How to use the Diversity & Inclusion Toolbox to improve workplace inclusivity within the infrastructure sector

Creating inclusive workplaces is a proven route to better culture, stronger performance, and improved retention. 

From September 2021 to March 2025, Professor Jennifer Tomlinson, Dr Danat Valizade, Dr Kathryn Watson, Dr Cheryl Hurts and I undertook a study, funded by National Highways, into the role of diversity and inclusion initiatives in enhancing performance in National Highways’ supply chain – you can find out more about it in this blog post.  

Working in collaboration with major Tier 1 suppliers Balfour Beatty, Costain, and Skanska, we developed a dedicated Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Toolbox as an integrated package of activities to offer a practical, evidence-based framework for action.   

The Toolbox was tailored to the realities of construction work, aligning with different stages of project delivery and supporting existing site-level initiatives. The key principles underlining the interventions we implemented were that D&I initiatives work best when they seek to change organisational systems and processes rather than individuals, and when they:  

• Have buy-in from leadership teams 

• Dedicated personnel to deliver initiatives 

• A focus on an integrated bundle of activities 

• And seek problem solving and engagement from the workforce, addressing issues that matter to them.  

The Toolbox and accompanying Roadmap is built around seven interconnected modules. Together, they provide a practical checklist for embedding diversity and inclusion into everyday construction project delivery - moving beyond policy into sustainable and progressive practice. 

How to use the Toolbox 

Think of the Toolbox as a project-long companion, not a one-off intervention. The modules are designed to work as an integrated package of activities, reinforced by leadership, supported by peers, and shaped by evidence and feedback. 

Projects will not all start from the same place. The strength of this Toolbox lies in its flexibility: teams can scale actions to suit context, cascade good practice through their supply chain, and adapt activities as workforce needs evolve. 

Module 1: Project scoping and start‑up 

Inclusion is hardest to retrofit and easiest to embed at the beginning. The roadmap emphasises start‑up as a critical moment to define expectations, behaviours, and priorities. 

Key recommended actions 

• Bring key stakeholders together early to establish a D&I baseline: where are we now, and what are our main challenges? 

• Agree project values and behaviours, ensuring inclusion and respect are explicit. 

• Define what success looks like for D&I on your project—and how it will be delivered. 

• Involve leadership across the entire supply chain of a major construction scheme, including, HR, skills, performance leads, and National Highways representatives. 

• Document outcomes clearly and translate them into actions that run through the full project lifecycle. 

Why it matters

Early conversations shape culture, recruitment practices, standards of behaviour, and help form working relationships. Embedding inclusion at this stage prevents problems arising later on. 

Module 2: Leadership communication and engagement 

Leadership behaviour and communication set the tone for what is acceptable, expected, and valued on site. 

Key recommended actions 

• Develop clear, consistent messages from project leaders explaining why D&I matters to the project and the workforce. 

• Use varied communication channels: briefings, site stand‑ups, newsletters, and visual materials. 

• Ensure D&I features across mainstream project communications—not just HR updates. 

• Create two‑way feedback routes, including regular surveys and “you said, we did” responses. 

• Align messages across digital and face‑to‑face communications so leadership intent is unmistakable. 

Why it matters

When leaders talk openly about inclusion – backed by visible commitment and actions - it signals psychological safety, builds trust, and strengthens engagement across diverse teams. 

Module 3: D&I ambassadors 

Ambassadors act as the connective link between strategy and day‑to‑day experience. 

Key recommended actions 

• Establish a voluntary ambassador network representing different roles, grades, and backgrounds. 

• Give ambassadors time, visibility, and support to carry out the role properly. 

• Position ambassadors as trusted listeners—not informal HR or enforcement figures. 

• Create safe mechanisms for raising concerns, sharing ideas, and escalating issues when needed. 

• Hold regular sessions for ambassadors to feedback themes and insights to project leadership. 

Why it matters

Colleagues may hesitate to raise sensitive issues with managers. Ambassadors offer an informal, trusted route to speak up and help identify ideas for improvement gain traction, whilst providing a critical feedback loop on what is working well on-site. 

Module 4: D&I training and skills 

The roadmap challenges traditional approaches that focus narrowly on unconscious bias training, to instead focus on system-based change. 

Key recommended actions 

• Review existing training to assess relevance, quality, and impact. 

• Shift towards active bystander and allyship training that clarifies shared responsibility for inclusive behaviour. 

• Establish a collective understanding of acceptable workplace “banter”. 

• Involve ambassadors in shaping and delivering training so it resonates with site realities. 

• Introduce targeted sessions where needed (for example, inclusive language or working with neurodivergent colleagues). 

Why it matters

Training is most effective when it focuses on system changes, embedded learning, and real scenarios—helping everyone contribute to a respectful working environment. 

Module 5: Career development 

Inclusion is inseparable from access to opportunity. 

Key recommended actions 

• Hold listening groups focused on early‑career ambitions and mid‑career progression. 

• Review whether development opportunities are perceived as fair and accessible. 

• Offer mentoring, coaching, and short‑term secondments or stretch projects. 

• Share opportunities transparently and support regular career conversations. 

• Review promotion and talent policies to ensure they reflect evolving skills needs. 

Why it matters

Employees’ expectations of work and careers are changing. Supporting diverse career paths improves motivation, capability, and long‑term leadership pipelines. 

Module 6: Retention 

Recruitment efforts quickly lose value if people leave early. 

Key recommended actions 

• Ensure full visibility of internal roles and progression opportunities. 

• Explore flexible and agile working options appropriate to site‑based roles. 

• Conduct structured retention and exit interviews to understand real reasons for turnover. 

• Support line managers in mentoring and people‑management responsibilities. 

• Use ambassador networks as confidential routes to raise retention‑related concerns. 

• Focus on culture: respect, belonging, and engagement drive retention. 

Why it matters

Retention is not just about pay or travel time—it reflects whether people feel valued, supported, and able to build a future in the industry. 

Module 7: Evaluation and reflection 

Inclusion work only has lasting impact if it is reviewed, evidenced, and shared. 

Key recommended actions 

• Bring original project stakeholders together to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. 

• Analyse workforce data on recruitment, progression, and exits. 

• Track trends in employee survey responses over the project lifecycle. 

• Share evidence across the supply chain. 

• Capture successes as short case studies and contribute them to the shared Toolbox. 

• Convene ambassadors to reflect collectively and identify transferable learning. 

Why it matters

Evaluation builds confidence, avoids duplication, and turns local success into sector‑wide improvement. 

From roadmap to everyday practice 

This Toolbox is not about compliance or box‑ticking. It is about embedding inclusion into how highways projects are led, staffed, and experienced. Used consistently, the seven modules help create safer, fairer, and more productive environments - benefiting individuals, organisations, and the wider supply chain. 

The message from our research is clear: inclusion works best when it is practical, collective, integrated, embedded and visible. This Toolbox shows how to make that happen—one project at a time. 

The research is now continuing following the award of a Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership (MKTP) by Innovate UK and National Highways. As part of the MKTP, the Toolbox will continue to evolve to ensure its applicability through the supply chain, recognising the unique nuances of different suppliers outside of major schemes.  

Access the Toolbox. 

If you have any questions regarding the Toolbox, contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. 

This research project was funded by National Highways. Implementation of the research is supported through a Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership (MKTP), funded by National Highways and Innovate UK.