Black History Month is celebrated this month in the UK. At MMCS we wanted to provide some information to educate people about the lived experience of the UK Black community and to celebrate those making a positive change.

She Leads For Legacy – Sharon Amesu, along with her daughter Afiya, have established She Leads For Legacy; a community of individuals and organisations working together to reduce the barriers faced by Black female professionals aspiring for senior leadership and board level positions.

They provide training, peer support and networks to promote racial and gender equality in the workplace, and to amplify the voices of Black Female leaders, and aspiring leaders, who are fostering positive change in their organisations. They work with companies that look to drive change and support black women and their career development.

More information can be found at www.sheleadsforlegacy.com

Pan African Congress, 1945, Manchester – On the 15-20 October 1945, the Pan African Congress took place in Manchester. The 1945 Congress was the most significant politically, coming as it did just months after the end of the Second World War. The war had been fought in the name of freedom, yet around the globe hundreds of millions of people lived in colonies run by Britain, France, Holland and other European powers. A talk about Len Johnson, a boxer and activist who attended the Congress, forms part of Black History Month’s events calendar, more information can be found here.

Black History Month is now an established part of the year. Let’s celebrate its success, by David Olusoga for the Guardian – British historian and author David Olusoga writes about Black History Month in a year that has seen more awareness of the lived experiences of the Black community than ever before.

Janet’s List – Founded by Janet Oganah, Janet’s List is a retail platform that promotes independent businesses owned by Black women and women of colour in the UK. In addition to the online store, Janet also provides training courses on how to set up a business, and with Adonica Simmons, co-hosts the “Making Money Moves” Podcast.

MM Creative Solutions’ director, Monica Mwanje, is offering confidential one-to-one inclusion and diversity strategy sessions.  A limited number of 60-minute sessions will be available on selected dates throughout October.

This focused one-to-one session is for those responsible for diversity and inclusion in their organisation.

How does the session work?

The strategy session will provide a sounding board for you to ask questions and test your understanding and ideas in complete confidence. The session will help you to figure out how and where to get started with respect to your inclusion and diversity workplace strategy, or it will help you identify next steps if your journey has already commenced.

Benefits of Inclusive Workplaces

Not only will fostering an inclusive workplace allow for a fairer, more equal work environment for all, it also has much wider benefits to organisations. In a 2018 Deloitte study, organisations with inclusive work cultures are:

• TWICE as likely to meet or exceed financial targets
• THREE TIMES as likely to be high-performing
• SIX TIMES more likely to be innovative and agile
• EIGHT TIMES more likely to achieve better business outcomes

Book your strategy session by clicking the link here.

Read more about workplace inclusion in our resource lists for National Inclusion Week:

Part one

Part two

Part three

As National Inclusion Week draws to a close, we share the final part of resources and information on the subject of inclusion in the workplace.

How to prepare for ethnicity wage gap reporting, by Charlotte Moorhouse for People Management – This article lays out the steps to take when starting the process of ethnicity pay gap reporting, currently not a requirement by large companies but may change in future. “While there are various challenges for employers to consider, fundamentally, ethnicity pay gap reporting will highlight many of the issues that, as a society, we know need to be addressed so that change can happen.”

Inclusion Starts With I, by Accenture – this video, as part of Accenture’s commitment to Inclusion and Diversity, neatly summarises that bias can appear in both expected and unexpected ways, and the importance of an inclusive work environment.

Inclusive Diversity: The Gamechanger, by Toni Carter –Toni Carter, Inclusion and Diversity Strategy Director for Idaho National Laboratory, shares her experiences in having conversations about Inclusion and Diversity, and how a change in language allowed for these conversations to be more productive.

Dialogue over inclusion needs to go beyond 4 October, by Lauren Mason for Investment Week – This article, whilst aimed at the investment banking sector (and highlights some fantastic initiatives within the industry), serves as a pertinent message to all industries to carry on the conversation of workplace inclusion beyond this week.

MMCS will be hosting a webinar in the run-up to World Mental Health Day (on Saturday, 10^th October 2020), following our previous webinar, “Increasing productivity and maximising wellbeing whilst working from home”. Our guest speaker Shazney Spence will share her expertise to help you manage your mental health at work. After over six months of lockdown and remote working due to the Coronavirus, we want to provide tips and tools to aid your wellbeing.

The “Creating a Mentally Healthy Work Environment in Uncertain Times” webinar takes place on Wednesday, 7^th October between 12.00-13.00 BST. A limited number of places are available.

This webinar will cover:

• Effects of the pandemic on mental health
• How to recognise low mood
• How to recognise depression
• Incorporating routines and habits to support mental and emotional stability and balance
• Where to find support
• Mindset – how to shift from negative to positive self-talk

We are once again pleased to host this webinar with Shazney Spence; coach, corporate consultant and mental health advocate experienced in coaching individuals and groups on the subject of mental health. She has also provided extensive coaching and support to remote working teams.

The webinar is FREE TO ATTEND and you can book by clicking here.

Find out more about Shazney’s work by visiting her website: https://shazneyspence.com/

As part of National inclusion week, MMCS continues to provide important resources and information to assist you in fostering and contributing to a more inclusive workplace.

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace – this brilliant video by DuPont (one of the world’s largest chemical companies) efficiently summarises what everyone in the workplace can do to encourage more inclusive working.

4 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Disability-Inclusion Practices, by Ted Kennedy, Jr. , Chad Jerdee and Laurie Henneborn for Harvard Business Review – Companies “see hiring (some) persons with disabilities as being “the right thing to do” but do not see it as part of a talent strategy that will benefit the company and outweigh what they see as the potential expenses and risk… That mindset puts companies at a disadvantage when it comes to acquiring and leveraging the talent they need in today’s tight job market.” This article highlights actions companies can take to increase disability inclusion.

Risha Grant on working to Promote Diversity & Inclusion, by Marie-Claire Chappet for Glamour – Diversity and Inclusion expert Risha Grant shares her story and provides three key action points to address personal and organisational biases. “Risha travels across the country to consult on inclusion in huge companies and corporations. Her findings have been fascinating, namely that no workplace has an “inclusion” or diversity problem; it’s a ‘people’ problem.”

Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace: ‘A safety issue’, by Kevin Druley for Safety and Health Magazine – This excellent article presents the evidence that diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace – specifically lack thereof – can have some devastating side effects for racially underrepresented groups of employees. It emphasises they psychosocial safety is as paramount as physical safety in the workplace.

Pull Up for Change Campaign, by Sharon Chuter on Instagram – This Instagram campaign targets huge corporations, asking them to share their diversity data (in particular diversity data of their Management team or C-Suite staff) to the public. Not only have several large companies shared this data, but they have also laid out clear plans to increase recruitment and retention within underrepresented groups as a result of the campaign.

This week marks National Inclusion week, so throughout the week we will be sharing resources and information that will hopefully help you to create a more inclusive workplace.

Software company SAP will bring out a series of podcasts that shed some light for organisations on how to create a diversity and inclusion programme to foster neurodiversity and create inclusive spaces for those on the autism spectrum. It starts on 6^th October and you can find more details here.

Stonewall UK has a huge wealth of resources and information on their website that help employers foster an inclusive work environment for the LGBTQ+ community. This includes reports and info on legislation plus several webinars. Find out more here.

Giselle Defares writes in The Next Web about fostering and maintaining an inclusive work culture when your staff are working remotely. Read more here.

Attorney and Consultant Tiffany Alvoid provides training to organisations on the topic of microagressions; a term used for brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults toward any group. Watch her 2019 TED talk, Eliminating Microaggressions: The Next Level of Inclusion.

Leyla Okhai’s Diverse Minds Podcast is a fantastic resource. Leyla is a coach, mediator, inclusion and wellbeing practitioner, and the former head of Imperial College’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre. An episode from 2019, Celebrating National Inclusion week (and why it matters at work), is a great place to start.

Next week MMCS will be celebrating National Inclusion Week, as well as Black History Month, which starts on Thursday 1^st October.

National Inclusion Week was established by Inclusive Employers, the first and leading membership organisation for employers who want to build inclusive workplaces: places where all employees are valued and contribute towards the success of the organisation. Together with their members, they are driving the inclusion momentum. Find out how you can get involved with National Inclusion week here.

Established in the UK in 1987, Black History Month celebrates the heritage of, and the contributions made by the Black community in the UK. It is a global celebration with more awareness year after year. The Black History Month website holds a huge wealth of resources; the highlights page is a great place to start, as well as information on their Resource Pack.

Starting from next week, we will be honouring both events with a series of resource lists and information to inform and educate on the issues and challenges they were established to highlight.

To keep up to date, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Earlier this month, MMCS MD Monica Mwanje delivered a webinar for TotalDecom with her Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nuclear co-founder, Callum Thomas (CEO of Thomas Thor).

The webinar served as an introduction to the initiative but also to offer some of the insights that Monica and Callum have gathered since it began.

They both shared some of the common subject areas and challenges that have been raised by participants of both the LinkedIn group and the two conferences that the initiative has led so far.

Recruitment and retention had been regularly raised as a key challenge and Callum highlighted that retention was the best measure of inclusion and to achieve this, a culture of inclusion must be as engrained within the nuclear industry as safety culture has been. It is also important to invest time and resources to implement a culture of true inclusion, and not one of assimilation. Echoing Callum, Monica pointed out the importance of psychological safety as an enabler for inclusion.

Monica highlighted that Mentoring and Reverse Mentoring programmes were an effective way to develop and maintain an inclusive culture. However, it is necessary to recognise when active sponsorship of those from underrepresented groups within the industry is required. This ensures that they are not overlooked for the development opportunities that they deserve to aid their progression within their organisation.

You watch the entire webinar, which included a Q&A Session with Monica and Callum, via the TotalDecom website.

You can read more about Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nuclear here.

In recent months, MM Creative Solutions’ founder, Monica Mwanje, has received lots of questions on the topics of: anti-racism, workplace culture, inclusion and diversity. Back in June 2020, she created a news post to direct to articles she had previously written on these topics, and also to direct to some other resources, which you can read here.

The conversation around diversity, inclusion, and particularly anti-racism continues, as it justifiably needs to. So here are some additional articles and resources to inform and educate on these subjects. We hope these are useful to you.

How to ensure your workplace is anti-racist, By Claudine Charles and Geoffrey Williams for People Management – This article explains that company HR departments must play a proactive role in eliminating racism, inappropriate behaviours, injustice and unconscious bias from the workplace, and the steps to take to achieve this.

5 moves that actually increase diversity, equity and inclusion, by Matt Martin for Chief Learning Officer – Another article which provides practical approaches to reduce discrimination and bias.

Edinburgh TV Festival MacTaggart Lecture 2020 (video) – Delivered by Broadcaster, Historian, and Author of “Black and British: A Forgotten History”, David Olusoga talks about his experiences in the UK television industry and his hopes for a more diverse and inclusive industry in the future. You can also read the full transcript here.

Reopening UK offices risks excluding women and minorities, says business chief, by Alexandra Topping for The Guardian – This report details that Chartered Management Institute (CMI) chief executive, Ann Francke warns of women and minority ethnic employees possibly being excluded from returning to work and contributing to key business decisions due to childcare commitments.

A call for antiracist action and accountability in the US nuclear community, by Katlyn M. Turner, Lauren J. Borja, Denia Djokić, Madicken Munk, Aditi Verma for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – This statement addresses a number of discriminatory actions and overt racism by the US Nuclear industry throughout its history and urges its community to do the work to become actively anti-racist.

Most white people don’t believe racial discrimination exists at their workplace, but nearly half of Black employees disagree, by Andrew Keshner for Market Watch (US) – this article clearly sets out the disconnect that still exists between the workplace experience for black employees and that of their white colleagues.

My Racial Discrimination Journey, by Ateh Jewel for Glamour UK – Ateh writes about her experiences growing up, her career as a beauty journalist in the UK and the discrimination she has faced.

Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nuclear Conference 2020 Keynote Speech (video), by Caerus CEO Frank Douglas – Even if you are not part of the UK Nuclear industry, Frank delivers an interesting and insightful speech on his hopes of improving Diversity and Inclusion in an industry that recognises that work still needs to be done to achieve this.

Since the start of the company in 2015, MMCS has focused on providing consultancy services in the areas of business development, bid writing, bid management and independent peer reviews. We have also provided a number of successful bid training sessions and bootcamps, as well as delivering this training in-house to our clients.

Recently, our business has evolved and we now include consultancy and training services on the subject of inclusion in the workplace.

As a result, our website will start to evolve and showcase our Inclusion Services as an integral part of our core service offerings.

In summary, our Inclusion Services consist of:

Consultancy – We work in close collaboration with you to examine your business from a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) viewpoint, and formulate practical approaches to ensure you have a D&I strategy that works for your company and all of its employees

Reviews – This can include in-house focus groups and workshops where open and honest discussion is encouraged, to determine whether your company D&I strategy is really effective.

Training – We have already conducted some successful training sessions on Diversity and Inclusion and will continue to offer this via online means for the time being, but we will explore additional training delivery formats in the coming months. So, watch this space!

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