Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2023 - 2028

Building an inclusive cohesive community requires knowledge and familiarity with diversity and difference: everyone needs to feel safe and included and to confidently work with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. As part of an ongoing dialogue, cultural competence, awareness raising and training are key, as are clear messages to all students and staff about organisational culture, responsibilities, behaviours and expectations.

We already:

• promote equality and diversity initiatives and events through regular organisation-wide communications
• offer, on an ongoing basis, Antiracism and EDI related CPD to all staff to further raise awareness around unconscious bias, dignity at work, intersectionality, and to better enable them to respond to issues which may arise from time to time
• have a diverse student body, although recognising there is further work to do in the area of staff diversity
• provide bursaries/ grants to support skills development in Scotland’s cultural sector
• work closely with the Students’ Union, and staff unions within and beyond the area of EDI

We aim to:

• provide annual diversity training/ coaching for the Senior Leadership Team and University Court members
• increase diversity, notably ethnic diversity, in leadership roles and other positions of responsibility
• include EDI/ Anti-racism as a PER objective for all staff and the Senior Leadership Team
• have EDI/ anti-racism as a standing item on agendas of meetings of the University Court, Senior Leadership Team and formal committees
• continue to deliver communications to students and staff about the University’s EDI ambitions and initiatives, ensuring messages are fully inclusive in language, images and case studies reflecting our diverse community
• work proactively with the Students Union, staff unions, line managers, and programme leaders, to improve the university’s overall EDI offer and support to students (e.g.: international students)
• coordinate events, campaigns and initiatives to raise awareness of social issues affecting students and staff, and celebrate diversity at every opportunity
• speak out against structural and social injustices affecting students and staff, and be unambiguous about this

Being part of our diverse community at QMU means that everyone should feel welcomed, safe, included and respected so that they are able to work and contribute to the best of their ability, and be their authentic selves.

We already:

• promote a culture which is open to dialogue and change in our day-to-day work and practice
• make reasonable adjustments in service offer, including making online services accessible, to accommodate students and staff who need this
• have policies and guidelines in place that promote respect among students and staffs
• provide dignity at work training for all staff
• have a Race Equality Steering Group (RESG) comprising senior leaders, staff and student representatives
• receive feedback on issues of concern to students and staff through surveys and the Principal’s Update

We aim to:

• clarify and make more visible mechanisms for reporting perceived, observed or actual discrimination, and the types of support available to staffs and students
• encourage individuals to report any behaviour from any member of the University community which they deem discriminatory or unacceptable
• identify and address barriers for students and staff with particular protected characteristics, and other important aspects of their identity (e.g.: language, social class, residency status), that may prevent them from having a positive experience
• enhance EDI data collection, monitoring and reporting
• follow-up on how students and staff experience the University
• continue to promote a culture which is open to dialogue and change, and that is committed to equity and social justice, where individuals are comfortable being their authentic selves, and where they feel safe to be ‘vulnerable’ or to disclose a personal, social or cultural characteristic if they wish.

We aim to recruit and engage students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds and enable them to have full access to the range of opportunities available to them at QMU. This requires eliminating any barriers that certain disadvantaged or marginalised groups may face in access & participation, and in recruitment, retention, outcomes, pay and progression. We aim to promote flexibility in our operations and to promote good student and staff mental health and wellbeing.

We already:

• have a Wellbeing Service for students, provide a lot of self-help resources, and provide opportunities for students to participate in Wellness Walks
• Provide a wide variety of dedicated and tailored Widening Participation support and engagement activities, as detailed in our Outcome Agreements
• offer hybrid, flexible and part time work options for staff
• deliver a range of mental health and wellbeing initiatives to support staffs (e.g.: access to an Employee Assistance Programme, peer to peer support through Together All, we provide free access to the Calm App to all staff. An overview of our staff wellbeing support is available on the HR intranet site).

We aim to:

• provide training on “Understanding BAME staff progression” to line managers, Human Resources and the Senior Leadership Team
• continue to recruit staff through fair and transparent processes, and continue to deliver fair and equitable performance, promotion and reward processes
• work proactively with students and staff networks to mobilise engagement with wider university ambitions
• provide ‘Unconscious Bias’, ‘safer recruitment’ Cultural Competence and other training solutions for senior leaders, Human Resources and line managers involved in interviewing & recruitment, performance management and career progression activities
• review all policies concerning staff and students on a regular basis (e.g.: 12- 18 months), and where possible, do so with student and staff involvement
• develop and implement a career progression framework for professional services staff
• develop a voluntary mentoring scheme, delivered at School and division levels, where senior and more experienced staff act as mentors for newly or recently appointed, and/or minoritised staff in areas appropriate to mentees
• improve communications and engagement across the university about the university’s EDI ambitions and plans

The commitment of the Senior Leadership Team and the University Court to embed EDI at all levels of the organisation to ensure inclusion and belonging are central to all we do. As well as being role models for QMU, they will build and lead inclusive teams, and an organisational culture that challenges discrimination, bullying and harassment so that everyone, from any background can bring their authentic selves to work and/or study, and reach their full potential.

We already:

• engage with specialists in EDI to support the university through a full EDI Culture Review into policies, data and experiences
• engage with specialists in EDI to support the University with the development of our EDI Strategy and EDI Action Plan
• provide training to staff on curriculum inclusivity
• host lectures on anti/racism during Black History Month, and decolonisation as part of our annual Festival of Education conference

We aim to:

• work with appropriate community partners and other organisations to help us build and sustain our internal efforts to embed inclusivity across the university
• develop a clear EDI ‘Engagement & Communications Plan’ to ensure ongoing work is shared regularly with students, staff and other stakeholders
• secure Antiracism/ EDI coaching for the members of the Senior Leadership Team, to support and strengthen individual and collective abilities and effectiveness
• continue to deliver an annual ‘race’ lecture during Black History Month, and embed EDI in the annual Festival of Education conference

All functions and services must integrate EDI into all processes. These should all be monitored and reviewed regularly, and any issues addressed promptly. Best practices should be shared, and duplications reduced.

We already:

• have EDI data on students, staff and University Court members
• work with the Students’ Union and staff Trade Unions on a number of EDI concerns
• have data on how international students are experiencing their time at QMU, and are working across different areas of the university to improve their overall experience
• provide a suite of accessible EDI training to deliver cultural change to make QMU a fairer place to work and/or study at
• have in place clear policies and procedures for dealing with discrimination, bullying and/or harassment
• have accessible facilities that meet the needs of our diverse students and staff populations (e.g.: lifts, gender neutral toilets, processes for changing names, etc).

We aim to:

• develop clear EDI/ Anti-racism priorities and commitments for members of the Senior Leadership Team and members of University Court, including in areas of visibility, commitment and accountability
• provide Anti-racism training for senior leaders and University Court members
• provide training for staff in ‘Allyship’, Anti-racism and Cultural Competence
• adopt an integrated approach to embedding EDI into planning, recruitment, policy development, student and staff engagement and in our community engagement
• benchmark against organisations further ahead in their practice, e.g.: in areas such as staff recruiting in dominant White locations
• build collaborative EDI partnerships across the Scottish and UK Higher Education sector

Regular self-reflection by senior leaders and University Court members, students and staff, of their attitudes and behaviours towards EDI is essential at all levels to build and maintain a culture of inclusion and belonging for all.

We already:

• promote understanding and discussion about the university’s values through local level and other discussions
• provide training for students and staff which encourage self-reflection, and which promote University values
• take on board, and act on guidance and feedback received from stakeholders and external specialists
• support students and staff to host events that engage with issues of concern and/or relevance to them

We aim to:

• provide opportunities for students and staff to engage in intersectional reflection on EDI issues (e.g.: Special Educational Needs and Disability and race/ ethnicity; gender and disability; faith/ beliefs and sexuality, social class and race/ethnicity, etc)
• embed EDI as a target in PER objectives for SLT, line managers, and senior academic and professional services staff

The Senior Leadership Team would like to thank everyone who contributed their time and ideas to the development of this Strategy via the EDI Culture Review and the meetings of the Race Equality Steering Group (RESG).

The UK political and educational framework sets out a range of equality duties to which universities are required to demonstrate their commitment. The key duties are:

1. Equality Act 2010
Queen Margaret University must have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act of individuals with a protected characteristic in work and education, or an individual’s association with another person belonging to a protected group
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic* and those who do not
• foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

*The protected characteristics are age, race, religion / belief, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage / civil partnership, pregnancy / maternity.

2. In addition, the Equality Act (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 require organisations to publish:

• equality objectives at least every four years
• information to demonstrate their compliance with the equality duty, at least once a year. This should include information relating to people who share a protected characteristic who are either in employment or education affected by its policies and practices such as annual information relating to pay.

3. In addition to the Public Sector Duty, Queen Margaret University has a duty under the Human Rights Act 1998 not to act incompatibly with rights under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the Convention).

4. Furthermore, Queen Margaret University must commit to delivering, the objectives of the Scottish Funding Council’s Strategic Plan in its Outcome Agreements. In particular the University must commit to, 'Enabling People to learn and flourish', viz: "We will invest in education that is accessible to learners from all backgrounds and throughout life; gives them a high-quality learning experience and supports them to succeed in their studies; provides opportunities to participate; and equips them to flourish in employment, further study and fulfilling lives."

5. Queen Margaret University also has a duty to ensuring equity under the National Equality Outcomes (in Scotland) recently agreed in partnership between the Scottish Funding Council and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).