BM Caterers held its fourth quarterly ESG roundtable on ‘community driven’ catering this week, focusing on the value of neurodiverse workplaces.
The event, held at a BM site in London brought together clients, partners and team members to discuss how businesses can build more inclusive environments as part of their wider ESG commitments.
The session opened with Annelie Selander, chief sustainability officer at WSH, who highlighted that official figures state that one in seven people are neurodivergent in the UK, but added that the figure is likely higher in the catering industry.
“Social impact is often cast aside when thinking about sustainability,” she said. “We do not have a future without resilient communities. That is why we are ensuring that neurodiversity is not just part of the conversation, but central to how we shape our workplaces and support our people.”
The roundtable combined personal experiences with professional insight into neurodiversity, which in this context was applied to populations for example with autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia, among other ways of thinking that differ from the ‘neurotypical’ population.
Attendees watched a short film featuring BM team members who described their lived experiences of neurodiversity, either directly or through family members, before hearing from a panel including BM’s learning and development manager Dorrianne Casey, regional chef manager and access champion Ben Schobs, and Daniel Armitage, chief executive of Neuro Sparks Business Solutions.
In a 2023 survey cited by the British Psychological Society, 65% of neurodivergent employees feared discrimination from management if they disclosed their condition.
Discussions in the session focused on the need to challenge unconscious bias, the importance of managers being open to difficult conversations, and the benefits that neurodiverse perspectives can bring to the workplace, such as innovative ways of thinking and problem-solving, and contributing to better team retention and engagement.
“It’s about helping neurodivergent people succeed, not only survive, in the workplace,” Schobs explained.
Speakers emphasised that curiosity, whether to learn, to ask questions, or to embrace different approaches, remained the most effective driver of change. Key takeaways were that trust between managers and teams was key, ensuring that team members feel able to ask questions, share diagnoses and difficulties, as well as treating challenges and obstacles with a mindset of ‘feedback not failure’.
The event concluded with a family-style meal designed to provide an informal setting for further discussion. Many attendees shared their own connections to neurodiversity and expressed support for BM Caterers’ decision to give the subject prominence within its ESG programme.
Antony Prentice, joint MD, BM Caterers added: “Our ESG Roundtables are designed to help educate, spark conversation and encourage the sharing of ideas and good practice. Our most recent Roundtable which focused on Neurodiversity in the workplace, absolutely nailed all of these objectives.
“We had a fabulous panel and I was particularly proud to hear in person and via video, the personal stories of some of our team who shared some of their own lived examples and provided some valuable guidance, which brought to life what helps to make a truly inclusive workplace.”
Dorrianne Casey, Learning & Development Lead, BM Caterers, added: ”Our managers and teams need to stay curious and create safe places where individuals don’t feel uncomfortable to ask for support if needed.”
BM Caterers will continue its series of ESG roundtables over the coming months, with future topics addressing both environmental challenges such as waste and packaging, and social issues that contribute to stronger, more resilient communities.
BM Caterers Turn Forum Words into Action through Appointment of their first Access Champion
