When the people around us are thriving and live a more contented life, it really helps to support sustainability. So, with this important principle in mind, we do our best to ensure the people we work with have lots of opportunities to broaden their skills and knowledge and do great things for others. Whether it’s going to university or volunteering to help our communities, training to be a mental health first aider or learning more about how to keep our workplaces equal and diverse, we want those we work with every day to know that their contribution to our Club, our communities and our planet, makes a massive and positive difference.

As part of LFC’s training and development strategy we ensure all new starters are on-boarded and inducted with the knowledge and tools they need to get up and running in their first few weeks. The Club also offers colleagues access to an online learning platform containing over 12,000 resources and materials that can be utilised at any time, and from any location. There are also a number of employees at the Club undertaking apprenticeships in areas such as MBA, Management & Leadership, Commercial, Digital and Technology. Roughly 7,000 training hours have been used by colleagues during 2020. In 2020, Skill-Share, an internal resource mobility scheme, was launched to support colleagues impacted by COVID to find alternative roles across the Club. As of December 2020, over 200 colleagues engaged with the programme, resulting in nearly 40,000 staff hours made available to support other departments and teams across LFC. In early 2021, an online career development portal will be launched. This will provide colleagues with transparency of the various roles across the Club and how each of us can develop our talents and skills for current or future roles.

Development

LFC’s ambition is to be the most inclusive club in football – providing fair opportunities to as many different people as possible; welcoming and meeting their needs as best we can.We’re committed to hiring great people who are representative of a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Not just because it`s the right thing to do, but because we believe it makes our business stronger.Those brands that actively embrace equality, diversity and inclusion are proven to have better prospects to be successful. They attract and retain the very best talent and enjoy the many benefits of building a diverse fan base.LFC was the first club to achieve the Premier League Advanced Equality Standard and have recently regained this accreditation, being recognised for our efforts and commitment in continuing to drive our Diversity & Inclusion agenda across the club and externally.The Club has also played an active part in shaping the Football Leadership Diversity Code and is one of the founding signatories in English Football, acting as a role model for other clubs to follow. More information about the code can be found <a href="https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/oct/27/football-leadership-diversity-code-launched-271020" target="_blank">here</a>. Training and education are at the heart of driving change and the Club has rolled out virtual unconscious bias and allyship training for all employees across the business, including our Executive team. Furthermore, this training has been offered to our TV pundits and former players too. Please see our <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/announcements/411825-lfc-launches-red-together" target="_blank">Red Together</a> page for more information

Inclusion

The Club’s 2021 wellbeing strategy will be focusing on initiatives across 5 pillars.All employees have access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) counselling service, and the Club’s health & wellbeing platform. This site provides support, articles and programmes to support wellbeing and mental health to every person who works for the club.To encourage our colleagues to be more active, we have a cycle to work scheme. Additionally, to ensure employees have their opportunity to play a part in cutting vehicle emissions, we offer an electric/ultra-low emission car scheme. We’re continuing to explore initiatives where we can reach out to people who are working from home and feeling remote from their colleagues. During lockdown, a new LFC Social group has been established. Members have dedicated time – alongside their day jobs – to put on virtual events to help keep the people they work with feel connected. 2020 events included activities such as live cook-alongs with our stadium chefs, a virtual pub quiz, and a Halloween Party for colleagues with children. Red Minds – our team of qualified Mental Health First Aiders – also hosts lunchtime socials where people can drop in for a chat and connect with colleagues from across different areas of LFC. Red Minds is also on hand if any of employees need a colleague to talk to or guidance on getting additional support for any kind of mental health issue.Through our ‘New ways of working project’, different structures and methods are currently being explored with the intention of providing a positive balance – for both employees and the Club – to meet the challenges of home and office working in the short-to-medium term.

Health And Wellbeing

Each full-time employee has four half-days made available to them to volunteer and give back to our communities.The Club has strong relationships with local schools and universities. We work closely with these educational establishments to promote our student placement scheme, which includes an intern programme and work experience opportunities.In September 2020, in conjunction with the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor’s Office, the Club provided an opportunity for local charities and businesses to apply for funding to up-skill their workforce. As of December 2020, the Club has donated close to £50,000 of our Apprenticeship Levy to Anfield Sports and Community Centre and local business Home Baked Bakery. More information on this initiative is available <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/community/408849-reds-help-future-proof-community-causes?webSyncID=706d69b0-c3b7-6a4a-43d7-b97a5dd6c294&sessionGUID=69809473-d9ad-2486-ad75-4bc2ba6ed751" target="_blank">here</a>.In 2021, the club intends to partner with the Liverpool FC Foundation and housing organisation The Regenda Group, to offer 30+ work placements. These placements will be offered in deprived neighbourhoods within the city of Liverpool and those hardest hit by the pandemic. Posts will be advertised with assistance from the Department for Work & Pensions.