As Pride Month reached its conclusion, the message from workplace health and safety bodies was clear – we must push for equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace throughout the year to ensure that people can “bring their whole selves to work” and feel safe.
In a blog article to celebrate Pride Month in June, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) said it offered an opportunity to “take stock and consider if we are doing all we can to ensure workplaces are fully diverse and inclusive.”
But the world’s largest professional health and safety body also cautioned that it was “crucial that we recognise that such work is a year-round effort.”
IOSH’s Director of Professional Services, Nicole Rinaldi, wrote:
“It never stops. That is the case across all professions, and OSH is no exception.”
In fact, IOSH’s Activate 2028 Strategy document states: “A safe and healthy world of work means feeling safe as well as being safe.”
Rinaldi expanded upon this, explaining that all workers should feel like they can be their true selves in the workplace and “bring their whole selves to work,” without fear of discrimination, or even violence.
Half of workers consider leaving due to equality, diversity and inclusion issues
She cited the Beyond Buzzwords report, published earlier this year, which was based on research conducted by The Young Foundation and involving more than 7,000 members and learners from 12 UK professional bodies, including IOSH. It looked at the state of equality, diversity and inclusion within and across professions and offers insights into the experiences of workplace initiatives to improve equality, diversity and inclusion.
Worryingly, despite the majority of professionals surveyed (77%) reporting that there was at least one equality, diversity and inclusion initiative or intervention in place at their organisation, almost three-quarters still reported experiencing:
- Barriers to progression in their career (73%)
- Discriminatory or exclusionary behaviour in the workplace since the start of 2019 (72%)
In addition, more than half of those surveyed (53%) said they had considered leaving their organisation and/or their whole profession because of issues relating to equality, diversity and inclusion. Most of these cited feeling overlooked or undervalued, with many also raising concerns around progression, management, workload, pay and culture.
Equality, diversity and inclusion must go beyond a ‘tick-box’ exercise
This suggests that current equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives are not working, or that words are not translating into action. Indeed, some focus group participants told researchers that these initiatives and interventions often felt like a “tick-box exercise.”
The report included four key recommendations, which were:
- Put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of what it means to be a professional
- Set higher standards for professionals
- Actively involve professionals in change by providing meaningful opportunities for members, learners and employers to shape action around EDI in your profession
- Become role models for good practice
Professional bodies must ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion values are embedded across all learning and development opportunities.
Equality, diversity and inclusion brings ‘all-round benefits’
The Beyond Buzzwords report points out there is evidence to suggest that increased diversity within organisations brings the following benefits:
- Increased profitability
- Greater innovation
- Increased productivity
Referring to these “all-round benefits,” Rinaldi says:
“Fostering diverse and inclusive workforces brings significant rewards for both employees and employers. For the workers, they feel like they can be themselves and be valued for who they are. This leads to more engagement and commitment from workers, leading to enhanced creativity and innovation. What business wouldn’t want that?”
She explains that equality, diversity and inclusion is a key part of IOSH’s strategy and that they are committed to the recommendations laid out in the Beyond Buzzwords report.
“We truly believe that having a diverse and inclusive profession is a key facet of our work towards our vision of a safe and healthy world of work,” Rinaldi concludes.
Support diversity and inclusion in the workplace with training
First Response Training (FRT) is one of the UK’s largest and leading national training providers.
They deliver a wide and diverse range of training for businesses and organisations across all industry sectors and throughout the UK. Their course range includes training in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, mental health, food safety, health and social care and more.
Their training is mapped to current UK standards and legislation and follows relevant industry guidelines, such as those issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Skills for care, the Care Quality Commission and the Resuscitation Council UK.
It includes training awards in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, as well as many more subjects.
Based on a common sense, proportionate approach to workplace safety, training helps learners to understand the true benefits of creating a healthy, safe and inclusive environment at work but also underlines how it must go beyond training to ensure a full organisational approach and culture.
A trainer from FRT explains:
“Although Pride Month and similar celebrations should always serve as a reminder to support equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, this pursuit should not be confined to an awareness campaign, a single month or a tick-box exercise.
“Workplaces need to be safe, supportive and enabling for all workers to ensure that everyone feels healthy, safe, valued and seen and that organisations can harness the opportunities provided by diverse talent, ideas, perspectives and experiences.
“Protecting the health, safety and welfare of employees goes far beyond minimising risks to their physical safety and really requires a holistic approach to ensure they are properly supported and have a positive and equal experience in the workplace.”
For more information on any of the training courses that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or e-mail info@firstresponsetraining.com.