Sue Johnson, managing partner and head of inclusion and diversity consulting at global executive search firm Odgers Berndtson, explains why inclusive recruitment is important and how companies can ensure it is truly inclusive
Article by 24 September 2023
Elite sectors such as banking, private equity and corporate law are making progress on diversity, equality and inclusion, but there’s a long way to go before these career pathways are fully accessible to talented people from minority groups. Inclusive recruitment processes are key, but what more can employers do to level the playing field?
Article by 18 September 2023
Understanding the honest views and opinions of both the men and women at your organisation will lay the foundations for developing meaningful interventions that bring about positive change
Article by 5 September 2023
If organisations are serious about wanting to foster a truly diverse and inclusive culture, it is now time to move the conversation on and start focusing on how to help people truly feel like they belong within an organisation.
Article by 3 August 2023
Disability Pride Month provides the platform for workplaces to celebrate each person’s uniqueness, promote mainstream awareness and encourage pride felt by people with disabilities. It is the perfect time to review how inclusive you are of people with a disability: starting the conversation and reviewing your organisation’s culture will ensure everyone can bring their best self to work, thrive and succeed.
Article by 29 July 2023
Some industries, some businesses – and some leaders – can’t shake the old-fashioned viewpoint that ‘working from home is shirking from home’. There’s evidence that minority groups are more likely to be impacted by this perspective: 60% of women in one survey said working remotely led them to feel excluded from important meetings. 94% felt that either requesting or taking advantage of flexible working opportunities would impact their chances of promotion; and three times as many women (35%) as men (12%) in another study felt that hybrid working made them feel they were ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Right now, we’re teetering on the edge of a precipice: we are dangerously close to falling back into old ways of working, benefiting those that can get to a traditional workplace setting and discriminating against those minority groups for whom hybrid working is a lifeline. If we’re to make progress and drive real change for a fairer, equitable world, businesses need clear frameworks for hybrid or flexible working.
Article by 19 July 2023
Active allyship is about driving systemic change through individual actions. Performative allyship is about you and your ego. Male allies get involved in employee resource groups, mentor and sponsor others different from themselves and elevate and amplify the voices of others rather than making it about them.
Article by 17 July 2023
Corporate activism around woke issues is anything but inclusive if there’s no allowance for different views and perspectives, if giving more rights to minority groups reduces the freedoms of the majority. D&I teams need to be clear on whether new policies and campaigns brought in to support some groups are having adverse effects on others.
Article by 6 July 2023
Specific networks – of which there can be a great many – will include employees who belong to them due to their personal circumstances. There may be occasions when the particular network needs a closed meeting, but for the greater time having open meetings is where the real benefits lie. A successful network will open the dialogue and discussion to all and invite people with different (or even no) protected characteristics to join - thus allowing intersectionality to thrive.
Article by 11 May 2023
Neurodiversity is a hot topic. It is estimated that around 1 in 7 people - more than 15% of people in the UK - are neurodivergent. So, how do HR Directors ensure their organisation can recruit neurodiverse people and enable them to thrive in their working culture, especially when it comes to digital communications?
Article by 10 April 2023