Beyond Labels: How Intersectionality Shapes Inclusion at Mott MacDonald

If you're trying to work out whether an employer will see you, and not just the boxes you tick on an application form, this is worth two minutes of your time.

Inclusion tends to get talked about through single identities: gender, ethnicity, disability, being a parent. But very few people experience work through just one of these at a time. A colleague might be a woman, from an ethnic minority background, living with a disability, a parent, part of the LGBTQ+ community, or several of these together, and it's the overlap between them, not any single label, that shapes how people feel, develop and thrive in their careers.

At Mott MacDonald, that overlap is the starting point for how we think about inclusion. Rather than viewing diversity through a single lens, we're working to build a workplace where colleagues can bring their whole selves to work and be valued for all of it.

“Intersectionality is not about adding labels; it's about understanding the whole person and creating a workplace where everyone can belong.”

Anna Sirmoglou, EDI Manager

In practice, this means three things:

• Listening to colleagues lived experience, not just the data
• Connecting communities and networks so inclusion isn't handled in silos
• Embedding inclusive practice across the whole employee journey, from recruitment to progression

Listening to Lived Experiences

Data and policy only tell part of the story. Understanding how colleagues actually experience the workplace takes ongoing dialogue, and a willingness to hear things that aren't always comfortable.

Through our global and regional engagement surveys, focus group and listening sessions, we create space for colleagues to share what's working, what isn't, and where the gaps are. Employee networks play an important role in ensuring diverse voices are heard, particularly where different aspects of identity and lived experience intersect. For example, our Advance Network for working parents and carers has established a direct route to a Board champion, enabling members to raise issues and influence future policy development. Feedback from network members has informed family-friendly guidance through collaboration with the HR Family Support team, helping to ensure policies better reflect the varied experiences of working parents and carers.

Connecting Communities Through Collaboration

Employee networks matter, but some of the most useful work happens when they connect with each other rather than operating in parallel.

Collaboration between employee networks can help highlight the experiences that sit at the intersection of multiple identities. A great example was a joint event hosted by the Advancing LGBTQ+ and Advancing Parents and Caregivers networks to mark National Coming Out Day. Through a panel discussion, colleagues explored how living openly can positively influence both personal and professional lives, while also discussing the important role that parents, caregivers and allies play in creating inclusive environments at home and at work. By bringing together two networks, the event created space for richer conversations, broader understanding and stronger allyship across different communities.

Embedding Inclusion Throughout the Employee Experience

Inclusion doesn't work as a series of one-off initiatives. It has to run through every stage of someone's time here, from attraction and recruitment through to development, progression and wellbeing. That means regularly reviewing our own processes and sometimes asking uncomfortable questions. Who might be excluded without us realising? Whose voice is missing from the room? Are we creating genuinely equal opportunities to succeed, or just equal opportunities to apply?

In concrete terms, that currently includes:

• Disability Confident Leader Accreditation
• A proactive reasonable adjustments process that removes barriers and enables colleagues and candidates to thrive from day one.
• A flexible working policy that recognises the diverse circumstances, responsibilities and needs of our workforce.
• Accessible recruitment and workplace technology, helping to ensure everyone can fully participate and contribute.
• Mentoring, development and employee network opportunities that support progression and representation across underrepresented groups.

Looking Beyond Labels

No one is one thing. Every person brings a combination of experiences, perspectives and constraints that a single label can't capture, and building a genuinely inclusive culture means taking that complexity seriously rather than flattening it into a checklist.

"As a female engineer from an ethnic minority background and being a parent, my intersectionality plays into who I am, how I show up at work with my team and our performance in delivering projects for our Clients. I may need different things to others, such as flexibility at work for childcare reasons. At Mott MacDonald, our individual uniqueness is celebrated, our perspectives respected and an opportunity to be our authentic selves every day."  

Jeshika Moonsamy, Senior Associate Civil Engineer

If this sounds like the kind of employer you're looking for, here's where to go next:

Meet more of our colleagues and read about their experiences: https://www.vercida.com/uk/articles?company_id=841