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SOCIAL EQUALITY


Addressing social inequality, diversity and mental health were important themes at the Confederation for British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference in London at the end of 2019. Marianne Curphey reports back on panellists’ views and advice.


added, but acknowledged that there is still more work to do, as the executive team is still male-dominated. “You get a better result with a diverse team that reflects the society where you operate.” He said that BP had not set targets, but had set goals instead,


as that was a better approach. In the company as a whole, two- thirds of the employees are male. By 2020 he aims to have 25 per cent of the top leadership female, but “we need to hire people disproportionately in order to get there”.


ARE MINORITIES PROPERLY REPRESENTED? Ruth Harrison, UK MD at ThoughtWorks, said companies need to ask whether women and minorities were well represented throughout the company. “Do they feel a sense of belonging?” she asked. “Do they feel comfortable in your organisation? It is not just about the board – this is across all layers of the organisation.” She also warned that the use of technology and big data could


herald a new form of inequality. “If the basic algorithm is built with bias, even unconscious bias, then it is just as dangerous,” she explained. It is vital that we take care to avoid bias when building technology – for example, facial recognition. Companies need to make sure their workforces are fully representative in order to avoid unconscious bias, she added.


Denise Wilson, chief executive of the Hampton-Alexander


Review into female representation in boardrooms, said it was important to de-bias systems in order to “create a really fair and equal place where people can thrive. We need to start changing the language around how we think of a leader. Leaders can be 5ft and Asian and female.” She added that everyone in the workplace has his or her part to


play. “The step-change we need is for everyone in the workplace to see this as their issue.” That means men calling out inappropriate behaviour from other men, not tolerating ‘banter’, which people find offensive, and modelling inclusive behaviour. “It’s about creating a workplace where everybody fits,” she said. “Age, disability, LGBT and ethnicity are all big issues.”


SUPPORTING EMPLOYEE WELLBEING Another big theme for companies is how they can support the wellbeing of their employees – and that includes taking steps to promote good mental health at work. Alastair Campbell, the former No 10 director of communications under Tony Blair, challenged bosses at the CBI conference to employ people who are open about their own mental health challenges. He said that if employers were deciding whether or not to





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