How PES Supported Race Equality Week 2025 Through the 5-Day Challenge
13 February 2025
Race Equality Week 2025 ran from 3rd to 9th February and was an important opportunity for our employees to reflect, learn, and take meaningful action to advance race equality.
Central to our efforts was the 5-Day Challenge — a series of five activities designed to engage colleagues for just five minutes a day over the course of the week. Promoted through Teams chat channels, our in-house staff bulletin and our intranet, the initiative inspired active participation and meaningful dialogue across the organisation.
Each day of the challenge focused on a different theme:
- Day 1 – Intersectionality
- Day 2 – Recognising Privilege
- Day 3 – Inclusive Language
- Day 4 – Code-Switching and Masking
Day 5 – The Big Promise
The week concluded on Friday 7th February with Big Promise day. Instead of pledging to new commitments, our Quality and Governance Director, Rupesh Bagdai issued a statement reviewing our delivery on our three previous promises and the actions we have taken to turn these visions into reality.
In 2023 we pledged to:
‘Set a zero tolerance to racism and microaggressions policy, with published clear consequences for those that do not adhere.’
Since then, we have published and implemented this policy company-wide, ensuring that all colleagues understand our expectations and the accountability measures that are in place. The policy takes a firm organisational stance against any form of racial discrimination, bias or more subtle acts of exclusion in the workplace. It sets unambiguous expectations that any racist behaviour, whether overt or subtle (such as microaggressions) will not be tolerated. The policy also details the process for reporting an alleged incident and the steps that might be taken to deal with it.
In 2024, we made two pledges:
‘To ensure all elements of reward and recognition, from appraisals to bonuses, are fair and reflect the racial diversity of the organisation.’
‘To participate in Safe Space Plus – a two-hour facilitated conversation between board members and ethnically diverse colleagues carried out in a protected environment.’
Through a comprehensive review of our reward structures over the past year, we have worked to eliminate bias and create equitable opportunities for all employees.
Additionally, we have trained two members of our Equality Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Staff Working Group as EDI Champions, providing a confidential, protected space for queries, concerns, honest discussions and meaningful change.
Staff Feedback
Daily feedback from our staff via our regular internal channels was very supportive and included comments such as:
‘It’s been an eye-opening week watching the videos, I hope going forward we can increase engagement across the organisation for all things EDI.’
Moving Forward
At Primary Eyecare Services, we believe that advancing race equality is not a one-time effort but an ongoing journey. This is borne out by our Bronze Level Trailblazer accreditation with Race Equality Matters. Race Equality Week 2025 reaffirmed our pledge to learn, act, and make inclusivity a core part of who we are. Together, we are building a stronger, more equitable future for all.