Diversity and inclusion are essential to enable all individuals to realise their potential and to ensure that employers access and capitalise on all available talent, avoiding ‘group think’ by adding a wider spectrum of ideas.
Introduction
Following the sixth IMA Employers’ Forum, which took place in 2017, the IMA’s Professional Affairs Committee has been reflecting on the learning and output from the event. The Employers’ Forum was hosted by EDF Energy in Gloucestershire, and over sixty people (predominantly mathematicians) attended to hear a variety of inspirational speakers and to discuss the topic of Diversity, Inclusivity and Employability.
So what does diversity and inclusion mean? And what did we learn from our inspirational speakers, and each other, on the day?
What is Diversity and Inclusion?
Diversity is any characteristic that can be used to differentiate groups or individuals from one another. In a nutshell, it’s about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin.1
Inclusion refers to organisational efforts and practices in which differences are culturally and socially accepted and welcomed, and people are treated equally. These could be differences such as the protected characteristics1 or they could be things such as educational background, training, sector experience, organisational tenure, even personality, such as introverts and extroverts. It is about accepting differences, appreciating what those differences can bring to a situation, and ensuring opportunities are open to all.
In simple terms, diversity is the mix and inclusion is getting the mix to work well together.
Why is it important?
Not only is diversity and inclusion quite simply the right thing to do, but it is also good for business. When employees feel involved, respected and connected, employers can tap into a greater richness of ideas and problem-solving approaches. This also helps companies to respond effectively to customers, attract and retain high performing employees, empower teams to collaborate, raise productivity, future-proof their businesses, and, ultimately, deliver sustainable growth.
Problem Statement
Times are changing and the STEM ‘leaky’ pipeline means that if companies fail to attract and retain a diverse workforce then they are severely limiting their access to STEM skills.
Companies need to be aware of the statistics, for example:
- 1 in 4 secondary school pupils and 1 in 3 primary school pupils are from a BAME background.
- 1 in 4 people will experience mental ill health in any given year.
- 15 million people in England have a long-term condition for which there is no cure.
However, it is hard to attract a diverse workforce when a company is not diverse in the first place. In particular, we are all prone to ‘unconscious bias’. The brain uses shortcuts to speed up decision-making and unconscious bias may be a result of our brains making incredibly quick judgements and assessments of people without us realising it. So we need to be aware of it and not fall into the trap.
What’s this all got to do with maths?
Some companies struggle to see the benefits of employing mathematicians – although many may already employ mathematicians in roles with other titles! We bring diversity through another perspective to problem solving, but as mathematicians we must be prepared to evolve – spot opportunities and gaps, and always be ready to adapt and enhance our skills.
What does the IMA do to support diversity and inclusion?
- The IMA, working with EDF Energy, ran the November 2017 Employers’ Forum on Diversity, Inclusivity and Employability.
- The IMA has signed up to the Science Council Declaration on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.
- The IMA are committed to communications to its membership and beyond, including the article on the Employers’ Forum in Mathematics Today and a piece by James Cody on his experiences as an Autistic Engineer.
- The IMA publishes its Diversity Statements on its website: ima.org.uk/about-us/diversity-statements/
- Mathematics Matters case studies and the Maths Careers website showcase the diversity of careers in mathematics.
- By providing conferences, publications, Chartership and Continuing Professional Development, the IMA continues to be a home for the industrial mathematician; a place that supports them in their identity.
- The IMA engage with the next generation of mathematicians via The Big Bang and other STEM careers fairs, the Early Career Mathematicians’ Group, and the eStudent and e16plus newsletters.
What could you do now?
- Remind yourself that unconscious bias exists and that you’re probably doing it. Stop and think. Take your time over a decision. Is there evidence for your opinion? Is there evidence to the contrary? You may need to go outside of your comfort zone to do this.
- Understanding how unconscious bias can skew your views during recruitment can help you to overcome it. Ensuring clarity of process, a fair scoring system, diverse panels, removing irrelevant CV details, the transparent documenting of candidate scores and not being biased toward the last candidate seen can all help.
- Take care when producing a job advertisement not to use language that can exclude without intending to.
- Be aware of the difference between positive action and positive discrimination, as any form of discrimination is illegal. The distinction is not always ‘clear cut’ and if concerned then guidance should be sought.
- Understand that disabilities can be both visible and invisible. For example, stress, anxiety and depression can have significant impacts on productivity. Could you recognise the signs in your staff and colleagues?
- Consider whether there are inherent organisational biases within your workplace. Does your organisation tend to recruit from preferred universities, for example? Does the recruitment process stress leadership and managerial skills over technical skills? Is the recruitment process more fundamentally geared towards extroverts than introverts? Is the technical career path clear or is the main focus on the managerial career path? Can your organisation make flexible or part-time working more accessible?
- Finally, change will only happen if you take action: what will you do differently?
Lindsay Worthy CMath CSci MIMA, EDF Energy
Jenny Macey CMath CSci FIMA
IMA Professional Affairs Committee
Notes
- The UK legal framework, the Equality Act 2010, covers the following nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy & maternity, race (including ethnic or national origin, colour & nationality), religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Although personality types (e.g. introvert/extrovert) are not included, they are factors worth considering in the work place.
