In May we marked two years since the murder of George Floyd. For many people and companies around the world, including MOSL and its colleagues, the murder was an urgent wake-up call.
More needed to be done on changing attitudes and biases on race; more needed to be done on changing mentalities and predispositions; more needed to be done on changing hearts and minds. There was a consensus that people needed to be treated as people.
Our response at MOSL was to consider, but also to take action. We established the Diversity Society, a colleague-led support group that acts as a safe space for people from varied backgrounds to meet and discuss issues, as well as a sounding board for our policies and initiatives. The Society has its own strategy – hosting speakers, writing blogs, facilitating workshops, promoting other Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) activities, collaborating with others in the sector – all in the hope of supporting our people and enabling colleagues to come to work every day as their authentic selves.
Two years ago, we dialled into the Institute of Water Black Voices in the Water Industry webinar, where black women shared their personal stories and lived experiences of working in the water sector. The webinar gained great support from the industry and grew into a series, through which black voices in the industry are heard and leaders share their ongoing EDI efforts.
The Energy and Utility Skills has shown us that the water sector is still lagging behind others in reflecting the communities it serves, notably in its female and global majority (i.e., ethnic minority) representations. With 20% of the water industry workforce set to retire by the end of the decade, the sector must act now to address the needs of both its employers and employees. Employers need to actively combat their biases and inclinations, give a platform to those groups that are underrepresented and really take the time to listen to their issues and recognise them.
More recently, Thames Water and Skewb hosted a session during Black History Month 2022 to discuss the actions the water sector could take to ensure that psychologically safe environments exist in workplaces, and that they support and encourage the development of colleagues from underrepresented groups.
The EDI Conference hosted by the Institute of Water further built on this theme, with eight speakers sharing their stories and pragmatic solutions for more diverse and inclusive workforces. One speaker talked on the dual aspects of kindness and curiosity when interacting with people, rather than judgement and predispositions. Another spoke about how the ‘simple’ act of calling people by the wrong names can lead to negative feelings and consequential impacts in the workplace. Yet another spoke to how solutions that companies put forward to make their employees feel included and welcomed must cater for the target audience. With unemployment levels in the UK reaching record lows, this point could not be more relevant. Employers must work on their value propositions to attract new and diverse talent; this need has never been more pressing.
MOSL’s Diversity Society Chair, Abu Rashid, said; “’It’s obvious to me that there are clear EDI challenges in the water sector – all I have to do is look around and count all the other brown folk! – but it’s also clear that there is now a huge desire to do more.
“The people that I meet are willing to engage, understand and ‘shake things up’. I’m grateful for these allies, because they’ll be able to accomplish so much more than I’d ever be able to alone. I do sometimes wonder if people are quietly thinking, “Why is this diversity and inclusion agenda being pushed so hard now? Why was this not a thing 40, 30 or even 20 years ago? Things have become too Politically Correct “too PC””. These thoughts are understandable. Change can be scary, confusing, and even disorientating, but the fact of the matter is things haven’t changed for a very long time, which is probably why I might have become a bit of a rare species in this sector! What has changed is we’re now actually willing to talk about issues and commit to doing things. This is, in my view and as simple as it sounds, really promising.”
MOSL’s Head of People and CEO, Angela Day and Sarah McMath, added: “As Executive Sponsors of the EDI work at MOSL we have been overwhelmed by colleagues’ engagement and contribution, particularly in Abu’s energy and determination to bring this work to the forefront. This has been very much colleague led, but widely supported at a senior level across MOSL and the wider sector. We are pleased that MOSL is not only making a difference for its colleagues, but that as an organisation we are acting as an ally to the broader industry by continuing to shine a light on the challenges our industry faces and provide a space for people in the sector to learn and make a difference to the EDI agenda.”
