What we do

The team

Equity, Inclusion and Wellbeing

Dr Jo Bishton is Head of Equity, Inclusion and Wellbeing (EIW) and is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Inclusion and Wellbeing agendas, working with key stakeholders from across the University to provide organisational impact. The Inclusion Strategy is underpinned by a philosophy that seeks to give employees a felt, lived, valued and inclusive experience where people feel they have purpose, place, choice and belonging. The Inclusion strategy is overseen by the Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Committee.

 Equity, Inclusion and Wellbeing is delivered by a team of Talent, Culture and Inclusion (TCI) specialists, who collaborate with academics, professional services, student groups and the Union of Students to identify initiatives and embed and distribute accountability for inclusion throughout the University.

EIW is Located within a team called Talent, Culture and Inclusion (TCI), and sits within the Directorate of People Experience and Culture (PEC).

Employee Engagement Networks

The University has several employee engagement networks. The networks offer a collaborative space to work with the University on inclusion and wellbeing issues and provide advice on equality impact assessments. We offer network chairs and members a bespoke development programme to facilitate peer-to-peer support. 

• LGBT+ Equity Network
• Race Equity Network 
• Women's Equity Network
• Disability and Wellbeing Network
• Faith and Belief Network 
• Aurora 

The University also participates in external equality-related networks and projects associated with LGBT+ equity, faith friendly equity, interfaith dialogue with the Multi-Faith Centre, menopause equity and hate crime awareness.

Chaplaincy

The University offers pastoral support through the chaplaincy service. Based across all campus sites and the Multi-Faith Centre.

Learning and Development 

We have a busy diversity calendar of activity taking place throughout the year. We raise awareness of inclusion and wellbeing by marking key international and national days and engaging in whole history months. We take a blended approach to the way that we offer learning and development opportunities, using online modules, face-to-face workshops, and self-guided study.

Role Models and Allies

We aim to normalise conversations around inclusion and support by enabling role models and allies to step forward and share their lived experience and/ or support. Our Role models and allies have a bespoke development programme to facilitate this. 

Equality Impact Assessment

The University undertakes equality impact assessments on all its activity, including policies, procedures, guidelines, plans, projects, strategies, and key business decisions. Our EIW data informs all of the decisions we take.

Diversity in recruitment

We aim to provide an inclusive recruitment experience and seek to reduce any barriers to employment. Our recruitment practice strives to be sector-leading, and we have led the way being:

• The first University to sign up to 'Ban the Box' - a campaign to increase opportunities for people with convictions to compete for jobs
• Introducing anonymised shortlisting to reduce unconscious bias during the selection process
• Using gender-neutral copy in our job advertisements 
• Introducing inclusive language training for our recruitment team

Wellbeing

We take an holistic approach to wellbeing recognises an intrinsic link between the fields of Inclusion and Wellbeing. We have a defined Wellbeing Framework that is orientated around 8 pillars: emotional, physical, spiritual, occupational, social, environmental, digital, and financial and supports the delivery of wellbeing activity throughout the year. 

Monitoring and Reporting

We annually report the diversity profile of our employees and students as part of our Public Sector Equality Duty. We are required to publish our gender pay gap information each March, and we also voluntarily report on ethnicity and disability. 

We use our equality data to monitor our progress against our various inclusion and wellbeing-related action plans.