At Tesco, we are proud to have a vibrant Race & Ethnicity Network, with over 2000 members, and a dedicated Steering Group of passionate colleagues driving race inclusion across the organisation.

Tesco’s Tips: starting a network group

My top tips to a network group starting on its journey would be to firstly recruit a steering committee: a team of colleagues with dedicated roles is the foundation of a network, enabling the delivery of a range of initiatives all year round. My second tip would be to hold a series of listening sessions to understand the thoughts, feelings, and the sentiment of ethnically diverse colleagues within your organisation. This will help the network as well as business leadership to understand how best to support your colleagues. I think the biggest challenge for any network groups is knowing where to start, but I believe the combination of a structured steering group, alongside hearing lived experiences of colleagues is a strong foundation to build upon.

Employee engagement and beyond

We have increased our engagement through a tailored events and communication plan across our organisation. Tesco is made up of over 300,000 colleagues, all operating in different channels. The way we communicate events to our colleagues in our stores and distribution centres varies to those in the office. This bespoke plan includes a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events and has allowed us to reach a much wider pool of colleagues.

All activities related to Black History Month in 2024 were delivered according to our network strategy, this has made one of the biggest impacts across the business. As an organisation Tesco supports and celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion all year round. This year we shone a spotlight on some of our amazing Black-owned suppliers, helping our customers celebrate the culture and heritage of the Black community throughout October. Since 2022, Tesco has agreed Black talent representation targets at all levels, accelerated Black-led suppliers into the company, and invested more than £1m in Black community initiatives. The network has also delivered a range of colleague events to discuss important topics of allyship, discrimination and amplified the initiatives Tesco run all year round for our Black customers, colleagues, and communities.