence. To promote a culture of openness, we actively encourage employees to raise concerns about their wellbeing. We provide several safe channels for employees to express how they are feeling, including:
One-to-one check-ins with managers where well-being is an integral part of the conversation.
Open-door policy with senior leaders, encouraging team members to discuss any issues affecting their well-being.
Anonymous feedback via quarterly surveys to ensure those who prefer to raise issues anonymously can still be heard.
Embedding Belonging in Everything We Do
Belonging is more than a one-time initiative — it’s a continuous process that we embed in all aspects of our culture, training, onboarding, and leadership. By promoting open communication, mental health support, peer-to-peer connections, and regular feedback, we aim to create a workplace where every team member feels a deep sense of belonging.
ACCESSIBILITY
Commitment to Accessibility
At Sleek, accessibility means creating an environment where every individual — regardless of ability or neurodiversity — can fully participate, contribute, and thrive. We are committed to removing barriers, providing equal opportunities, and fostering an inclusive workplace for all. Accessibility is a core focus in how we hire, support, and empower our employees.
Inclusive Recruitment Practices
We believe that talent comes in many forms, and we are committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is accessible to all candidates. We do not discriminate based on disability and strive to create a fair, inclusive, and equitable hiring experience.
As part of our approach to accessibility in recruitment, we:
Offer reasonable adjustments: Candidates can request adjustments to the recruitment process to suit their individual needs.
Use accessible application methods: Our application process is designed to be clear, inclusive, and easy to navigate for all candidates.
Focus on skills, not stereotypes: We emphasise skills and potential and are conscious of our own bias. We never advertise for a certain number of years experience or certain qualifications for our roles.
Our goal is to make sure every candidate has an equal opportunity to showcase their abilities, ensuring no one is excluded from the recruitment process due to barriers that could be easily addressed.
Reasonable Adjustments for Colleagues
Once a colleague joins Sleek, our commitment to accessibility continues. We recognise that each colleague’s needs are different, and we aim to provide the necessary support to help them perform at their best.
We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to support colleagues with disabilities or other needs. This may include (but is not limited to):
Providing assistive technology, software, or tools to support specific needs.
Adjusting roles, responsibilities, or tasks to remove barriers to performance.
Creating physical adaptations to workspaces to ensure accessibility.
All employees are encouraged to communicate their needs with their line manager or the People Team, knowing that any request for support will be treated with respect, confidentiality, and urgency.
Neurodiversity Awareness and Support
We believe that neurodiversity is a strength. To ensure that neurodivergent employees feel seen, understood, and supported, we provide neurodiversity training for all staff. This training promotes understanding and empathy, encouraging everyone to recognise and respect the differences in how people think, process information, and communicate.
We also consider neurodivergent needs in our company communications, delivering both an email and audio company newsletter each week.
Annual Review and Continuous Improvement
At Sleek, we understand that accessibility is an evolving area that requires constant attention and improvement. To ensure our DIEBA policy remains up to date, we commit to reviewing the policy annually.
This review process allows us to:
Assess the effectiveness of our accessibility measures and identify areas for improvement.
Incorporate new guidance, regulations, or best practices related to disability inclusion and neurodiversity.
Reflect on colleague feedback to ensure that our commitments are meeting the needs of our team.
Our aim is to ensure that we are always moving forward in our journey toward greater accessibility, equity, and inclusion. By regularly reviewing our policy, we demonstrate our commitment to maintaining a modern, supportive, and inclusive workplace for all.