Inclusive Workplace, ensuring you’re not missing out!

Youth unemployment has decreased, however; there is a complex picture underneath this, and one in which it is apparent that some groups of young people are particularly disadvantaged.

Half of all young people with a declared or assessed disability are in further education 9 months after leaving school. However, by the time they are 26 they are four times as likely to be unemployed as their non-disabled peers.
 
Looked after children are least likely to go into a positive destination after leaving school - 1 in 3 is unemployed 9 months after leaving school .
 
How do we, and should we, ensure that we attract, retain and develop young people in the world of work?
 
This free webinar facilitated by Robert Cole of inclusion consultancy, Forth Perspectives, will show how inclusive diversity is a driver for business success: reflecting customers and society at large, encouraging innovation and harnessing different perspectives and approaches.
 
Despite our good intentions there’s a lack of progress in true equality at work and in society, Robert will talk about the challenges faced by diverse groups, the impact of unconscious bias in decisions we make about people at work. He aims to show how business leaders can help to deliver fair and equal outcomes and avoid bias and subjectivity at key points in people’s careers, starting with recruitment.  With a focus on Inclusive leadership, you’ll learn about the power of being authentic and inclusive in our organisations. The webinar will be interactive, engaging, informative and practical.
 
The session covers:
 

• Equality and diversity as a driver for business success – reflecting customers and society at large, diversity encouraging innovation and harnessing different perspectives and approaches.
• Workforce demographic change – ageing workforce, growing desire for workplace flexibility and likely immigration restrictions, the need to widen the attractiveness of Scottish workplaces for potentially overlooked talent.
• Inequality - People generally want to do the right thing in how they treat colleagues at work and customers. Few people go out of way to discriminate against others. But despite our good intentions there’s a lack of progress in true equality at work and in society.
• Introduction to equality, inclusion and diversity and how equity is needed as well as equality. Current equality legislation summarised.
• Challenges faced by diverse groups – looking at disability pay gaps and discrimination faced at work and in accessing services and the cumulative impact that has on career progression and life chances.
• Unconscious bias - what it is, the impact of culture and media informing us, how to recognise it and some tools and tips on how to address and to avoid in the workplace and in larger society.
• People of difference – exploring the concept of affinity bias: a preference we have for people like us. We tend to communicate more easily with, have greater trust in and prefer to be around people like ourselves.
• Recruitment, promotion and progression at work – how business leaders can help to deliver fair and equal outcomes and avoid bias and subjectivity at key points in people’s careers, starting with recruitment.
• Inclusive leadership – the power of being authentic and inclusive in our organisations: walking the talk, personal learning such as understanding one’s own biases, inclusive management styles leading to more profitable and connected companies.

Want to learn about inclusion and diversity? Unfortunately we do not have any dates scheduled for this webinar, if you are interested in this session please email dyw@edinburghchamber.co.uk to express your interest.