By Suzanne Bird
The Voice At The Table newsletter exists to inform, entertain and provoke discussion within the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) space. Almost every newsletter contains an original blog of some description, and we have been looking at which blogs have attracted the highest readership in the second half of this year. Today we are sharing these with you, to give you the chance to read them – either for the first time, or to revisit them – and see why they were so popular.
Words of wisdom
The most-read blogs from the newsletter in the second half of the year have been an eclectic bunch. The most popular blog of all took a more personal approach than usual, asking ‘What words of wisdom changed your life?’ and featuring a variety of sage advice given to different members of the Voice team. Did this collection of guidance provoke any memories of advice you have received that had a great impact on you? We’d love you to pass them on, and perhaps we could share a readers’ advice blog next year!
Leading by example
The second-most popular read was a recent blog from Rina, focusing on some global organisations that are in the advanced stages of their EDI Journey. These companies are worth spotlighting, as they are benefitting from their greater Diversity, having taken some impressive initiatives over the last few years. The case studies show that the featured businesses have started to really benefit from a mindset that believes in the rewards of a more diverse employee population and how this reveals opportunities for the enhancement of business success.
Our readers obviously like a case study, as our round-up of some recent Voice client work was also one of our 6 most-read blogs. Walking The Walk With Our Clients explored how our clients want to progress along their EDI Journey and be more effective at tapping into the diversity of their people. Where we start on the journey with them depends on where the organisation already is, and these case studies illustrate three very different initiatives we supported with clients.
Teamwork
Another very popular read was a guest blog from Voice Associate Joanna Gaudoin, reflecting on the impact of home-based or hybrid working and how it can potentially endanger work relationships if concerted efforts aren’t made to maintain connections and be inclusive. Joanna argues that ‘being away from the office allows people to “hide” from those they find challenging to deal with, and not dealing with issues rarely has a good outcome’. She also offers a number of useful tips on how to encourage more inclusive working and interaction, to help people form closer relationships and be more inclusive whilst still benefitting from hybrid working.
Rina’s blog about making the most of existing Diversity was also very popular, emphasising the fact that although members of a team might appear very similar, there are always ways in which we are different. These differences are often connected to the way we take in, interpret and share information, and they allow us to have valuably diverse perspectives and opinions. Rina tackles the issue that even in an apparently homogenous team, it can be difficult to tap into each person’s true thinking. This is why psychological safety plays a vital role in tapping into the Diverse thinking within every team, by making everyone feel able to speak up.
Aiming for a meritocracy
Are your talent management processes as fair as you’d like them to be? To ensure that opportunities are truly fair for all, it is crucial to strive for transparency and objectivity wherever possible. In this blog, Principal EDI Consultant Inge Woudstra explained what this means in practice and how to achieve it. Inclusive attraction, selection, learning and development opportunities and progression are all discussed, with useful advice on how to identify and eradicate biases within all of these processes.
More to come
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look back at our most-read blogs in recent months. Have we included your favourite blog from the last few months? What else would you like us to write about in the newsletter? Get in touch and let us know.
