reWorked: the Workplace Inclusion Podcast

Nicole Benton, EW Group Sales Executive, speaks to Femi Otitoju, founder of Challenge Consultancy, and Jane Farrell, co-founder of EW Group, about their journeys into the DE&I industry.

Sharing their personal stories and how they bring their experiences and social identities into their work, Femi and Jane discuss what has changed in diversity and inclusion approaches and legislation during their time in the industry.

From the questionable cars in their early careers, to riding a fire engine through Pride and working with Mercedes-AMG F1, they reflect on their proudest moments and the exciting times ahead with the coming together of the two organisations, positioning them as the leading EDI consultancy in the UK with over 65 years’ combined expertise.
Follow EW Group on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in diversity and inclusion.

EW Group has worked with organisations to build more diverse and inclusive cultures for almost thirty years. Get in touch to explore how we can work with you to build safe and inclusive environments at work.

In this latest episode of our reWorked podcast, Polly Shute and Tash Thomas, EW Group Diversity & Inclusion Consultants, discuss how organisations can create authentic communications to acknowledge LGBT+ History Month in February in the UK and Pride in June.
With 2022 marking its 50th year, Tash and Polly share insights into the history of Pride as a protest, how it has evolved over the years and explore how brands can meaningfully support the LGBT+ community and Pride all year round.
Polly said: "It is important organisations remember Pride is an emotional brand and make sure they understand the history of Pride and what it actually means before creating an internal or external campaign. Discuss with your ERG networks, colleagues, communities and charities to engage with it effectively and make a positive contribution to your employees and clients."
Tash commented: “One of the challenges is some companies may not even be aware of what their staff demographics are – Out Now’s research in 2020 found only 45% of LGBT+ people in the UK feel able to be out to everyone at work. Just because they might not be visibly out and proud, doesn’t mean they don’t exist in the organisation.”
You can also download our factsheet with 10 top tips on how brands can meaningfully engage with Pride.
Follow EW Group on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in diversity and inclusion.

EW Group has worked with organisations to build more diverse and inclusive cultures for almost thirty years. Get in touch to explore how we can work with you to build safe and inclusive environments at work.

In this episode, Tash Thomas is joined by Dante Frederick, Diversity and Inclusion Partner at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the rail industry and the important DEI work GTR has been undertaking.

Exploring some of the DEI challenges facing the rail industry, Dante shares insights into the initiatives GTR has put in place to improve diversity in their workforce, from inclusive recruitment practices to appeal to a more diverse range of candidates, to developing an inclusive culture where all employees feel valued are able to be their authentic selves.

Tash and Dante discuss the lack of gender representation in particular roles in the rail force, and the success that GTR’s initiatives have yielded so far, such as a doubling in the number of female applicants applying for train driver roles and achieving a 50/50 gender split of new train driver hires.

On the benefits of diversifying the workforce, Dante comments: “It’s not just a tick box exercise. There is so much value in diversity of experience and perspective. If you have a team made up of the very top of whatever the focus is, if they are all from the same background and same perspectives, there will have the same blind spots and they will make the same mistakes. And as soon as you diversify, even a little bit, that really opens things up for creative problem solving and catching things that otherwise may not have been seen. There is tons of data that speaks to this.”

Tash and Dante also explore the benefits of employee resource groups (ERGs) and share tips for successfully setting them up and how to take account of intersectionality in your approach to ERGs. They also discuss the importance of collecting diversity data and how this can help inform business decisions, but also the sensitivities many may feel sharing data on their protected characteristics.

Follow Govia Thameslink Railway on LinkedIn.

Follow EW Group on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in DEI or get in touch to find out how we can help you build a more inclusive workplace.

In this episode, Rachael Wilson is joined by Lateesha Osbourne to discuss her pHD research into black students’ sense of identity and belonging within higher education.

Lateesha is a psychologist who applies a DEI lens to her work and in particular has significant expertise in race equality. She has worked with EW and Challenge since 2015 when she joined our team as Training and Business Development Officer and, after being away for a little while studying for her doctorate, is now back as a consultant working on a range of innovative client projects.

Lateesha explains the findings from her research which included gathering insights through focus groups with Black students on their experiences of racism. Lateesha analysed how experiences of racism affected the students’ sense of identity and belonging, and the strategies that they adopted to navigate the campus culture. Her findings provide us with a microcosm of other institutions and workplaces and an insight into the experiences of minority groups.

Rachael and Lateesha discuss how these findings can be used to inform the ways in which we go about breaking down workplace barriers to inclusion and belonging. They discuss how creating a culture where employees feel able to speak up is crucial to employees’ wellbeing, progression and performance.

Follow Lateesha Osbourne on LinkedIn or Twitter to keep up-to-date with her latest news and work.

Follow EW Group and Challenge Consultancy on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in diversity and inclusion or get in touch to find out how we can help you build a more inclusive workplace.

How do you engage those groups who don’t consider themselves ‘diverse’ in the diversity conversation? This is one challenge our clients all have in common at EW. During the pandemic, many of us have been working from home, some juggling childcare and homelife between partners in a way we had not done before. In some cases, fathers have spent more time with their children. They’ve been there for bath time instead of on a commuter train. And they’ve experienced first-hand how flexible working can enrich their lives.

As Elliot told us when he visited the EW podcast, now is the time for organisations to consider better supporting the fathers in their workplace. The benefits are tangible and measurable: from talent retention to productivity.

Elliot and Rachael also discuss the intersection of fatherhood with race, disability and sexuality. Elliott speaks candidly about the emotional labour of being a black man in the diversity field.

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Follow EW Group on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in diversity and inclusion.

EW Group has worked with organisations to build more diverse and inclusive cultures for almost thirty years. Get in touch to explore how we can work with you to build safe and inclusive environments at work.