Philosophical work on equality and inclusion informs Civil Service practice

How do you make workplaces more equal and inclusive? At a time of national emergency, it is important to ensure that the focus on inclusion and equality does not slip down the agenda.

Equality

How do you make workplaces more equal and inclusive? At a time of national emergency, it is important to ensure that the focus on inclusion and equality does not slip down the agenda. A team from the Department of Philosophy, with colleagues in Psychology, have been helping the Government Security Group (a branch of the Cabinet Office within the Civil Service) develop their strategy for improving equality and diversity. This involved drawing on our extensive expertise about what practices and norms to put in place to improve hiring processes, retention of staff, and working environment. Over the course of 18 months, this has resulted in changes to recruitment procedures and materials, changes in training provided, and recommendations made on how to gather data about people’s experiences in the workplace. As our project draws to a close in April 2020, we have successfully added to the tools that the civil service has available to ensure an inclusive workplace.

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