Sixteen years ago Susan Scott Parker OBE, former CEO of Business Disability Forum, invented the phrase 'Disability Confidence' and through the organisation's work in the UK, the phrase came to define the maturity of an organisation in how it attracts, recruits and retains disabled employees, as well as how it serves disabled people as customers. The phrase has subsequently been adopted across the globe including: Canada, Australia, Austria.

The UK government also uses the phrase 'Disability Confident' to describe the scheme it has created to help UK employers to lead change - and offers advice and support on attracting, recruiting and retaining disabled people. Our CEO, Kate Nash OBE sits on the Minister's Business Leaders Group.

At PurpleSpace, we believe it is vital that employers improve their organisational performance but as network / resource group leaders know from the many disabled colleagues they work with, that will only ever get us so far.

As well as confidence at a 'macro' level - organisation strategy needs to take account of the process by which individuals feel able to build inner confidence and resilience as they navigate often very challenging life experiences. It is at the heart of what we do.

This is why, in April, we focus on the things networks / resource groups do to support employees to build inner confidence.

We will:

• Support members to spot the ways an organisation can help its people to express a need for personal development support
• Explore the tools and supporting materials you can create to help employees build inner confidence and resilience
• Explore the role of learning and development teams / talent teams / employee assist programmes have in helping people to build inner confidence
• Offer you the opportunity to engage with PurpleSpace Ambassadors and fellow members

What can you look forward to this month?

Jamie Mills, Essex Police, PurpleSpace Ambassador will kick off the month for us with a welcome in the Member Zone - and pose the big question, "How do organisations support people to build inner confidence?"

During the month you will have the opportunity to listen to a new Podcast "Keeping It Real" - as personal development expert, podcaster and Disability Consultant Phil Friend chats with John Brady a Senior Customer Journey Manager and co-chair of 'Enable', the disability network at RBS, about the process he went through to re-build his inner confidence following his chronic Irritable bowel syndrome diagnosis.

We also launch a new briefing paper 'Encouraging Openness' about how organisations can make it easier for people to bring their authentic selves to work. And we will review the feedback we have received from the launch of our Purple Confidence Pilot Toolkit that became available earlier in the year.

This month's External Resource Review will focus on how people can build inner confidence as PurpleSpace Consultant Sally Ward shares her thoughts on 'Confidence for Dummies' by Kate Burton and Brinley Platts.

To round the month up we invite you to drop into the Member Zone between 16:00 - 17:00 on Monday 29th April for our MZChat - get yourself a cup of tea and join in the conversation led by PurpleSpace Ambassador, Jamie Mills, to share learning and offer your top tips to other members.

The four questions he will ask are:

1. Is inner confidence a feeling, a fact or an act?
2. What are the key ways we know we are building personal inner confidence?
3. What are the biggest issues faced by your own people when it comes to building confidence?
4. Does your organisation deliver targeted training to help people bring their authentic selves to work?

And don't forget if you are looking for advice about how to use the Purple Passport as a tool in your organisation we will be covering that during the 'Networkology: Part Two' workshop being held on 15th October 2019.