Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at Work: Drivers, Initiatives, and the Future

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (relating to concerns such as age, disability, marital status/civil partnership, maternity/pregnancy, race, religion/belief, sex, sexual orientation, and transgender status; henceforward EDI) are moving up on the agenda of organisations. Even so, inequality, discrimination, and unfair treatment still exist in the workplace (Greene & Kirton, 2010). This poses a particular challenge to public sector organisations which must now, as a result of new legislation, have 'due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations' (Equality Act 2010). This is also relevant to organisations in the private sector which in recent years have become more concerned with embedding EDI in the workplace, be it in the hope of harnessing EDI for organisational effectiveness and innovation or simply to avoid costs and damaged reputation resulting from lost discrimination lawsuits (Ely & Thomas, 2001).

Factors impeding the successful implementation of EDI initiatives in the workplace are manifold. Research suggests that progress has been slow because there is little critical reflection about what drives these initiatives, overlooking that the key actors, such as employers, equality bodies, unions, and disadvantaged demographic groups, often have different standpoints and influence in shaping the agenda on EDI at work (Greene & Kirton, 2010; Noon, 2007; Özbilgin & Tatli, 2011). Other research points to inclusive findings across studies assessing the effectiveness of EDI initiatives (Avery & McKay, 2010; Guillaume et al., 2013; King et al., 2010, van Knippenberg et al., 2013). Moreover, there is evidence that what works in one context (e.g., country, industry, organisational type) and at a particular level (e.g., individual, team, and organisation) might not in another (Joshi et al., 2011).

Adopting a mixed-method approach and scrutinising a novel multi-level framework which integrates knowledge drawn from Work and Organisational Psychologists, Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, and other social sciences and humanities in innovative ways (Guillaume et al., 2014), the seminar series will give voice to the key actors in the field of EDI at work and offer a platform for critical exploration of their standpoints and rigorous investigation into the conditions of and reasons for success and failure of EDI initiatives in the workplace at different levels of analysis and across a range of settings. In line with this framework and the extant literature on EDI at work (King et al., 2012; Nishii & Mayer, 2009; Shen et al., 2009; Özbilgin & Tatli, 2011; Otaye, 2013; Shore et al., 2011), the seminar series will critically reflect about the drivers of EDI initiatives at work, such as the legal, moral, and business case and their implications for embedding EDI at work (Seminar 1). There will also be a rigorous investigation into the role of organisational strategy, policies, climate, culture (Seminar 2), EDI practices, such as selection, assessment, pay, promotion, and training (Seminar 3), and leadership (Seminar 4) in embedding EDI in the workplace. Moreover, methods to evaluate the impact of these initiatives will be critically explored (Seminar 5). Future trends and challenges as well as ways forward to address these will also be identified by instigating a dialogue with and between the key actors in the field of EDI at work during an 'unconference', an innovative format where the participants set the agenda (Seminar 6), and a panel discussion with 'Question Time' (Seminar 7).

We intend to disseminate the results of the seminar series in high impact publications, facilitate the development of early career researchers, apply for further national and European funding, and build a network of EDI specialists that exchanges and co-produces impactful knowledge and solutions in the field of EDI at work.

Beneficiaries and Users

Beneficiaries will be key actors in the field of EDI at work, such as statutory equality bodies, public and private sector organisations, trade unions, and disadvantaged demographic groups (Özbilgin & Tatli, 2011) as well as society at large.

The need for the seminar series grows out of the on-going debate between key actors in the field of EDI (Guillaume et al., 2013, 2014; Özbilgin & Tatli, 2011) and was echoed in a series of events in which the PI and CIs as well as the collaboration partner of this proposal have been involved over the last couple of months. These events included for instance two workshops as part of the launch of a Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology special issue on 'Getting diversity at work to work' that were sponsored by the Diversity and Inclusion at Work Group of the Division of Occupational Psychology of the British Psychological Society and Aston University, a one day workshop on diversity in football hosted by Kick It Out and The Work Foundation (TWF), and a roundtable discussion on the challenges and areas of good practice in EDI management organised by TWF. Participants were practitioners, representatives, and senior leaders from a broad range of public and private sector organisations, professional statutory equality bodies, trade unions, and consultancies such as:

Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Justice
House of Commons
College of Policing
NHS Employers
The NHS Leadership Academy
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Barclays
Nestle
Hewlett-Packard
Leadership Foundation for Higher Education
Equality Change Unit
Kick it Out

(See letter of support from TWF for more)

They all expressed a strong interest in critically reflecting about the drivers (legal, moral, and business case) for EDI, learning more about EDI initiatives that work and embedding them in the workplace, co-producing knowledge and solutions in this area, informing and shaping policymaking and future legislation, and any further activities by an 'EDI at work network'.

While all key actors in the field of EDI in the UK and beyond are likely to profit from the seminar series through the dissemination of findings in publications and the access to discussions and material posted on a dedicated website, it will be in particular the participants of our earlier events who strongly informed the proposed topics of the seminars and those attending that will benefit most directly.

Impact

Key actors in the field of EDI will profit directly from the series by gaining a deeper understanding of the drivers of EDI (e.g. legislation, economic, and moral concerns) and the motivations of the key actors in the field, and learn about the effectiveness of a wide range of EDI initiatives, how to measure their impact, and how to embed them successfully in the workplace. They will further get the opportunity to discuss current challenges and future trends, share good practices, network, and take part in the co-production of new knowledge and solutions.

In line with recent research, we expect that a more indirect outcome of the series will be the creation of more inclusive and fair working environments with better social relations between actors in organisations through the more effective embedding of EDI in the workplace (Guillaume et al., 2013, 2014). This research further suggests that this might not only lead to a further reduction of discrimination against and more inclusion of disadvantaged groups across all levels of the organisational hierarchy, but also to greater social cohesion in the workplace and beyond, and facilitate innovation and organisational effectiveness.

The seminar series further intends to inform and shape policymaking and future legislation by offering a platform to all key actors in the field of EDI to critically reflect about the key drivers of EDI, identify future challenges and trends, and debate innovative ways forward (Özbilgin & Tatli, 2011).