Identity & Belonging
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What can organisations do to tackle the Gender Pay Gap?
This month, many countries held their ‘Equal Pay Day’. This is the day in which figuratively women stop earning compared to men due to the gender pay gap. Whilst in theory, men and women legally are expected be paid the same amount for the work…
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Why a British, black, senior spy only happens in the movies
It’s been a few weeks since I watched the new James Bond film. I very much enjoyed it, both since it had been months since I had been in a cinema, and because it was a well-directed and enjoyable ride. The casting of Lashana Lynch…
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‘As ye sow, so shall ye reap’ – the failure of organisations to tackle racism
When former Yorkshire Cricket Club (YCCC) player Azeem Rafiq made allegations around racism during his time at the club which led him ‘close to committing suicide’, one of the first interventions came from Roger Pugh, then Yorkshire South Premier League Chairman. Pugh took the uninvited…
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Why Staff Networks are a force for good
Today is the National Day for Staff Networks. We celebrate the hard work that staff networks do in organisation’s across the world. Since joining the office workforce, I have found staff networks an invaluable and critical function within the business organisation. So much so I…
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Why leaders need to actively build inclusive cultures in their teams
I’ve worked in a number of different teams, often led by ‘good’ people who generally work hard, are considerate, and have no explicit ill-meaning malice within them. So why does it often go so wrong? Unfortunately, when teams are built up at pace, often little…
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Why you’re not hearing about Diversity issues in your workplace
Talking about Diversity issues can be pretty tough. In an organisation where it’s not the done thing, saying you are being treated differently can be extremely uncomfortable, particularly if you happen to be the ‘only’ in the room – whether that be the only woman,…
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What Small Businesses can do around Diversity and Inclusion
We have seen far more resources going into Diversity and Inclusion than ever before, with a growing understanding that businesses need to tackle this as an issue as a priority. Much of our focus has been on the large, multinational organisations and what actions they…
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Bringing a Coaching Approach to advocating Diversity and Inclusion
Last week, I wrote about how Diversity and Inclusion would benefit from a more rigorous Project Management approach. This got me thinking: what other areas can we take inspiration from to improve our approach to Diversity and Inclusion From my experience, coaching and Diversity and…
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Bringing an Agile Approach to Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
We are seeing more businesses taking notice about the importance of Diversity and Inclusion. More senior leaders are genuinely engaging than ever before. The new stumbling block however, is what to do now. As the scale of the task becomes clear, it can be easy…
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Diversity – how it plays out in the boardroom
A meeting is called. The main executives and HR are invited in. The aim is to solve the diversity problem. The agenda item is scheduled for 20 minutes. At this meeting it has been put front of the agenda, as it had been scheduled in…
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How to chair inclusive meetings
We’ve all been there, right? You walk into an hour long meeting, dreading what is to come. Whilst this is meant to be a ‘team’ meeting, 90% of the session is dominated by the chair, with very little input from anyone else. Sadly, this is…
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How to solve your diversity headaches? Get creative!
Let’s face it. Diversity and Inclusion are complex. Cookie-cutter solutions rarely work to ‘fix’ the issues, whether it be representation of diverse groups at senior levels or creating a more inclusive environment. Whilst there are schemes you may have heard of that might help such…
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What Black History Month Means to me
My first experience of large-scale Black History Month celebrations was in BEIS, where I saw the power of bringing inspirational black leaders together along with allies together to better understand the history that brings us to our modern day
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Why we need Black History Month
Black History Month takes place annually during the month of October in the UK. The month is an opportunity for us to understand more about our collective history from the perspective of black people. It is also an opportunity to commemorate the struggles as well…
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Creating a holistic Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
This week in the UK is National Inclusion Week, an opportunity to champion everyday inclusion and a chance to bring a spotlight to Diversity and Inclusion. The tricky part of Diversity and Inclusion is figuring out how to start. After all, the subject is quite…
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Why Diversity and Inclusion Matters
For anyone who hasn’t entered the office workplace, ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ or D&I sounds like some garbled office speak; indeed that was certainly my impression when I first started my career. Some also stick in Equity or Equality in the title. But why does this…
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Tips to create an inclusive workplace culture – part two
Following on from yesterday’s blog, here are my remaining tips to create an inclusive workplace culture:
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Tips to create an inclusive workplace culture
An inclusive culture is where all people can feel comfortable to discuss issues outside of the work context should they choose to. In my department, I previously worked with Staff Networks and HR to come up with a set of ‘top tips’ to help foster an inclusive…