Members share their thoughts and impressions:
Andy Shaw, UK Chapter Chair for WILA
A key goal of the Willing and Able (WILA) ERG is to challenge misconceptions and get people talking about what can be disabling for our workforce. By better understanding this, we’re aiming to build an inclusive work culture that encourages open, honest and constructive dialogue. We decided to share a personal story within the business from one of our members. The simple act of sharing experiences has a big impact, breaking down stigma, encouraging conversation and helping people realise they are not alone.
Louise Speaight, UK Chapter Chair for WE3
We were excited to invite our Women Who Strive for Empowering, Enhancing & Encouraging Other Women (WE3) ERG UK chapter members to an inaugural face-to-face collaboration event in Fleet. It’s no coincidence the event coincided with National Inclusion Week given this year’s theme of Take Action Make Impact. This is a call to action that resonates among our members and helped to incite the collaboration event, providing an opportunity to bring both female members and male allies together to empower them to voice ideas, enhance our UK business’ capacity to develop and retain female talent and encourage networking and professional development across different functions.
Gurpreet Kaur, UK Chapter Chair for APEX
The week offered a fitting platform for the successful launch of L3Harris’ Asian Professionals for Excellence (APEX) ERG within the UK, bringing together colleagues from all over the country to support one another, as well as those around us. Having seen a need to understand the importance of Asian perspectives, both within the L3Harris workforce and beyond, we are building a community to help improve professional journeys, develop personal networking opportunities and enhance cultural awareness.
Alix Longmuir, Co-Lead of PRIDE ERG in Tewkesbury and Fleet
The PRIDE ERG hosted another instalment of our monthly Media Club, where we discuss a book, film, video or series that’s important to someone in the group. This time we watched ‘Senior Prom’, a short documentary that celebrates the elder LGBTQ+ generation. A beautiful and heartfelt story about letting people relive moments of their past while being their true selves with the ones they love, it meant a lot to the ERG as it perfectly captures the amazing progress made in the world but also the importance of continuing to make an impact.
Tim Elliott, SERVE ERG Lead in Tewkesbury and Fleet
The Supporting Emergency Responders and Veterans Engagement (SERVE) ERG in Tewkesbury and Fleet started in 2020. Building on our receipt of the Gold Employer Recognition Scheme Award in 2022, we’ve gone from strength to strength in raising money for charity and bringing the wider serving and never served community together. Actions and impacts that our group has delivered on so far include the March in March, a sponsored 10-mile walk across the Malvern Hills, cake sales and the Three Peaks Challenge which raised over £10,000 for Combat Stress.
A Panel Discussion Spreads the Word
The week’s activities culminated in an internal virtual panel discussion which brought representatives from the five ERGs together. Chaired by Pete Hoddinott, Managing Director for L3Harris Intelligence and Cyber International – EMEA, the discussion centred around motivations for joining each ERG, the impact groups have achieved so far and an insight into what’s on the horizon.
To learn more about L3Harris ERGs and the importance of inclusion within the business, visit here.
