Table of Contents
Resources for Employers:
1. Understanding your legal obligations
2. Diversity & Inclusion Policy
3. Diversity & Inclusion Strategy
4. Diversity & Inclusion Monitoring
Find out more
1. Training
2. Get involved
3. Industry action
Resources for Employers
1. Understanding your legal obligations
The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination, harassment or victimisation based on nine “protected characteristics”:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race or ethnicity
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
The act applies to recruitment as well as everyone you work with, including employees, freelancers and company directors.
- More info and guidance: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/equality-act-faqs
- About the act: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance
- AudioUK offers HR and legal support to members, find out more here.
2. Diversity & Inclusion Policy
It is a good idea to have an up-to-date workplace policy which outlines your organisation’s responsibilities, attitude and approach towards diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Whilst not mandatory, the policy helps everyone across the organisation understands their position and expectations with regards to acceptable behaviour, as well as how to raise issues. The document should be put together in consultation with people who work with the organisation, senior leadership (and board, where relevant) and should fit with other existing HR procedures and policies. It should be regularly reviewed and updated, and made available to everyone who works with the organisation.
There are various titles this workplace policy might take, for example: Diversity and Inclusion Policy; Anti-Discrimination Policy; or Equal Opportunities Policy.
- Find out whether your organisations has an up-to-date Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
- Download a template policy from ACAS. https://www.acas.org.uk/equality-policy-template
- Take a look at the AudioUK Diversity & Inclusion Statement.
- AudioUK offers HR and legal support to members, find out more here.
3. Diversity & Inclusion Strategy
An effective Diversity and Inclusion Strategy must be part of the core business strategy and central to the organisation’s values. It might be a separate section of the business strategy, in order to focus on tangible areas for improvement and development, but must directly relate to wider business aims and vision in order to be meaningful and integrated. The strategy should be developed with the senior leadership team and the people who work for or with the organisation. There is no set template for a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. There are consultants who can help you with strategic analysis and development, as well as facilitators to help with consultation processes. The strategy must be reviewed regularly.
Here are a few points to consider when putting together your strategy.
- What is the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and how does it relate to the business vision?
- What is the business case for this strategy?
- What is the time period?
- What are the key objectives?
- What are the priorities?
- What are the desired outcomes?
- Who owns the strategy and what is the governance and review process?
A Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan should be developed with people who work with the organisation to detail the practical steps needed to achieve the outcomes outlined in the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Actions should be specific, tangible tasks. The action plan should be very regularly consulted, reviewed and updated.
Here are some details to include about your actions.
- What is the task and which strategic outcome does it help to achieve?
- How will it be carried out?
- Who is accountable for the action and who will deliver it?
- What is the expected timeframe?
- Are there any internal or external dependencies?
- What other resources are required to carry out the task? For example: additional budget, personnel, training or managerial sign-off.
- What is the progress status on the action?
4. Diversity & Inclusion Monitoring
Effective monitoring and data analysis can help you understand how your organisation is performing against your Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. You must comply with the law when capturing this data and ensure that you do not ask questions that may be discriminatory. The information requested must be anonymous and optional. If there is a risk that the monitoring data can be linked to an individual, for example in the case of very small businesses, then another option to check how the organisation is performing might be through voluntary surveys.
You should be open and clear about the information you are asking people to provide. For example, explain why you are asking, how the data will be stored (referring to the organisation’s privacy policy) and how it will be used.
- Download a template monitoring form from ACAS. https://www.acas.org.uk/equality-and-diversity-monitoring-form-template
- Avoid discriminating during recruitment on your monitoring form. https://www.gov.uk/employer-preventing-discrimination/recruitment
- Ensure your data handling processes are compliant with the law. https://ico.org.uk/
- Have a look at how ScreenSkills shares information about their monitoring process. https://www.screenskills.com/about-us/diversity-and-inclusivity/guide-to-diversity-and-inclusivity-monitoring/
Find out more
1. Training
There are various training options available to help develop knowledge and skills to create inclusive working cultures and behaviours. In order to gain most benefit, it is advisable to design a personal development plan for yourself and people who work with you, to continue to learn and develop. There is no single solution for training and development. By understanding the suite of courses available, you can select the different modules that best suit your current needs.
AudioTrain is the skills, training and mentorship programme from AudioUK. There are a huge range of different events, workshops and training courses offered on a regular basis, in a simple pay-what-you-can model. Many of the sessions are also available to watch again online. Furthermore, if you can’t find what you are looking for then drop the Audiotrain team a line with your suggestions or requests.
There are also a number of media industry training providers and experts who offer helpful training options. Below are some relevant organisations to be aware of and suggested courses which are free to access.
- Audiotrain: https://www.audiouk.org.uk/audiotrain/
- ScreenSkills (https://www.screenskills.com/) is the Skills Sector Council for film and TV. It’s worth taking a look at their extensive selection of free online courses and e-leaning modules, in particular:
- BECTU offers a range of training which is largely available to anyone to access, with discounts for BECTU members: https://bectu.org.uk/training/. In addition to the listed training, there are often ad hoc workshops on topics relating to diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination.
- Acas offers training and events on all aspects of workplace relations, including some free online e-learning modules: https://www.acas.org.uk/training
- There are various commercial training providers you can offer bespoke training to suit your needs. It’s worth finding out:
- Whether they have industry experience.
- What qualifications do the trainers have.
- Where relevant, whether the trainers have lived experience of the topic. For example, if the training is on working with people with a disability then it is acceptable to ask the training provider whether the trainer is deaf or disabled and if the training is regarding anti-racism then it is acceptable to ask whether the trainer is from an ethnic minority background.
Not sure whether we want to promote commercial providers? Challenge Consultancy is very popular in the media sector for EDI training: https://www.challcon.com/.
2. Get involved
There are many ways to get involved and support more diversity and inclusion in the audio industry.
- Can you offer a paid placement in your company to a young person from an underrepresented background? The Multitrack Fellowships work with independent production companies to offer work, training and mentorship to entry level producers: https://multitrackfellowship.com/
- AudioUK is proud to sign up to the Disability Confident Scheme, which supports employers to ensure their workplace offers a fully accessible, inclusive and supportive environment for disabled people: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/
- AudioUK is a signatory of the Equality in Audio Pact. This is a commitment to ensure equality and transparency in the workplace: https://www.equalityinaudiopact.co.uk/
- Disabled People in Audio is a Facebook group for people who consider themselves as having a disability or impairment and work, or want to work, in audio: https://disabledpeopleinaudio.com/facebook
- The Radio Academy bursaries remove financial barriers for individuals to develop their skills by attending industry training and development events: https://www.radioacademy.org/bursaries/
3. Industry action
Keep up to date with industry reports about diversity and inclusion in the audio industry.
- Radiocentre’s Tuning Into Radio report for commercial radio: https://www.radiocentre.org/commercial-radio-people/diversity-equality-and-inclusion/
- Ofcom’s 2020 report on diversity and equal opportunities in TV and radio: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/information-for-industry/guidance/diversity/diversity-equal-opportunities-tv-and-radio
- The Radio Academy holds regular events discussing the challenges and lived experience of people from underrepresented backgrounds in the audio industry. The events are free to join and available to watch again via the website: https://www.radioacademy.org/diversity/
- BBC commissioning guidelines for diverse programming in audio: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/32MlkzFGRn5TZF9T2YPkTpc/diversity-inclusion