Committing to change: creating a diverse and inclusive culture

Last month, many organisations celebrated Black History Month through several educational events, with the key theme being 'celebrating our sisters'. This theme extended and intersected with events on Menopause awareness including how it affects women from all cultures and ethnicities. During the month, we also saw our people share their stories on other important matters too, including Disability and Neurodiversity. It is important that we take opportunities like this to educate ourselves, listen to the experiences and difficulties faced by our colleagues and commit to support them through allyship.

Some people question the need to have these moments in time, carved out to honour and raise awareness of under-represented groups and identities. They don’t see the need for it. They may tell you that things ‘aren’t all that bad’, or that we’re ‘nearly there’. These attitudes are dangerous because real transformation begins when we recognise the enormity ofthe challenges we need to confront.

If you speak to people from marginalised groups andidentities, they will tell you that we still have a long way to go to achieve our vision of offering our people a more diverse and inclusive environment to work in, where under-represented characteristics are acknowledged and valued.They will tell you that there’s still a lot that needs to be done to get to that place where all of us are judged on our skills, talents and contributions and given the space and opportunity to grow and reach our full potential.

While the perception of some is that rail is not forward thinking, we understand that true innovation can only be possible by embracing the differences within a diverse workforce. We value our people and we want to create an environment where our employees are happy to come to work, safe in the knowledge that they will be valued, they will have the opportunity to develop and grow, and they will be treated fairly. 

We have already taken steps to implement change. We have an EDI Charter for Rail with over 220 signatories, as well asRail Unites for Inclusion (RUI), created by equality, diversity and inclusion leads from across the industry. But, as we’ve emphasised already, there’s much more we need to do. So, what next?

We need to move forward as an industry, sharing our experiences and successes so that we can learn from each other. Both RDG and GBRTT have extensive Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) networks of committed individuals who are working hard to raise awareness, challenge themselves and others, and make a positive difference. GBRTT and RDG have delivered, and will continue to deliver, industry-wide seminars on EDI-related topics such as the importance of communicating to one another in an inclusive way. RDG has also committed to delivering a pilot training course on allyship for the industry, following an engaging panel discussion which featured staff network leads and their senior leadership team allies.

As leaders of GBRTT and RDG, we understand that to bring about a cultural shift within the industry, we need to ensure that diversity and inclusion is the bedrock of the culture within our own organisations. For example, all RDGemployees now have an EDI priority and are expected to contribute to the company culture - whether by using their skills to support one of the networks, attending a training course or raising awareness within the rail community.

Change is led from the top, but every single one of us has a role to play. It’s not OK to take a back seat and leave it to your leadership team and those passionate individuals to take action. Change doesn’t just lie in the big-ticket items – how we recruit talent, our internal policies, how we provide opportunities for under-represented individuals to progress. Change is also brought about through the everyday - the many subtle ways we signal to our colleagues that we respect them. For example, in a meeting, we can the take the time to listen and value the opinions of marginalised groups and identities in the same way we would, perhaps naturally, for others. We can take small actions, through allyship, to support those who have a different lived experience to our own. As leaders, we recognise that allyship needs to come from all levels of our organisations for it to become second nature to each and every one of us.

The scale of the challenge to bring about the cultural transformation we need is daunting to say the least. At RDG and GBRTT, we are ready to make a commitment to do it. Let’s all, every single one of us, commit to bringing together our unique experiences, perspectives and skills to move forward and really make a difference.