A diverse workforce is beneficial for organisations; staff members from different demographic groups and with different backgrounds and experience bring different approaches, perspectives and ways of thinking. A diverse group may be more creative and innovative, may be better able to spot and address risks and implement decisions, and may be more likely to be high performing and to meet or exceed financial and other targets (see summary of research and links on the Wonolo blog).
Diverse@Imperial Exhibition 2018: Celebrating the people that make Imperial
A recent article by Deloitte asserts that ‘diversity without inclusion is not enough’ (p85). Deloitte suggests that members of an inclusive workforce feel confident and inspired, and proposes that an inclusive working environment involves:
- Being treated fairly and with respect
- Feeling valued and having a sense of belonging
- Feeling safe and able to speak up without fear of embarrassment or retaliation
- Feeling empowered and able to grow and do one’s best work
I wondered how NHLI’s 2017 staff survey results would look for these categories which may help to give us a sense of where we are and where we still have work to do:
Being treated fairly and with respect
- 57% of NHLI staff believe career progression is fair within Imperial (regardless of ethnic background, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or age)
- 72% of NHLI staff think that the College is an inclusive employer for all staff
- 76% of NHLI staff thought that they were treated with dignity and respect
Feeling valued and having a sense of belonging
- 50% of NHLI staff considered that their contributions to the College are recognised and valued
- 87% of NHLI staff were proud to work for the College and 52% considered they had a strong sense of belonging to the College
Feeling safe and able to speak up without fear of embarrassment or retaliation
- 54% of NHLI staff were confident about expressing their views and opinions without fear of negative consequences, worryingly this is a 10% reduction from the 2014 survey
Feeling empowered and able to grow and do one’s best work
- 53% of NHLI staff indicated that they felt sufficiently involved in decisions that directly impacted on their role
- 71% of NHLI staff responded positively to the statement ‘Working here makes me want to do the best work I can’
The Athena SWAN Charter recognises advancement of gender equality, promoting representation, progression and success for all. In NHLI we use Athena SWAN as a framework to guide our policies, processes and activities to improve the work environment of all staff and students in the department. Since 2015 the remit of Athena SWAN has been expanded and recognises work undertaken to address equality more broadly, not only focusing on barriers to progression that affect women. This broader focus covers all staff (in academic and professional and technical roles) and students, and considers the intersectionality between different demographic categories (for example being a black woman). The Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team will be reviewing the results of the 2017 College staff survey and will be identifying trends and issues to guide future initiatives and action.
Last year I attended a talk on diversity by Simon Fanshawe (co-founder of Stonewall, and co-founder and partner of Diversity by Design). One of the take-home messages was that people are not just the group that they belong to and the challenge is to understand them as individuals in the context of their situation and provide support that works for them. The important thing is to see diversity as an issue for all of us which will hopefully translate into actions that will mean something for everyone. In NHLI we can all contribute to creating a more diverse, inclusive culture where differences are respected and valued.
“In Diverse@Imperial week we want to celebrate our successes, but we should always challenge ourselves to do better, so that we can create a truly inclusive environment where diversity can thrive”
Professor Stephen Curry, Assistant Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Resources
- Diverse@Imperial recognising and celebrating the diversity of our community.
- Take the College’s online training on equality and diversity.
- Attend one of the sessions the Faculty of Medicine is running on unconscious bias, bullying and harassment, active bystander or working in multicultural groups (contact Fern Whyte for session dates and locations).
- The College has a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre and runs a number of equality training courses, see this webpage for further details.
- Consider joining one of the College diversity staff networks.
- Equality Challenge Unit supports universities and colleges to build an inclusive culture that values the benefits of diversity, removes barriers to progression and success for all staff and students, and challenges and changes unfair practices that disadvantage individuals or groups.
- Equality and Human Rights Commission – works to help make Britain fairer by safeguarding and enforcing the laws that protect people’s rights to fairness, dignity and respect.
Lindsay Melling, NHLI Career Development Coordinator
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