EEDI statements from our directors

At UKCEH, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone can work well, feel valued, respected, and achieve their goals. Our dedication to Equality, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI) is essential for delivering excellent environmental science.

We aim to be a top employer because of our diversity, not despite it. We promote a culture of creativity and innovation drawing on diverse perspectives. Improving diversity is a priority, and we always seek ways to attract and engage a more diverse workforce.

We train our staff to be aware of and manage unconscious biases, and put processes in place to support this. We work to ensure everyone feels safe to be themselves at work. Integrity and care are key to fostering a sense of belonging and contribution.

We are committed to fair treatment for all, regardless of protected characteristics, and provide the necessary tools for equitable opportunities. Our policies go beyond the Equality Act 2010, removing any barriers to engagement, progression, and contribution.

This statement confirms my personal commitment to making UKCEH a fair and equitable organisation for all.

I strongly believe that gender equality is about ensuring the opportunities, rights, resources of people of all genders are upheld and promoted in all spheres of life.

At UKCEH we seek to identify any gender related imbalances within our organisation. We actively work to remove or mitigate against any barriers or assumptions faced by any particular gender group and for all to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness. We robustly challenge behaviours, attitudes and processes which contradict our core values and bring our reputation into disrepute in any way.

Our EEDI Action Plan 2024 contains key actions relating to gender equality. The published plan aims to embed fair and inclusive practices which will enable all our people to have an active and valued part in UKCEH’s work. We are systematically scrutinising our systems and processes to ensure we are offering a fair and equitable space for colleagues. We also commit to making changes to expectations on gender representation.

This plan is supported by our continual programme of work. This work includes data collection and monitoring to inform revision of policies and processes through a gender equality lens. We are also continuing our training on awareness and mitigation of biases and assumptions as well as inclusive behaviours. Our EEDI confidential suggestions and concerns process enables colleagues to submit gender-related concerns and recommendations. This enables us to respond to current challenges, needs and expectations and work towards an even more inclusive culture.

UKCEH also supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which includes UN Global Goal 5 to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, particularly in connection with our many research projects. We will be proactive in seeking change within the scientific community, grant awarding bodies and other stakeholders. We will aim to extend this to extend this to local communities when there is an opportunity. We work to appraise the impact of our work on different genders using our equality impact assessment methodology. We are also developing our approaches to embed gender equality more strongly in project design and methodology.