Creating a truly inclusive workplace
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All of us in the cultural sector are committed to becoming workplaces where everyone has the same opportunities, and everyone feels they belong. Many of us are finding that it’s a complex and challenging journey of change.
Part of our organisation’s response to that challenge about becoming a truly inclusive workplace, was for our National Council to commission an external view that would help us to see ourselves through someone else’s eyes. To engage in some institutional self-reflection.
In 2022, our National Council commissioned Nous Group to conduct an independent review of our employment policies, practices, and our culture in relation to equity, diversity, and inclusion. This followed on from some colleagues sharing experiences at work that did not live up to our inclusive principles. Over the summer we have been talking about the findings with our colleagues across all of our nine offices, we thank our staff and networks for taking part in this important work. Today, we wanted to share our learnings with our sector by publishing the report.
The report is measured, thoughtful and full of sensible recommendations. It has both positives and negatives and we have learned a huge amount both from the process we’ve been on and from the findings.
The Nous group has set out key recommendations which have been directly drawn out from the findings of their research and their interactions with our colleagues. These recommendations relate to consistent application of workplace adjustments, improving staff awareness of available support; making career progression routes and our complaints processes more transparent; ensuring managers have the capability to create an inclusive culture; clarifying the role of our staff networks; upholding our duty around team member’s personal beliefs, and reinforcing our organisational purpose and identity.
As an organisation, and a leadership team, we are now focused on implementing these recommendations and to seeing culture change take place. This will mean making some changes to our systems and processes, but it will also mean continuing to talk to each other about how we act and how we treat each other.
It is imperative for the Arts Council, as the national development agency for creativity and culture, to show leadership around equity, diversity and inclusion and workplace culture and practices, however our leadership is not as an exemplar of inclusive practice – or at least not yet. Instead, we want to be honest and transparent about the journey we need to go on, and to share that learning with others. Our vibrant creative sector is made up of organisations of all types and scales, and we know that this is journey that many of you are on, beginning from various starting points.
What we have learnt is that those challenging conversations, those difficult moments, that self-reflection at every level within the organisation, are all vital to the process, and that the guiding principle throughout must be the commitment to reaching a destination where everyone can truly belong and where everyone can thrive.
