A Good Society Needs Good Work: Fresh thinking on Menopause, Race and LGBTQ+ Identities at Work

The Good Work agenda took centre stage at CIPD's June Festival of Work. Some of the best and most avant-garde thinking from the Good Work community came together in a series of interactive sessions tackling diversity and inclusion in the workplace.The workshops provided an opportunity to convene important but difficult conversations in safe spaces. Guided by expert speakers, participants gained practical tools to help better identify, understand and implement diversity and inclusion solutions, policies and culture within the workplace to benefit everyone.

Menopause at work

The menopause is an important workplace issue that affects many employees. There are now around 4.4 million women aged 50-64 in work (ONS 2019), and the vast majority will go through the menopause transition during their working lives. Now is the time for government, employers, people professionals and line managers employers to take the menopause seriously, raise awareness and put the right support in place. The discussions in the workshop - hosted by Deborah Garlick, Director, Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace and Claire McCartney, Co-Director of Inclusive Talent and Associate, CIPD - highlighted the enthusiasm to do just this. To read a full update from the session click here.

Race: The Elephant in the Room

Not everything that is faced can be changed, yet nothing can be changed until it is faced"

- James Baldwin

This uncomfortable and imposing truth is one which applies to many organisations now wrestling with the challenge of having conversations about race at work. Sadly, some respond by looking the other way and simply hoping the ‘elephant in the room’ will depart quietly. Those who take this approach ultimately never even try holding such potentially transformational conversations. The overwhelming evidence, both anecdotal and empirical, is that you are up to four times more likely to receive a lower performance rating in the workplace if you are from a BAME background. The session which was opened by CIPD's CEO, Peter Cheese and led by Rob Neil, Head of Culture Change and Leadership, Department for Education provoked an honest discussion about race in the workplace. To read a full updated from the session click here.

LBGT+ Identities at Work

LGBT people still face discrimination in many areas of their everyday life. Stonewall research shows that over a third of LGBT staff (35%) have hidden that they are LGBT at work for fear of discrimination. A good starting place to finding out how you can help is learning more about what your LGBT colleagues might be going through. The session led by Sarah Campbell, Head of Conferences and Events at Stonewall along with CIPD's Ed Houghton and Ciprian Arhire discussed the importance of using language around identities, and how businesses can make themselves visible allies for the LGBT community. To read a full updated from the session click here.

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Creating a Caring Society - the start of the debate

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Social Justice in Tech: Men, Women and Power