On Monday 25 February, staff will be emailed a unique link by ORC International, inviting them to take part in the Employee Diversity survey, focusing on gender and ethnicity.
Running from 25 February – 8 March 2019, the survey aims to capture the experience and opinions of staff in relation to their respective gender and ethnicity. This survey forms an important part of ongoing work to renew our institutional Athena SWAN silver award. In addition, it will also form part of our submission for an institutional level Race Equality Charter (REC) bronze award.? This will be followed by a student survey in Autumn 2019.
The University has held an institutional Athena SWAN silver award since 2016 but needs to submit for reassessment by November 2019.? As a signatory, we recognise the specific challenges that affect men and women in academic careers and are committed to addressing these issues, to maximise the potential of all our people.? The University has made substantial progress on Athena SWAN with more than half of schools/faculties holding an awards: four of which are Silver.
The University signed the REC in March 2018, demonstrating our commitment to addressing racial inequalities within the higher education sector.
Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences and Chair of the University’s Race Equality Charter Working Group, commented:
“As a University community, we’re committed to creating an environment where students and staff can realise their potential, regardless of their ethnic, racial or national background.
“This continued, proactive approach to identifying potential inequalities will enable us to seek to address any issues in clear and concrete ways. Applying for the Race Equality Charter bronze provides a powerful framework to facilitate further progress in the area of equality and inclusion.”
Professor Diana Eccles, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chair of the University’s Athena SWAN committee, added:
“It is so encouraging to see the multiple initiatives that the University is taking to ensure that we create as diverse and inclusive a community as possible. Athena SWAN and the Race Equality Charter are just two examples of our ongoing commitment to building a culturally sensitive environment for work and study, nurturing our core values of tolerance and compassion.”
Results of the survey will enable the University to identify potential inequalities and obstacles, with responses going on to inform future action plans, with the aim to improve the University’s working environment.
All responses to the survey will be anonymised.
For more information about this survey, Athena SWAN or the REC, please email the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team: diversity@soton.ac.uk or visit the team’s website.
