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Multi-award nominated e-learning for Burberry

A series of arcade game-style digital episodes helped embed diversity, equity and inclusion at Burberry.
Industry Sector
Retail
Solution
Custom Learning

The Challenge

Burberry is a British modern luxury brand with thousands of employees, representing over 100 nationalities across 34 countries.

With a multicultural workforce and diverse customer base, Burberry’s central Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) team is committed to ensuring that all colleagues experience a culture of inclusion across Burberry. However, there are a number of elements to be taken into consideration to make this possible:

  • Different regions have different DE&I priorities
  • Without a common baseline of awareness, it is challenging for local teams to identify actions they can take that would be meaningful for colleagues while supporting the organization’s global agenda
  • Colleagues wanting to promote DE&I are worried about ‘saying the wrong thing’ and causing offence.

The Solution

The Burberry team were looking for something more targeted and meaningful than a one-time, off-the-shelf solution. They partnered with Mind Tools to co-create a series of 10-minute digital ‘Episodes’, translated into 11 languages for teams around the world.

Each episode took the format of an 8-bit arcade game, using character designs that reflected Burberry’s diverse workforce and activities that equipped colleagues with the language and mindset to promote a truly inclusive culture.

To embed behaviors and reinforce learning, the Episodes were released slowly over time, with the same design style used across Burberry’s DE&I initiatives, including its mandatory anti-discrimination training, virtual Allyship training programme, and DE&I Resource Library.

By giving all colleagues access to the same learning experience, we created a collective understanding of DE&I, acknowledged local differences, and have made a real impact across our business. Mind Tools have been key to the success of this project.

Chalene Hanson
Senior Manager, Global DE&I, Burberry

The Results

To date, the Episodes have been completed by over 60% of Burberry’s workforce globally.

Those colleagues have since demonstrated their desire to learn more: paying over 6,000 unique visits to Burberry’s DE&I Resource Library and viewing over 19,000 resources.

Those changes are already making an impact. The digital team has started a film club to explore the experiences of marginalized groups in cinema, the supply chain working group created a book club with a DE&I focus to maintain a space for discussion, and the Episode series has provided a common language for questions at regular townhall meetings to further conversation and inspire action to create lasting change.

Some of the feedback from participants of the course include:

The up-beat, light-hearted game theme conveys a positive message about DE&I from the “get go”.

Apprenticeships Coordinator

Being able to interact with the game and take yourself on a journey of multiple scenarios and outcomes helped me to see a situation from different perspectives.

Client Advisor

I was inspired not only to be a better ally, but understanding the various types of allyship gave me clear and specific goals to work towards, such as speaking up against wrongdoing.

EA, Marketing

It was helpful that the Episodes included moments for reflection, allowing me to commit to the learning and think about how I can make a change in my environment.

Director, HR