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Under-represented groups should be supported to progress their careers

We must encourage and promote those around us, regardless of their background, colour, sexuality, disability, gender or age, writes Elly Hoult

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Under-represented groups should be supported, writes @HoutElly #ukhousing #InclusiveFutures

Mentoring is key to improving leadership diversity – @HoultElly #ukhousing #InclusiveFutures

Under-represented groups should be supported to progress their careers

The first time I heard a female chief executive speak about her career path sticks vividly in my mind. It made me realise there were real opportunities for women to lead in our male-dominated sector; that was nearly 20 years ago.

While we have made some progress, I am disappointed that 20 years later our leadership teams are nowhere near as diverse as the tenants and communities we work for.

And it’s not just a lack of women in leadership roles. Inside Housing’s research demonstrates that the most senior positions are still saturated with older, white men; with under-representation of BME people, LGBT people and those with a disability.

A recent study titled Race in the Workplace, led by Baroness McGregor-Smith, revealed that BME individuals make up only 10% of the workforce and hold only 6% of the top management positions. It further finds that the lack of BME talent in executive positions could be costing the economy £24bn a year. This figure alone should be enough to push us into action.


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As chair of CIH Futures, I am acutely aware that there are very few young people in senior positions. This is often because organisations focus heavily on experience rather than potential – having to ‘earn your stripes’ before you are promoted.

While I don’t advocate giving any old Tom, Dick or Helen a role, we are in danger of overlooking some of the best talent in our sector, by not modernising our approach to talent management.

“We are in danger of overlooking some of the best talent in our sector.”

In my opinion, one of the key barriers to diversity in the workplace is the way in which under-represented groups are supported to progress their careers.

I am fortunate to be a coach and mentor, and I cannot stress enough the benefit of coaching and mentoring an individual to progress their career.

More often than not, taking the time to coach somebody to improve their self-confidence and recognise their own talent is enough to help them realise their full potential.

At my workplace we have made great efforts to promote gender equality, with the majority of our senior leadership team being women.

Read more about our Inclusive Futures campaign

I head up the equality, diversity and inclusion strategy group at Notting Hill Housing; we recognise we still have lots of work to do on promoting other under-represented groups to a leadership level.

To address this we introduced networking events for mentors, ensured our emerging leaders programme has diverse membership, and encourage internal recruitment where possible, which can be great for supporting those who might lack confidence to apply for roles outside of Notting Hill Housing.

We are planning to merge with Genesis Housing, and working to combine two different housing associations will be a fantastic opportunity for a fresh perspective on diversity, combining the best of both of our approaches to being an inclusive and fair employer.

Not challenging and addressing diversity issues is a key barrier to achieving true equality.

My mum always told me: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

However, when it comes to diversity and inclusion, saying nothing is actually saying something, and it’s the wrong thing.

We only have to open the newspaper to see the power of a challenging voice; take Carrie Gracie at the BBC as a recent example of pushing back against an embedded cultural norm.

It’s arguable that it is easier to do this when you have access to a public platform but, while we work hard to challenge government and push for change, do we do enough to challenge ourselves and others?

“Creating a diverse organisation is the right thing to do and creates a stronger and more successful organisation.”

Working in London, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, it would be easy to assume discrimination is a thing of yesteryear. It’s clear, however, that it’s ever present.

We must do everything in our power to educate, encourage and promote those around us, regardless of their background, colour, sexuality, disability, gender or age.

I was thrilled to see that Inside Housing is campaigning for diversity in the workplace; put simply creating a diverse organisation is the right thing to do and creates a stronger and more successful organisation.

If we all take action, rather than just create plans and strategies, it should be easy to implement the Inclusive Futures campaign pledges, setting us in good stead for the future.

Elly Hoult, business improvement director, Notting Hill Housing

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