Suffolk County Council becomes first to establish Vegan Staff Network


The council’s bold move comes after two employees decided it was time to bring veganism into the professional arena.

A staff network is formed by employees and provides a supportive environment for its members. They also have the opportunity to contribute to corporate agendas and decisions where the issues will impact upon its members.

So far, the network has already collaborated with the main campus building restaurant to secure daily vegan options and it has big plans for 2019.

In order to be recognised, in most organisations a staff network has to meet the criteria of ‘protected characteristics’ under the Equalities Act 2010, so the decision to recognise veganism as a ‘protected characteristic’ may have positive knock-on effects elsewhere.

As the council is one of Suffolk’s largest employers, members of the Vegan Staff Network hope that this will lead the way for other councils and businesses to follow suit and give people the confidence to get networks started in their organisations.

Suffolk County Council was a Stonewall top 100 employer three years running from 2014, and this further proves their commitment to inclusivity for their staff.

If you are interested in setting up a network in your organisation and want to talk to the network chairs about how they did it or just to chat, please get in touch. Alternatively, the Vegan Leaders Playbook is a fantastic starting point for anyone wishing to bring veganism into the world of work.