Concept
Camden Council has adopted a process of ‘Conscious Inclusion’ to ensure all staff ‘can be their best self at work’. The approach taken involves a focus on leadership, staff, and systems in the Council. A Conscious Inclusion Statement was published with specific commitments to action in relation to all three of these factors.
Camden Council, through this initiative, states an ambition for: all staff being able to be their best self at work; staff composition reflecting the diversity of Camden; understanding, challenging, and evolving from the biases that everyone holds; valuing and celebrating difference; using differences to assist in better decisions; sharing responsibility for calling out anything that is not right; everyone coming to work with the determination to resolve and learn from the things that are not right; and not tolerating any form of discrimination, victimisation, harassment or bullying.
Foundation
The initiative is rooted in the Camden 2025 Vision and the Our Camden Plan 2018-2022, and its commitment to Camden Council being a great place to work and an inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects.
Progress
Action on leadership is concerned to: develop capacity to deliver systemic change and improvement; provide sponsorship of BAME*, LGBT+, and disabled staff in middle management to progress; and offer mentoring to build the representation of these groups at senior management level.
Action on staff is concerned to: support every people manager to play their role in conscious inclusion; adopt the Time to Change Employer Pledge to support mental health in the workplace; and benchmark the Council against the Stonewall index for workplace LGBT+ equality.
Action on systems is concerned to: develop understanding of the different ways people think, function and mentally process information to improve support for people to flourish; improve recruitment systems in particular in relation to people with disabilities; enable staff with carer responsibilities to return to work and to engage without disadvantage; demonstrate employment practices are among the best in London through the Mayor’s Good Work Charter accreditation; and act as strategic influencer for good practice by local businesses.
* Reference term specifically used in the UK context
