Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at SWR

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Our vision:

To create a truly inclusive culture which attracts, develops and retains the most diverse talent. We want a workplace where everyone feels respected and valued for who they are and empowered to reach their full potential.

We recognise that the people who work for us are our greatest asset and when they feel supported and happy at work this positivity reaches those very people we are here for - our customers.

Inclusion is about everyone and ensuring all colleagues at SWR feel valued.

Employee Networks

At SWR, our employee networks give people the opportunity to meet and network with other employees in a confidential space and share their own lived experiences and challenges, with each network supported by an executive sponsor.

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Each network has the potential to shape the cultures and behaviours of the organisation, and we want to tap into the ideas, passion and knowledge of our own employees to create change and challenge mindsets.

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International Women's Day 2026

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2026, we highlighted the women who are helping shape the future of our railway. Across South Western Railway, their leadership and talent continue to drive progress in every part of our organisation. We shared stories from colleagues who inspire inclusion, champion our customers, and strengthen our industry.

Read our blog post to meet some of the remarkable women who make SWR what it is.

Wellbeing at SWR

Your wellbeing at SWR starts before day one, with a dedicated team focused on your physical, mental and emotional health. From pre‑employment medicals to ongoing assessments and specialist care, the team is here to keep you safe, supported and thriving. They travel across the network, run health events year‑round, and work alongside our Mental Health First Aiders and 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme to ensure help is always within reach.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

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Positive Action Statement

SWR has a strong commitment to inclusion and diversity within the organisation and the services we provide to our communities. We want to reflect the communities we serve and one way we can try to achieve this is through ‘positive action’.

Positive action is lawful and is an activity which helps us identify and remove the barriers and issues to the employment, retention and progression of people from ‘under-represented’ groups (e.g. disability, race, gender etc), whilst still employing or promoting people on merit.

However, positive discrimination generally means employing or promoting someone simply because they come from an under-represented group in spite of whether they have the relevant skills and qualifications. This is unlawful and does not happen in SWR.

Some people may think they do not 'fit in' to an organisation or in particular job roles because they don’t see people like them. Past experiences may have led them to lose confidence and think they wouldn’t be welcome as an employee or for a promotion opportunity. Unconscious bias within organisations could have also led people to unconsciously employ, sponsor or promote people ‘like them’.

Positive action is not about giving these people more favourable treatment; it is about “levelling the playing field” for them.

Employment and promotion must be based on merit. Positive action initiatives help us to encourage people from certain groups who are under-represented in the workplace to apply for jobs and promotions.

Initiatives can include:

placing job adverts to target particular groups, to increase the number of applicants from that group,
offering training or development programmes to help certain groups get opportunities or progress at work,
offering shadowing or mentoring to groups under-represented at certain levels within the organisation,
hosting an open day specifically for under-represented groups to encourage them to get into a particular field.

Our commitments

Safeguarding on Rail

South Western Railway achieved a 100% score in the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme (SRS) for the third consecutive year, following a full assessment by British Transport Police.

Assessment process included staff interviews, document reviews and station visits.
Maintaining 100% required continuous improvement.
Around 850 body‑worn video cameras were rolled out to frontline colleagues to support safety and evidence gathering.
Junior Citizens sessions delivered rail‑safety education to more than 1,000 Year 6 pupils.
51 Safeguarding Champions were trained to promote best practice across the business.
New partnerships and multi‑agency meetings strengthened safeguarding efforts across our network and communities.

Investors In People

South Western Railway is proud to hold the Investors in People Gold accreditation, recognising a culture where people truly come first.

Gold accreditation shows our policies don’t just exist, colleagues at every level bring them to life.
We focus on leadership, values and continuous improvement.
Our approach reflects the belief that organisational success begins and ends with people.
Making work better for everyone strengthens our organisation and contributes to a healthier, happier society.

Disability Confident

South Western Railway is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for disabled people and are a Disability Confident Employer. We aim to:

Ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all,
Provide an environment that is inclusive and accessible for staff, clients and customers,
Support employees to manger their disabilities and health conditions,
Value and listen to feedback from disabled staff,
Guide staff to information and advice on mental health conditions.

Find out more about the Disability Confident scheme here

Business Disability Forum

Business Disability Forum is the UK’s leading membership organisation on disability inclusion, working with 600+ Members and Partners.
Their network represents over 5 million UK employees and 16 million worldwide, driving large‑scale inclusion.
They partner with business, Government, and disabled people to remove barriers and improve accessibility.
Being a member of the Business Disability Forum demonstrates our public commitment to improving outcomes for disabled employees and customers.

Visit the Business Disability Forum Website

Carer Confident

We’re proud to be recognised as a Carer Confident Active employer. The Carer Confident scheme supports organisations in creating workplaces where carers are recognised, respected and supported, helping them balance work with caring responsibilities.

What this means:

We recognise and support staff who have caring responsibilities, ensuring they feel valued at work.
We promote a positive and inclusive culture where carers can access guidance, resources and practical help when they need it.
We take active steps to reduce barriers for carers, helping them stay in work and manage their responsibilities more confidently.
We are committed to continuous improvement, working towards higher levels of the Carer Confident framework as we strengthen our
support for carers.