Building an inclusive workplace culture through our colleague networks

Post Office is committed to promoting an inclusive workplace culture, where all colleagues feel valued and supported. Our colleague network groups are vital to this work. This blog is written by Andrea Beveney and Lorna Armstrong, co-chairs of Complexions, Post Office’s race, religion and cultural diversity network.

Andrea: When I put myself forward to be a co-chair of Complexions, the colleague network which focuses on race, religion and cultural diversity, it was because I wanted to make a difference by raising its profile, supporting its members, and providing a space within Post Office to have what can sometimes be difficult conversations about race and religion.

What I did not expect was the amount that I would get in return and the impact that the role would have on me. As well as giving me the opportunity to get to know, work with and support colleagues across the wider business, it has been a pleasure to be involved in the various events that have been put on by this brilliant network. I have travelled to Blackburn for the first time, where I was welcomed into my colleague Mo’s home for a Saturday Kitchen style interview, alongside my co-chair Lorna Armstrong and our Executive Sponsor John Dillon. I have had great educational conversations at Book Club and watched with pride as people attended a Black History Tour at the British Library and others congregated in our office to laugh, talk and eat the food provided by the committee at the Food Festival.

Andrea, John and Lorna.

But there was even more to follow….

In February 2026, to mark Race Equality Week, I held a fireside chat with Melanie Pennant, Senior Civil Servant and author, to discuss her dual career journey as a lawyer and a writer. The pride I felt in two black senior female professionals having the spotlight in front of a Post Office audience to discuss career success, the benefits of inclusivity on individuals and organisations, and the impact of often being the ‘only one’, is hard to measure but there was even more to come.

Over the course of one week in March, two powerful things happened. First, working in collaboration with Affinity, Post Office’s colleague network for gender equality, who held an excellent event in support of International Women’s Day, we were able to host Beverley De Gale OBE, CEO of the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, who spoke about stem cell donation and the importance of raising awareness in the black community so that more donors come forward. Second, we were invited, along with Melanie Pennant, to meet Her Excellency Alicia Herbert OBE, the British High Commissioner of Jamaica, who wanted to meet people who had contributed in some way to the response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica.

Both events showed me the power that a staff network can have in raising awareness of important issues. They also highlighted the importance of an inclusive employer like Post Office, which can provide the platform and the opportunities for those conversations and events to take place.

Lorna: I wanted to become co‑chair of Complexions because I genuinely believe in the power of allyship and education to create real change. It is such a pleasure to work with Andrea, John and our wonderful Complexions committee who have all played a huge part in making our network what it is. As Andrea has already explained, along the way, we’ve had so much fun – hosting events, sparking conversations, celebrating culture and bringing colleagues together in ways that feel engaging, positive and inclusive. Those moments of connection really matter. But for me, the real value of Complexions goes beyond the events themselves. It’s about creating spaces where people feel safe to show up as themselves, to share their experiences, ask questions, laugh, learn and sometimes have the difficult conversations without fear of judgement. Being co‑chair has reinforced my belief that inclusion thrives when people feel safe, supported and confident that they belong – and when allies are willing to learn, listen and stand alongside others.