National Inclusion Week 2026: Building trust and navigating change together

Many of our colleague networks have planned something meaningful for National Inclusion Week this year.

Taking place from 14 to 20 September, this year’s theme from Inclusive Employers is ‘Build Trust, Navigate Change’. The theme focuses on creating workplaces where people feel heard, supported and valued, particularly as the way we work continues to change.

At Anchor, we’re committed to being a great and inclusive place to work, where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. Our colleague networks play an important role in making this a reality. They give colleagues opportunities to connect with others, share experiences, learn from each other and help us understand how we can make Anchor a more inclusive place to work.

Here are just a few of the activities our colleague networks have planned over the week.

Creating practical ways to be an ally

Our Inclusive Ambassadors have delivered an Allyship in Practice workshop, exploring practical ways colleagues can support others, challenge exclusion and contribute to a more inclusive culture.

They have also created a Guide to Allyship, looking at what allyship means, how we can become better allies and some of the common misconceptions around it.

These resources are about turning good intentions into everyday actions and helping colleagues feel more confident having conversations about inclusion.

Starting conversations about race and belonging

Our embRACE Network is encouraging colleagues to have conversations about race, belonging and allyship through new Race and Belonging Conversation Cards and a 5 Things You Can Do to Be a Better Racial Ally resource.

These tools are designed to make conversations about race and inclusion easier to start, while helping colleagues build understanding and consider the actions they can take to support others.

Recognising the experiences of carers

Our Carers Network is sharing a Day in the Life of a Carer feature, offering an insight into what it can be like to balance caring responsibilities alongside work.

The network is also gathering feedback from colleagues about how managers and colleagues can better support people with caring responsibilities. This feedback will be used to create practical resources and infographics for colleagues.

Making space for LGBTQ+ colleagues

Our Rainbow Network recently held a member drop-in session to discuss this year’s National Inclusion Week theme and what building trust and navigating change means for LGBTQ+ colleagues.

Sigourney, Events Coordinator for Rainbow, said:

Building trust and fostering inclusion helps people feel supported, valued and comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. When people feel they belong, they're more likely to share their ideas, embrace new challenges and thrive.

The discussion highlighted how trust, inclusion and different perspectives can help teams work together and navigate change.

Inclusion is part of how we work

National Inclusion Week gives us an opportunity to shine a light on the work happening across Anchor, but our colleague networks play an important role throughout the year.

Our Carers, Rainbow, embRACE and enABLE networks, alongside our Inclusive Ambassadors, provide support, encourage conversations, help us understand different experiences and identify ways we can make Anchor more inclusive.

Find out more about our colleague networks and how we support inclusion at Anchor here.