Our equality objectives for 2021-2024, as part of our commitment to the public sector equality duty.
Our objectives are taken from our diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) strategy, which covers the period from 2021 to 2024.
Objective one
We will reflect the different communities in the working population and tackle under-representation at all roles and levels of our workforce.
| Target | Target date |
|---|---|
| Our regular reporting cycle is set up to further our understanding of our workforce composition, to identify changes and to analyse trends and risks. | December 2021 |
| Our representation of new staff, including secondees, from under-represented groups increases. | March 2022 |
Objective two
We will encourage the development and progression of all our staff and implement a positive action approach to provide equity of opportunity.
| Target | Target date |
|---|---|
| Our DEI training provision is assessed to enable staff to understand their responsibilities, and to recognise and address bias. This is part of our ongoing learning. | March 2022 |
| Launch of a new pilot internal mentoring scheme with a clear process is identified for staff from under-represented groups (ethnicity, initially) to be matched with coaches and mentors to support development. | January 2022 |
Objective three
We will live our values, ensuring that our behaviours enable all staff to be their true selves at work.
| Target | Target date |
|---|---|
| Record and use feedback from our networks on policy and products, to improve inclusivity and diverse opinion. | December 2021 |
| DEI survey results assessed against the 2020/21 baseline to identify improvements (the external Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation survey from the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion). | March 2022 |
Objective four
We will ensure that our processes, policies and procedures are inclusive, and that we have diverse representation on our decision-making bodies.
| Target | Target date |
|---|---|
| Diverse panels are used in all recruitment, with biographies held for panel members to help recruiting managers select panels. | December 2021 |
| Continue to develop and support the network chair membership on the senior management team meeting. | March 2022 |
Objective five
We will ensure that DEI is central to the development of our new products and services, which we will assess for equality impact. We will also systematically review and redevelop our existing products and services.
| Target | Target date |
|---|---|
| Staff identify impacts and benefits of their work on all groups of people, conducting equality impact assessments and building DEI into their development process. | March 2022 |
| Regular DEI Coordination Board identifies common areas and lessons learned, and shares expertise on internal and external inclusion work. | March 2022 |
Looking forward
With our new strategy in place, we have a clear direction for our DEI work for the next four years.
We will continue to develop and work collaboratively with our networks, making use of their expertise and feedback.
We will continue to use our workforce data to put development opportunities in place that are targeted at staff within under-represented groups, with opportunities for all staff development and discussion on inclusion issues.