Equity, diversity and inclusion is something that means so much to me, yet I often find it hard to put into words. And that’s coming from someone who I’m sure most of the people will agree - doesn’t usually struggle for those.
As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, I always thought that being vocal about equal rights, being inclusive and embracing diversity should be something which comes second nature to me. And it does, to a degree. But this past year has taught me a lot that I didn’t know.
As referenced in my previous blog, equity, diversity and inclusion isn’t something that’s new to Fluid. We’ve always cared. We’ve always strived to be better and do better. But EDI is something which we thought should become more visible within our agency. Whether that’s in our recruitment processes, embedding it further into our values, or being even more open-minded to change.
We’ve made a few changes at Fluid as part of our drive to always do more. And we’ve spent time learning and growing too.
Equity, diversity and inclusion training was something we took part in as part of this year’s EDI activities. 18 Fluiders spent the day with Helen from Diversiti, learning about the Equality Act, unconscious bias and what allyship truly means.
It was a hugely insightful day, and gave us all lots to think about. It also gave me some inspiration for things we can further progress at Fluid to make colleagues and clients feel even more comfortable and accepted.
The training triggered a deep dive into our recruitment processes, and after learning more about unconscious bias, we’re wanting to make a commitment to future Fluiders who go through the recruitment process in the future.
Over the last year, we’ve also added an anonymous suggestion box in the studio which has helped us to implement everything from standing desks, bookable meeting pods and quiet spaces, and more inclusive and varied social gatherings.
Equality agreements have been created, and are now part of the onboarding process, ensuring that everyone who walks through our doors knows where we stand, and agrees to do the same.
As an extension of this, we've made changes to the client welcome and onboarding book to also include our equality statement. It sounds obvious, but it's just as important that our clients and visitors feel comfortable, confident and accepted in meetings - both virtually and face-to-face, as much as our Fluiders do. It's also crucial that clients recognise our commitment to our values, and agree to them too.
I guess it’s fair to say there have been a plethora of small, but ultimately important and meaningful changes. And that’s something to be proud of.
I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do next at Fluid, and to continue our journey of continually changing and growing in the way that Fluid always has, and always will.