The Open University is celebrating after learning it has been ranked in the Inclusive Top 50 UK employers.
The Inclusive Companies organisation, which puts together the rankings, describes itself as the premier cross-industry network “harnessing best practices and innovation to drive inclusion for all”.
Last year’s top 50 included Bupa, E-On, TalkTalk and a whole host of public services from police forces to NHS Trusts and The House of Commons.
All of those that are ranked had to prove their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and as a result of its positive work in this area, the OU has been placed 47th.
Professor Marcia Wilson, the OU’s Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), said:
“We are proud to have been ranked in the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers list among such good company, too, with the likes of ASOS, Moneysupermarket Group, eight police forces, three NHS Trusts and UK Power Networks.”
Professor Wilson added:
“Our commitment to EDI is at the centre of our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. Equity is one of the five strategic goals in our Learn and Live strategy, which holds us to consistently ambitious standards and our EDI values.
“This means that our Vice-Chancellor’s Executive share the vision of building a fair and inclusive culture and embedding EDI in all that we do.”
To help achieve this award, the OU:
- Has developed an Institutional EDI plan and an Equality Scheme that includes specific and measurable objectives and actions on how we will embed EDI in our organisation.
- Participates in equality charter marks that act as catalysts for change and cultural transformation in the EDI space, through membership of the Race Equality Charter and Athena Swan gender equality charter.
- Has introduced an anonymous recruitment process (where appropriate) with all identifying information removed from applications, CVs and forms, one of many measures being introduced to challenge patterns of under-representation in recruitment.
- Provides mandatory diversity and inclusion training.
- Collaborated with leading academics to develop the Union Black, Britain’s Black Culture and steps to anti-racism training course in partnership with Santander Universities.
Picture credit: Shutterstock
