This week is National Inclusion Week, the theme United for Inclusion. It offers us a great opportunity to shine a spotlight and explore inclusivity with our colleagues. Our University is a member of Inclusive Employers, organisers of National Inclusion Week, meaning our staff can access free resources and events on the Inclusive Employers website, and we encourage you to take advantage of these.
We also encourage you to have open discussions with your colleagues and teams about how we can support inclusivity in our day to day work. Some questions you may find useful for these conversations are:
- What best practice can you share?
- What challenges do you have and how can you learn from them?
- What steps can you take to overcome them?
We also have a range of networks that are open to all staff and PGRs to join:
- UoS Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network (BAME) was formed in 2017 to raise awareness of race equality and cultural diversity at the University of Southampton, and represent the views of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff.
- Launched in December 2020 the UoS Disability Staff Network promotes a work environment in which staff with disabilities are supported and valued, enabling them to fulfil their potential.
- Parent and Carer’s Staff Network supports the working lives of colleagues who also have off campus responsibilities, as birth parent, stepparent, grandparent or through adoption or fostering or caring for someone.
- UoS Pulse, LGBT+ Staff Network works to promote a safe, inclusive and diverse working environment that encourages respect and equality for all, regardless of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The network believes that for every individual to reach their full potential, there must be no fear of discrimination or disrespect.
- Founded in 2002, WiSET+ stands for Women in Science, Engineering, Technology, with the plus added in 2018 to expand the acronym to all the disciplines, including STEMM (science, technology, engineering, medicine, maths) arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL).
All the University Staff networks provide a safe and supportive environment and peer support to staff and PGRs. The Networks work to promote positive attitudes and raise awareness of race, disability, parents and carers, gender and LGBT+ community.
The Staff Networks all work closely with each other, the EDI team, SUSU (Southampton University Student Union) and student societies.
We also have the following support services for staff:
- Harassment Contacts
- First Aiders for Mental Health
- Expect Respect Report and Support tool
To join any of the networks please email the networks or contact the EDI team.
