Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Our people are at the centre of everything we do and we aspire to build a culture in which every member of the University feels valued and can flourish.

In order to achieve this we are committed to establishing:

• a truly inclusive working environment, not only through policies and processes, but also by the way our people behave
• a physical environment that promotes a healthy working lifestyle
• a culture that recognises the connection between rest, creativity and wellbeing
• a flexible working culture which leads to self-managed time and a collaborative working culture in which our people support, and have mutual respect for, each other.

Equality Impact Assessment for remote working and learning 

Requiring employees and students to work and study in different ways and from a location that is different to their usual place of work/study presents both opportunities and challenges. It introduces a level of increased flexibility for both staff and students but requires adopting a different approach to working and studying.

We have undertaken a detailed Equality Impact Assessment of our current circumstances, and consideration has been given to both the potential positive and negative impacts of these changes.

Equality Impact Assessment for remote working and learning (.docx)

Access and disability

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and have agreed to take action to meet the commitments regarding the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees. Our Essex Access ForumEssex Access ForumEssex Access Forum aims to ensure excellence in all aspects of physical and intellectual access at Essex.

Our access and disability support information contains details about:

• getting to and around the University's campuses
• health and safety advice and support
• diversity and inclusion policies
• our partnership with DisabledGo in order to improve access-related information

Engagement with external equality charters

Through our participation in the Athena SWAN CharterAthena SWAN CharterAthena SWAN Charter, we have identified some of the barriers to progression that affect women, men and those who identify as non-binary, and have agreed a plan of action to tackle them.

In May 2017 we joined the Equality Challenge Unit’s Race Equality Charter which provides us with a framework through which we can work to identify and self-reflect on the barriers standing in the way of minority ethnic employees and students.

Employee networks

We have a range of equality, diversity and inclusion-related staff networks including:

• Essex Women’s NetworkEssex Women’s NetworkEssex Women’s Network
• Parents' Support NetworkParents' Support NetworkParents' Support Network
• LGBT+ Staff Network
• Global Forum

Our networks provide opportunities to meet members of our community you may not otherwise come across in your work, discuss issues that affect you or that you’re interested in and gain support from others who may be facing challenges similar to the ones you are facing.