Making the World Fairer

In 2018, Pearn Kandola published groundbreaking research examining the experience of minorities in the workplace. This research revealed a shocking 60% of minorities had experienced racism in the workplace. Whilst many had witnessed discriminatory acts, a significant proportion had taken no action. The main reason for this was that they feared the consequences of speaking up. Since the original research, there has been a huge amount of attention being paid to racism in the workplace and the experience of minorities. But has this changed anything? Join us for this podcast, where Professor Binna Kandola OBE: Presents the findings of our latest research into racism at work Reveals what has changed and what has not Provides practical recommendations for your organisation to take. Find out more and download the Racism At Work Report (2021) on our website.

You may think racism is a thing of the past but as Senior Partner Professor Binna Kandola OBE explains, 'Racism has been likened to a virus that mutates, taking on different forms as it adapts to a changing environment. Its mutation is made harder to observe by it being deeply embedded, not only in our traditions and institutions, but also in our unconscious lives.' This episode is the audio from a webinar presented by Binna in June 2020. Binna looks at the current thinking about why minorities were more likely to contract the virus and to die from it. He discusses the effect outbreaks have on xenophobia and racism more generally and critically, he looks at the potential impact these issues and concerns are having on minorities and also – what organisations can do about it. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

This second episode in our Racism at Work series is the audio from a webinar presented by Dr Nic Hammarling in June 2020. We would all like to think that if we saw a colleague experiencing racism at work we would step in and stop it, right? Well, our research shows that in the vast majority of circumstances people do nothing, even when they know the behaviour is unacceptable. In this episode, Nic explores what stops us from confronting and challenging racism, both in others and in ourselves. She also reviews the psychology of effective challenge, including some practical tools and guides on how to challenge racism and other forms of unacceptable behaviour so that by the end of the episode you will have identified several tactics that you can use to effectively challenge in the heat of the moment. Find out more about our Active Bystander programmes.

This third episode in the Racism at Work series is the audio from a webinar presented by Louise Weston in June 2020. Micro-incivilities are 'the kind of daily, commonplace behaviours or aspects of an environment which signal unwittingly to members of out-groups that they do not belong and are not welcome'. Race based micro-incivilities are commonly experienced in workplaces across the UK so in this episode, Louise discusses how organisations and individuals can address these. Find out more about our Micro-incivilities services. 

Research that we conducted in 2020 into anti-Chinese racism found that since the outbreak of Covid-19, in the UK and US, there have been significant increases in people experiencing racism because of their ethnicity, with a huge increase of people witnessing it as well. The interviewees we talked to were disappointed that they received such little support from others who had witnessed these incidents. In this episode, Binna looks at the consequences of this discrimination, which is still happening,  but also looks at what organisations can do to help. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

This fifth and final episode in the Racism at Work series is the audio from a webinar presented by Jonathan Taylor in June 2020. Drawing on our work in this area, and the latest psychological research, Jonathan discusses how day-to-day inequities can impact on health, and shares four areas of focus that every organisation should be considering as part of their approaches to inclusion and wellbeing. This is highly recommended for anyone working in the area of wellbeing and/or D&I. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

In this insightful first episode of the series, taken from a webinar we presented in August 2020, Professor Binna Kandola OBE addresses the impact on minorities' wellbeing both of being on the receiving end of racist behaviour but also of having no voice to share and express their experiences. He looks at the impact this has on minorities' self-confidence and self-esteem as well as considering issues such as imposter syndrome. He also offers practical actions that we can all take to counter these. ** there are some sensitive subjects discussed in this episode so please be cautious as they may be upsetting for some listeners. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

Mindfulness is about taking an active interest in ourselves and in each moment. When we are curious about things, we notice more. Mindfulness training can have positive effects on decision-making and our ability to recognise ethical challenges. It can also bring a greater awareness of bias, thus helping us to reduce it. Research tells us too that mindfulness can support the wellbeing of those experiencing bias and discrimination. There are several ways in which this can be done – Tracey Moggeridge looks at some of these ways in this podcast. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

To what extent do you feel a sense of 'belonging' at work? And where do these feelings come from? Our social experience at work has the potential to provide a psychological boost – energising our efforts, our self-belief and ability to perform at our best. But for many underrepresented colleagues, it can also feel isolating, eroding self-esteem and constraining potential. In this session, Jonathan Taylor explores the importance of social connection, belonging and shared identity at work, looking at how we can create a social environment that supports the health and performance of everyone, not just the few. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

We know that discrimination affects wellbeing and we know poor wellbeing can affect performance, but we often miss the link between these two. This coincides with a worrying increase in recent research that has found some real performance difference between various demographic groups at work. Are the two really disconnected? In this episode, Elizabeth Yardley explores the differential social experience of individuals from under-represented groups at work and how this social experience and its impact on wellbeing might be affecting performance without us realising. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

You may have heard of 'power posing'. You may have even tried the superwoman/man pose yourself before a big event. Join us for a deeper exploration of what we mean by 'personal power', where we explore how feeling powerful energises our thoughts and behaviour. Who has the power in most workplaces? Should these benefits be limited to those with structural or social power in the workplace? In this episode, Jonathan Taylor shares the implications from the latest academic research, how this can support Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) colleagues experiencing discrimination and exclusion, and how we can use this as part of a more holistic approach to Diversity and Inclusion. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

In this episode, the introduction to our series, Stuart Duff, Head of Leadership Development at Pearn Kandola, discusses the challenges associated with leading remote and dispersed teams. Drawing on our own research and data from our leadership development programmes, Stuart focuses on the challenges that leaders experience in developing and sustaining relationships in a remote environment, issues of managing conflict and how different communication strategies can influence the degree of trust and connection within teams. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

Many leaders raise concerns about how they should manage individual and team performance in a remote working environment. This episode, presented by Laura Haycock, focuses on the psychological barriers that can exist when managing performance and the challenges that managers and leaders may encounter. It provides insights from our research into the psychology of remote working and guidance for managers to support strong and effective performance management. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

There is an assumption within many organisations that, with the right technology and a suitable place to work, all employees will adapt quickly and effectively to remote working. Many of our expectations of work are, however, deeply embedded habits, so how easy is it to adapt to remote working? In this episode, Stephan Lucks, Managing Psychologist at Pearn Kandola, draws on our research into the psychology of remote working and explores the influence of individual differences in the way that we adapt to it. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

The national lockdowns in 2020 forced many managers and leaders to adapt to remote working, but what impact has this had on bias in the workplace? In this episode, Rob Barkworth, Managing Psychologist, looks at the different ways that remote working influences bias and inclusion, and considers the implication for leaders, team members, and employees across your organisation. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

The last 18 months have been unprecedented in challenging established norms and rules for engaging in work. In the space of less than a week, many organisations put in place processes for remote working that would previously have taken months, if not years, to make a reality. While for many people this was a pressured and challenging experience, it has nonetheless set a precedent that will shape the future. In this, the final episode of the series, Professor Binna Kandola OBE uses a combination of research and experience to look at what we can learn from the capsule environment we found ourselves living in for the majority of last year. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.

Inclusive workplace cultures not only benefit individuals and their wellbeing, but it's also been proven to have tremendous organisational benefits. These include greater productivity, more engagement, and higher levels of innovation. This podcast, presented by Professor Binna Kandola OBE, clearly defines what we mean by inclusion and inclusive cultures, looks at the benefits of having an inclusive culture, what prevents inclusion from occurring (in particular he will look at stigma and privilege), and then Binna will introduce a new model for looking at inclusion within our organisations. Find out more about our Inclusive Cultures services.

We all know that leaders have a huge impact in how inclusive people feel their organisation is, as well as how much progress is made on diversity and inclusion across the organisation in general. Thousands of leaders and their team members have now completed our digital solution PK:INDYNAMICS Leaders, and in this episode Dr Nic Hammarling shares our insights into the common inclusion strengths of leaders; the exclusion traps they most often fall into, and the biggest differences between how inclusive they think they are as a leader in comparison to how inclusive their team perceive them to be. Nic also shares information about the practical tools you can share with your leaders to enable them to be more inclusive. Find out more about our Inclusive Leader programme.

Whilst we all like to think of ourselves as inclusive and supportive team members, the reality is that we may often fall short. This is particularly true when it comes to identifying exclusive behaviours in others – how equipped do we feel to confidently speak out? These are just a few of the questions that Professor Binna Kandola OBE addresses within this podcast, as well as providing guidance on how to build a team that contributes to an open-minded, authentic, and inclusive workplace culture. Find out how we help organisations to cultivate inclusive environments through our Inclusive Teams programmes.

In this episode Bailey breaks down the three core aspects of inclusive selection; this includes how to attract and retain a diverse pool of talent, how to ensure that your shortlist criteria maximises inclusivity, and which practical steps you can take to input inclusion during the employee onboarding process. Bailey also drills down on small, yet impactful inclusive actions that your organisation can build into their online presence; such as considering the placement and content of job advertisements, using inclusive imagery on your company's website, and considering the overall accessibility of your organisation's digital platforms. Find our more about how we work with organisations to foster inclusive cultures, recruitment and development here.