There are situations that force you to take a step back, re-evaluate, and reflect on the importance of inclusion and diversity in the coworking industry and in the world as a whole. Following the Euro World Cup, an outpouring of racism from a small minority of individuals in the UK broke out, and our Director of Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, Tash Thomas talks about how people can become more than just keyboard warriors when it comes to fighting racism. To listen to the full podcast, click here.
The first step towards eradicating racism and inequality
For people in the coworking industry specifically, the Diversity and Inclusion Handbook which has been in the works for some time is essentially that steppingstone.
It has come to light that some people really have no idea how or where to start outside of expressing their disgust on social media platforms. Some people are still unclear on the day-to-day actions that they need to take in efforts to change things for the better, Tash explains.
The handbook was created with this top of mind. The purpose of the handbook is about giving people an understanding of the situation itself. This is not only exclusive to looking in the context of racism and race but extends in terms of diversity and inclusion as a whole topic.
Help needed from the community about member journeys
As part of the handbook, Tash encourages everyone to look at the different ways that we can all actually influence and implement a culture of inclusion and diversity within our spaces.
Member journeys are believed to be a very useful insight for space owners. Different people experience the spaces differently and each and every lived experience needs to be considered and will ultimately inform the decisions of space owners and managers going forward. Tash adds that member journeys are a sure way for space owners and managers to gage just how inclusive and diverse their spaces truly are.
The IDEA Project
The IDEA Project started back at the beginning of this year and is centred around developing monthly challenges based on the topics of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. These challenges give coworking owners, users, and managers an opportunity to delve a little bit into diversity and inclusion and easily accessible challenges that help them get on this journey and start this journey.
The DICE Charter
The DICE Charter is an incredible tool for any event that’s being created both online and physical. This tool gives you a very clear checklist to go through and asks you questions to consider. For event organisers looking to organize an event, go to getdice.co.uk and it will take you through the form. You need to go through all sections of the form. Following this process, you receive a grade, 40% being the pass mark. The idea is to become fully diced by aiming for a score higher than 40%.
Connect with Tash
Find Tash on LinkedIn where she shares lots of fun. You can also check out a little bit about what she does within the LGBTQ community at Breaking the Distance.