On Wednesday 2nd November, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team relaunched the Inclusion Forum by inviting award-winning diversity and inclusion expert, Asif Sadiq, to deliver a talk focusing on what staff at the University can do to promote EDI within their roles.
A key message of the talk was about the importance of EDI – not only as the right thing to do, but also as a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010, and as something that can help to drive business. However, Asif also spoke about the importance of moving beyond inclusion, and focusing on creating a sense of belonging. Asif argued that diversity without psychological safety, created through a sense of belonging, is not enough to promote EDI. Until people feel safe to be themselves at work, and speak freely, organisations cannot reap the benefits of having a diverse workforce.
During his talk, Asif outlined five things that we can all do to champion EDI:
1) Disruption – identify what it is in our teams, departments, processes and practices that is resulting in a lack of inclusion and think about how we can challenge them and what small changes we can make to drive change. Asif suggested that this might include giving someone the opportunity to speak in a meeting, going to lunch with someone you would not normally have lunch with, or speaking up for what you believe in and being an ally.
2) Don’t be afraid to get things wrong – Asif noted that people are often afraid of getting involved in conversations around EDI as they are worried about saying the wrong thing and causing offence. However, Asif argued that we need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and we also need to ensure that we create an environment with psychological safety where people feel safe to engage in these conversations. It is ok to make mistakes, so long as we accept when we are challenged, and learn from them.
3) Challenge our own thinking – challenge our unconscious biases, stereotypes and any assumptions we may have.
4) Use any privilege we have to be an ally for others – Asif noted that we all have privilege, and we should use this to promote EDI and speak up for others. Asif argued that a true ally is someone who advocates for others when they are not in the room, and amplifies their voice when they are in the room, rather than speaking on their behalf.
5) Find a personal connection/motivation for EDI – finally, Asif suggested that we should all find a personal connection or motivation for promoting EDI. This could be lived experience, believing that it is the right thing to do, or recognising the benefit it has on business. Asif argued that this was important as it provides a genuine motivation and intent, and will also give us confidence in conversations around EDI.
In ending the talk, Asif emphasised the importance of everyone getting involved in EDI, and stressed that it is not something that can be achieved by one person or one team. He also highlighted the importance of promoting EDI outside of work, and suggested that we should all look for opportunities where we experience difference and discomfort, as it is these situations that allow us to learn and diversify our thinking.
If you would like to join the Inclusion Forum, or have anything to share via the blog, please contact e.carter@bristol.ac.uk.