Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is an integral part of who we are and how we do business. 

We’re dedicated to continuing to foster an environment where differences are valued, and practices are equitable. Everyone who works at Farrow & Ball should feel the kind of inclusion that allows them to be their true selves and contribute their best. We’re a socially committed company in support of human rights, respect and dignity for all. 

We never tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, age, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment or family status, including pregnancy. 

In 2024, we established an internal cross-functional group: ‘Better Together’. The group works to ensure diverse voices are always heard throughout our organisation. 

We also proudly support United in Design: a charitable organisation established in 2020 by Interior Designer Sophie Ashby and Design Lecturer Alexandria Dauley. United in Design is driven by a need for an equal opportunity pathway into the interior design industry for people from ethnic minority and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Gender Pay and Representation

We’re committed to equal pay and we’re proud to say that we don’t have a gender pay gap, which you can find out more about in the Gender Pay Report we publish every year. Our data also shows that we have a higher representation of women in our workforce compared to men, which is unusual for a manufacturer.

Fair Pay

We believe in rewarding a job well done. As a global employer, we meet the legal requirements in every country where we have employees. In the UK, we pay above the national minimum wage. We also carry out an annual pay review for all of our employees around the world, based on the performance of both the business and the individual.

Diversity, inclusion and equity are values we are committed to ensuring run through the fabric of our company and this is something we have been working on for many years, in particular through our gender pay report. But we recognise that we could – and should – do more as a global organisation to make an authentic, long-term contribution to our industry that aligns with our values.  

It goes without saying that Farrow & Ball will not tolerate discrimination on account of age, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual identity, gender identity, disability or nationality.

What are we doing?

• Across Farrow & Ball, our team is made up of many different nationalities, and we are committed to making full use of the talents of all our employees.
• As an equal opportunities employer, we don’t discriminate, and recruit, appoint, train, develop, assess, reward and promote on the basis of merit and ability/competency.
• We have made great strides to ensure our gender pay report is in a good place and reflective of the regular pay audits we conduct. We offer flexibility in working hours, giving our employees more choice in their work life balance regardless of gender or circumstances.
• We make adjustments to the working environment for employees with disabilities.

How are we going to improve?

• In the past, we have not asked for ethnicity on our application forms in order to ensure that no discrimination takes place regarding background, and that all successful applications are based on skill. But to help us understand and measure how diverse our team is and identify where we need to improve, we will now give applicants the option to state their ethnicity.
• We have updated the language on our careers pages to be more inclusive and to encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.
• We want to open the conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion and are going to include a section on this in our next Employee Survey to find out what we can do better.
• Like many others, the interior design industry lacks diversity, and we want to use our voice and presence to support the change we want to see. We began a series of interviews with Black designers to champion the work they do, and the first few interviews have been incredibly well received across our 1 million Instagram followers. We are committed to making sure that Black designers continue to have a voice on our channels in the months and years to come.
• We are committed to ensuring that we continue to support women currently working with us while also attracting more women into senior roles. We will continue to review our approach to workplace flexibility at all levels of the organisation.