Steve Butler, CEO at Punter Southall Aspire, has published his fourth book, Inclusive Culture: Leading change across organisations and industries to help business leaders in the investment and savings industry encourage change and improve diversity and inclusion.
The book includes thirty-plus interviews with people, who share their experiences and stories of inequality to inform guidelines, advice and best practice.
Steve says, “The rise to the top in the financial services sector is still, largely, the preserve of a small section of the population, despite educational, demographic, social and cultural shifts.
“To counter this inherent inequality and unfairness, the sector must tap into talent in the wider population, which will produce long-term benefits for organisational performance.
“Recruiting a diverse and inclusive workforce is only one part of the equation – retaining people and ensuring they progress is another. My book aims to raise awareness of the urgent need for more diversity and help business leaders shape strategies that will deliver lasting change.”
All proceeds will go to the Diversity Project, on which the book draws by detailing the collective knowledge and experience of prominent businessmen and women championing a more inclusive culture in financial services.
As a member of the Diversity Project, Steve asks why diversity and inclusion matters, and what these terms really mean, before considering gender, ethnicity, age, ability and LGBT+, while offering best practice on how to improve diversity and inclusion in these areas.
The concluding chapters explore ‘smart working’ which Steve suggests is the number one way a business can recruit and retain more diverse talent and build back after workplace changes resulting from COVID-19 to become more inclusive.
He has also published three other books – Midlife Review: A guide to work, wealth and wellbeing offering business leaders, managers and employees guidance to help them understand and support ‘midlife’ workers.
Manage the Gap: Achieving success with intergenerational teams looking at the impact of an ageing population on the workforce, but this time, focusing on employees in the middle of their career.
The Diversity Project: Accelerating progress towards an inclusive culture in the investment and savings industry which recounts the progress made to date, discusses the progress that still needs to be made and sets out practical ways to achieve it.
‘Inclusive Culture: Leading change across organisations and industries’ is now on Amazon priced at £14.99.
