Direction Autumn 2023 - IoD Scotland members magazine

DIRECTION | EDUCATION & TRAINING
www.iod.com/scotland
“I won’t sugar coat it, I
was treated differently
because of the colour of
my skin... it was cruel and
demeaning but I didn’t
let it get me down or
beat me... I didn’t let
other people’s views
define who I was or what
I could achieve...’
Continued from page 12
But while he acts as a shining example
of what real ‘EDI’ entails, is that example
followed through across Scotland?
In his experience, it’s not. But first, the
good news: “We’ve worked with a lot of
companies and you can tell that they/the
directors understand what EDI means
and are looking for help to make it work
within their structures. They want to put
in place progressive employment policies
and embrace diversity.
“But that’s not the case for all. For
some you can tell it is a ‘tick box’ exercise,
a case of ‘let’s get someone in to do an
EDI course, then we can file it under
done and move on’. To them EDI is a
buzzword, a nice to have. They don’t get
to the heart of what EDI means. It
means putting an end to unconscious
bias, to look to recruit from different
communities, different estates, from
different academic backgrounds. It
means understanding that some people
will come to work with a different culture,
and making sure they feel welcomed and
their culture understood.
“It’s being able to bring your wholeself
to work, without compromise.”
Some just don’t get what equality,
diversity and inclusivity really means, or
how the impact of experiencing the
reverse of those words can affect people.
Edward cites one example: “I won’t
name the company but we were asked
to do some EDI training with their staff.
When we got there, as soon as I walked
into the room I noticed everyone there
was white. I asked if they had any black
or Asian employees, and they did, but
the management hadn’t thought to
include them in the session.
“The firm’s attitude was to develop
‘allies’ in the workplace, and that’s fine to
some degree. You need people in
management who will support black or
Asian employees, but to truly understand
the challenges people from minority
groups face, you have to have them in
the room. You need them to explain
what it’s like to be in a minority group.”
It’s a common mistake. “EDI is about
being open minded, but it can’t be just a
statement that says ‘we provide equal
opportunities’; you need to actually do it,
own it. Top-down change is required if
you look around and think, ‘we’re failing
to meet our own standards. Drive change
through your organisation holistically. Do
that, and people will thrive.”
Edward’s quick to point out that this is
“not all about colour.”
“Colour is the easy one to notice, but
true inclusivity brings in people from all
sections of society.
“We can see what great strides we’ve
taken to improve the position on gender,
but how are we supporting people with
a different sexual orientation, with a
disability, or those who have been
educated differently to ourselves? Are
backgrounds different to your own
making you shy away from potentially
outstanding candidates?”
So where is Scotland on its EDI
journey? “Not there yet, but moving in
the right directon,” says Edward. “It’s
certainly coming a long way in a short
space of time.
“When I set up the HR Hub Plus five
years ago, even getting directors
interested in EDI conversations was a
challenge. I used to get a lot of push
back when I introduced a module in our
training programmes; people asked, ‘why
are we bothering with this?’
“That’s not true today. It is an accepted
part and parcel of any training. That’s
encouraging, we just need to go the
extra mile and put the things it covers
into practice.”
The first step has to be the
introduction of an EDI training
programme for all senior management
and to have that percolate down through
the workforce, then look for evidence it’s
working.
But one thing Edward is quick to stress
is that EDI should not be looked at in the
negative. “Yes, getting EDI wrong can be
dreadful, but don’t look at it in those
terms. Instead, accentuate the positives.
There are great outcomes if you get this
right. Think of the benefits of having lived
experiences from every section of the
community represented at your next
sales meeting, or board meeting.”
A final point on this: “Change is
inevitable. But remember, it’s better
being driven from within than forced
upon you from the outside.”
Talking about change, it feels like we’re
going through a period of
unprecedented upheaval, in all areas.
Does it worry him?
“No, because I think we can handle it.
It’s a challenge but I know there is a
powerful community helping us manage
it.
“Everyone thinks about their legacy,
what they will leave for others. I want
mine to be that I added my voice at a
time when it was needed, to get
companies to treat everyone the same.”
He’s happy to expand on some of the
less pleasant experiences of his own life.
“I’m a south Londoner, from Streatham,
born of Nigerian parents, so I know what
it’s like to be treated differently. I won’t
sugar coat it, I was treated differently by
some people because of the colour of my
skin. It felt bad at the time, it was cruel
and it was demeaning but I refused to let
it get me down or beat me. I didn’t let
other people’s views define who I was, or
16 AUTUMN 2023