Policy and Guidance

Below we publish an excerpt from BR-UK’s general guidance related to equality, diversity, inclusion and intersectionality.

Purpose

The purpose of our Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Intersectionality policy is to create inclusive and equitable workplaces and practices that treat people equitably, make them feel included and that consists of groups of people who ideally come from the diversity of groups in society. They also give some indication of how we should interact with members of public, stakeholders, research participants, and advisors who are concerned with our research. EDII needs to be embedded throughout our systems, culture and processes. All of us are responsible for setting the tone and culture of BR-UK and our projects in ways that are inclusive and sympathetic.

For the policy to be vibrant and dynamic, rather than simply represented on paper and given token attention, we encourage everyone within BR-UK to be familiar with our approach to EDII and feel committed to it. Since commitment is unlikely to be built unless we create an understanding of why it matters, and why the ongoing effort it requires is worthwhile, our guidance document is designed to indicate areas to consider in our general day to day activities and the potential ways we might address EDII issues and challenges as they arise. 

Responsibility

BR-UK recommends that everyone accepts their responsibility to:

  1. Think proactively about barriers and challenges that make it difficult to implement EDII policies
  2. Identify actions that can be taken to apply EDII principles effectively and meaningfully
  3. Identify ways to appropriately evaluate outcomes and impact (such as identifying metrics for success)
  4. Engage with opportunities to maximise the impact of EDII and remove barriers to implementation
  5. Review and revise work plans to ensure EDII principles are incorporated in all aspects of our work – including research and operational activities – whether currently under way, in planning, or in dissemination of completed work
  6. Implement, revise and learn from successes and failures. This approach allows BR-UK to learn what does (or does not) work, for whom, and in what contexts or situations and will help develop a robust evidence base about diversity and intersectional inclusion
  7. Share learnings with others both internally and externally.

General Guidance

Below we outline some of the actions we propose to take.  Details of our full list of recommended considerations and steps are outlined in our EDII Policy and Guidance Framework which includes all of our EDII documents including a specific guide outlining approaches to inclusive communication. We welcome feedback on our EDII documents and approaches.  If you would like to share feedback or thoughts on potential gaps in our approach, we would be glad to hear from you.  Share your thoughts via email to enquiries[@]br-uk.ac.uk. 

 

Measure, Review & Refine

In order to measure our progress and identify areas for improvement we will:

  • Benchmark our progress against other institutions/projects of similar scale and funding in order to share learning
  • Network with others to maintain current knowledge of best practices
  • Encourage feedback and input to the EDII policy  
  • Review the policy to ensure it remains fir for purpose to ensure BR-UK is an inclusive and safe space for all team members and welcoming to different publics and stakeholders
  • Actively consider which groups are systematically and historically absent from projects or BR-UK activities and consider how to proactively include them in future
  • Regularly review our membership to ensure diverse representation.

People

We will ensure all new team members are familiar with BR-UK’s approach to EDII and policies including the BR-UK Code of Conduct and Position Statement on EDII. Additionally we will:

  • Encourage all team members to complete EDI(I) training provided by their employer in addition to any training and information provided by BR-UK
  • Include EDII objectives in personal development plans
  • Ensure that BR-UK and individual projects contribute to capacity building and do so in an inclusive way
  • Recognise that whilst team members may work flexible or variable hours, this should not encourage others to respond to work communications or requests outside of their agreed working hours.

Research and Other Activities

Wherever feasible and appropriate we will:

  • Adopt and implement open science principles to share our approaches and outputs widely [See our Open Science Framework profile]
  • Acknowledge any limitations within studies or the reasons for not sharing research (such as where the data may inadvertently identify people in qualitative research)
  • Consciously consider sampling and recruitment processes for research participants to ensure a wide range of diverse participants are included. 

When promoting/organising events, we will:

  • Ensure to emphasise that everyone is welcome
  • Consider accessibility needs with respect to travel, venues and enabling active engagement in meetings
  • Encourage the inclusion of pronouns in documents, name badges, presentations etc (where people are comfortable with it)
  • Consider the travel options and costs associated with attending the meeting – recognising that the most sustainable, may not be the most appropriate.

Communicating

When sharing or promoting our research or activities we will:

  • Ensure that any promotional material, social media or website content includes images that represent diverse individuals or groups, uses inclusive language, and is provided to diverse groups.
  • Subject all documents, publications, presentations and other materials to an accessibility check prior to publication to remove any barriers to access to information
  • Identify and make use of diverse communication channels and networks including those targeting underrepresented groups, people who are neurodiverse, living with mental health conditions or other disabilities.
  • Ensure the BR-UK website is compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.

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