Top tips for ensuring greater inclusivity in the STEM space
Equality is everyone’s responsibility and here are some tips and tricks employers can make use of to ensure they are creating a diverse and welcoming workplace environment
In just a few days it will be September and school and college programmes will be up and running. Many people of all backgrounds and lifestyles will be engaging with STEM subjects, eager to learn and begin down a path that will likely lead to their future careers
But the experience won’t be the same for everyone. Despite best efforts to prevent it, factors such as gender, race, religion, colour, country of origin and able-bodiedness, often dictate a person’s professional experiences.
Careers in the STEM space are no different. So, how can employers and organisations create an ecosystem that effortlessly implements a policy of inclusivity?
Know the environment
Governments, state institutions and multi-country partnerships are by no means perfect, there will always be laws, policies and regulations that people don’t agree with. Those regulations can even negatively target certain groups of people. But there are also new regulations that govern aspects of life as a means of improving society and the employers who are keen to stay modern and inclusive need to be aware of them. An ideal example is the newEU Pay Transparency Directive, which aims to reduce pay inequality by making the sharing of information clearer and more accessible.
The EU’s 2019Work-Life Balance Directive, while it applies to all, is another policy that provides people with additional personal responsibilities, healthcare or family obligations, the chance to create some distance between home and the workplace. A strict adherence to the rules governing the rights of employees shows the workforce and potential applicants that a company takes their rights seriously.
Start at the beginning
If you want to hire more inclusively, but find that the talent pool is not representative of the wider world and its workforce, then the solution is not to simply accept the talent pool as it is. True inclusivity means getting involved in the STEM community long before you develop your teams. Companies have an obligation to shape the landscape by creatingSTEM programmes targeting childrenand under-represented ormarginalised groups, so they know what is possible for them to achieve and that a profession in STEM is not outside the realm of possibility.
This doesn’t mean that companies need to funnel excessive funds or reas simple as giving established employees the opportunity to take a few hours out of their day a couple of times a year, to share their experiences with others through schools, after-school programmes and post-secondary educational opportunities. It is a great way to show a young person what they might need for a career in STEM.
See the whole picture
Not everyone is granted the same opportunities in life despite having similar interests, hobbies or aptitude. While more and more organisations are becoming less concerned about how a person obtained their skills and are more focused on the fact that they have the skills, not every company is leaning that way.
There are multiple reasons as to why an individual may not have a traditional STEM-based third-level education, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified. Micro-credentials, online courses and other forms of self-learning can give studentsall of the education they requirefor an entry-level position. The organisations looking to be a beacon of inclusivity should consider how they recruit, the barriers preventing some applicants and whether reducing the available talent pool to the ‘typical few’, is in the best interests of the business or the wider community.
Walk the walk
Many organisations within the technology sector in particular, create and empower systems that assist people with disabilities to live their lives with greater ease. But it shouldn’t only be in our personal lives that the technologies we use are assistive. To ensure that a business has a diverse workforce the tech, systems and furniture being used day to day must be designed with everyone in mind. That could mean computers with added visual and audio features, adjustable seats and tables, areas with changeable lighting and inclusive safety elements, among others. There is no such thing as a universal design and the organisations that are serious about hiring inclusively are the ones who don’t prescribe to a‘standard’ workplace layoutas a rule.
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working life, diversity, skills, education, equality
