We need to be breaking the bias everyday

Embracing diversity is at the heart for most businesses, but what does it really mean? Gender diversity is vital, but there are so many other aspects to breaking down bias in the workplace and creating a truly diverse, equal and inclusive environment.

The International Women's Day theme this year poses a bigger question about bias. Not only prompting us to think about why female professionals often face particular challenges, but also why challenges exist for people who don't feel like they have the same opportunities as others. Bias is evident in many forms and there is a wider conversation about achieving a sustained level of inclusion across all aspects of diversity, regardless of demographics or beliefs such as background, age or culture. 

How we treat people. How we encourage and build confidence in people. How we include everybody no matter what they look like or where they come from is what is important. Collectively, this has a positive impact on society. It forms part of S in ESG and it opens doors, giving way to creativity and offering people more choice. 

International Women's Day is about empowering women to achieve their goals. Social mobility plays a huge part in this at beginning of their careers. It can be difficult for some, for example to start a career in the legal sector if they feel that they haven't been able to access education or study through traditional methods. Empowering others to reach their potential and having a positive influence on their journey can make a huge difference.

We are working with Care Leaver Covenant, a govt-funded programme that helps people who have been in care to reach their potential and we are supporting Lucey, a young woman who is studying for a masters degree in law. She states that, "Access to support has been so important for me to develop in my career and knowing that I can achieve my goals regardless of my background. I'd like to work alongside families to give children a voice where in my past I didn’t have that. It's important to me that I use my experiences to help others and businesses that provide opportunities for people like me to do this removes any stigma and paves the way for others."

The Care Leaver Covenant is a national inclusion that supports young people who’ve left the care system to access opportunities and achieve positive outcomes in adult life. The work it does is vital because 40% of 19-21 year old care leavers are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training); 25% of homeless population is care experienced and only 7% of care leavers go to university (Vs. almost 50% of wider population). 

For Lucey, getting in touch with the Covenant was almost literally about whether or not she’d be able to take her place on her Master’s at Manchester Met (MMU). Whilst there is decent financial support for care leavers doing Undergrad degrees, support for care leavers doing post-graduate study is much more patchy and can depend hugely on which local authority you reside in. 

Lucey maintains a relationship with the firm and has been introduced to various colleagues. Lucey says: "I needed financial support for living costs during my M-Law, but it's not just about being supported financially, that's important, it's also about gaining experience and building a sense of what it’s like working at a law firm."

There are lots of challenges for businesses, but diversity has to have a consistent place on that agenda. Raising awareness and having discussions that call out bias is the only way to bring about positive change. We should be working collectively to encourage others to strive for their ambitions and eradicate bias in every sense of the word across the board.