Engagement
Engagement is central to the evidence-based approach of our team, as well as being required by our duties under equality legislation.
Engagement is also a key means to fulfil various other University objectives such as our strategic platforms, as it enables the gathering of market intelligence, reduces barriers to high performance and engenders an inclusive workplace.
Our engagement activities are designed around three interlocking objectives:
- promoting positive attitudes about and between the diverse members of our community, empowering and safeguarding our community, and maintaining their trust
- enabling consultation with and involvement of the diverse members of our community, to help to drive University policies and activities and particularly the Single Equality Scheme and Equality Impact Assessment processes
- enabling the capture and analysis of robust data, again providing crucial evidence to drive University policies and activities.
The needs of the University community can best be served by a range of fluid and flexible engagement mechanisms to enable robust data to be available and the views of all our community members to be heard. Therefore engagement activities across the University include:
- monitoring staff and applicants' diversity data
- surveying staff and students on their views about the Single Equality Scheme or other university policies
- where appropriate, engaging with organisations and individuals external to the University to gain insight on issues affecting the University
- ensuring positive depictions of diverse people across a range of University communications
- the innovative Information and Consultation Forum
- a discussion board on the Equality and Diversity website for staff to discuss equality matters
- an Engagement and Projects Officer to liaise with staff, students and external contacts and to support teams through discrete project support
- a network for staff with disabilities and other networks as appropriate.
To learn more about engagement activities at the University, get involved in an existing activity or to propose development of a new one, please contact Charlotte Kingsbury.
