Fostering Inclusive Workplaces | Racial Equality Panel Series

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► Speakers

● Prof Heidi Safia Mirza, Emeritus Professor at UCL Institute of Education; Visiting Professor of Race, Faith, and Culture
● Dr Zaza Johnson Elsheikh, Chair of Counter-Terrorism Advisory Group; Panel Member at CMDS (Commercial and Medical Dispute Solutions) and the Founder of Converge and Belief in Mediation and Arbitration
● Jeevantika Lingalwar, Partner Technology Strategist for Microsoft; Founder and President of International Women in Tech Ireland and Founder of India Ireland Connect
● Trisha Webbe, Assistant Director of East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
● Celina Mfuko, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at NHS England Diversity and Inclusion Manager at ENH Tech; Research Manager at St Bartholomew’s Hospital
● Hannah Lowe, Dialogue Society

► Abstract

Terms such as “diversity” and “inclusion” have dominated discussions on how it is best to shape our workforce in our multicultural British context.

Being merely diverse is not enough, in an integrated workforce the expectation that microaggressions (a term used to describe daily verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities towards a race group) be identified and tackled is key to the development of an inclusive workplace.

A workforce in which individual and group differences are valued and perspectives embraced would be titled an inclusive environment. In this environment, talent and innovation are projected to flourish, with research suggesting if black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals were in an inclusive working environment, in which their contributions mattered and abilities fostered to achieve their full potential, an additional £24 billion would be gained to the economy.

In addressing perceived vote-yielding tactics of a fallacy of an inclusive workplace, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson famously stated, “inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.” This growth can be observed as a marker of both economic growth and integration. Our working life is the bedrock of our society, if dominated by prejudice and violations of rights of equality we can start to see a crumbling in other areas of our society.

The panel will therefore address the following questions:

● What is an “inclusive workplace” and why is it needed?
● What are the current lived realities in the UK?
● How can such an environment be fostered?

About Dialogue Society

The Dialogue Society is a registered charity (Registered Charity Number: 1117039), established in London in 1999, with the aim of advancing social cohesion by connecting communities, empowering people to engage and contributing to the development of ideas on dialogue and community building. The Dialogue Society is not a religious or ethnic organisation. It aims to facilitate dialogue on a whole range of social issues, regardless of any particular faith or religion. It stands for democracy, human rights, the non-instrumentalisation of religion in politics, equality, and freedom of speech.