Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and all its Glory!
Nikki Wyatt is our ED&I Lead at STC INSISO. In this blog, she expresses her passion for the subject and gives an overview of STC INSISO's innovative ED&I programme, iCare.
3 mins
Nikki's Background
As the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Lead at STC INSISO, it’s an honour and a privilege to work with so many different colleagues that hail from all over the UK and around the globe!
We live in a multicultural society and embracing the values of various cultures only strengthens our understanding and appreciation of the world, as well as the people in it.
I’m lucky enough to be from the extremely multicultural city of Liverpool, a port city famous for mass immigration – and proud of it we are! Hospitality and friendliness are in our blood and most true Scousers will always have origins from elsewhere in the world.
Lucky for me, every time I travel, the city I’m from becomes a talking point and a conversation starter. It allows me to form connections and affords me the privilege of meeting new people. Therefore, it would only be right for me to be so passionate about ED&I and to want to raise awareness of the subject.
Benefits of ED&I in the Workplace
Diversity and inclusion can open our minds to new views and ideas. It helps us to appreciate and learn about cultural differences and similarities, as well as enjoy a fresh perspective and open mindedness that we may have been missing out on. In business, diversity means that we increase the size of our talent pool, with each person bringing their own skills, experience, and diverse backgrounds to the workplace each day.
Diversity also increases knowledge, and research shows that we learn more from people who are different to us than we do from people who are like us. Diversity in the workplace can help us to combine our skills to help us work better as a team, produce better opportunities for creativity, smarter decision-making and problem-solving.
Professionals are more attracted to diverse and inclusive companies which can result in amore motivated, efficient workforce, increased productivity and profitability. One of the biggest advantages in the workplace is that employees often feel more comfortable and satisfied in inclusive environments. This tends to increase employee loyalty as people are more likely to be committed to staying longer at a company where their ideas and contributions are recognised and respected, therefore helping staff retention.
iCare
STC INSISO celebrates, supports and recognises the value of ED&I every single day – this is why we created our iCare product.
iCare aims to help organisations understand the importance of changing behaviours so that equality, diversity and inclusion are a natural consideration in any action or decision, resulting in better outcomes for all. Our suite of learning workshops, scenarios and tools will help you break down barriers, identify biases and create a shift in understanding and behaviour. It’s an extremely progressive tool and a vital product for any business.
When I stop to think of all the value that ED&I brings, one thing I am certain of is that life would be very dull without embracing it!