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The FA have released their latest equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, but is there anything engineering businesses can learn from it and apply to their plans?
The importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is growing in priority across all sectors, so it's essential for all companies, including those in engineering, to continuously evolve and embrace these values.
The Football Association (FA)'s A Game Free From Discrimination 2024 - 2028 EDI strategy, offers insight that transcends the realm of sports, providing a blueprint that engineering firms can adapt and implement within their own strategies.
Adopting diversity targets for leadership
The FA's commitment to adopt diversity targets for board and leadership teams is a powerful starting point. Engineering businesses can replicate this approach by setting clear and measurable targets for diversity within their leadership and management teams. It's not just about filling quotas but building leadership teams that reflect the society we live in, foster diverse perspectives that drive innovation, generate different viewpoints and provide representation for future leaders.
Developing a comprehensive action plan
Developing an EDI Action Plan, as the FA has committed to do, is critical. For engineering organisations, this means not just acknowledging the need for equality, diversity and inclusion, but putting it at the heart of their strategic planning.
These plans should cover everything from recruitment practices to staff training, creating a roadmap that ensures continuous progress towards a more inclusive workplace.
The importance of inclusion advisory groups
Setting up an inclusion advisory group is another commendable strategy from the FA’s playbook. Engineering businesses can benefit from establishing similar groups - panels composed of employees from various backgrounds with the mandate to provide insights and recommendations on EDI matters. These groups can play a critical role in ensuring that initiatives are not only implemented but are effective and genuinely inclusive.
Aligning with established frameworks
Alignment with Sport England’s Inclusion Framework is a key part of the FA's strategy. This notion of aligning with broader, established frameworks is something engineering firms can mirror by looking to industry standards and frameworks on EDI. By doing so, they can ensure their practices are not just compliant but are contributing towards a larger movement of inclusivity within their industry.
Addressing under-representation
The FA’s focus on tackling under-representation in areas such as coaching and elite-level participation by Women, Black, and South Asian communities, offers another lesson. Engineering businesses, too, need to identify areas of under-representation within their organisation and industry-wide, actively working to address these gaps. This may include outreach programmes to encourage more women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in engineering, for example.
Businesses can also join pre-established industry initiatives such as the national association of women in construction, to gain a wider understanding of their sector and best practice for inclusion.
Engaging young people ahead of employment
The FA place significant importance on grassroots, and why football needs to be more accessible for young women. The same rings true for the engineering sector, and it's something that we're passionate about here at NRL. We look for opportunities to visit schools and colleges to advocate for a career in engineering.
Wiping out discrimination and racism
Every football fan will have read stories about racism and discrimination within the sport. It features as one of the main pillars in the report, a key indicator of the FA's desire to eradicate racism.
They say preventative action is crucial, together with a detailed plan for reporting incidents and supporting victims. It serves as a reminder to businesses that they must too have clearly communicated policies in place to let employees know that there is no place for discrimination in their organisation - together with a robust plan for managing incidents.
Cultural understanding and mutual respect for religions also plays a role in reducing discrimination, including taking time to celebrate religious festivals and share different life experiences.
Leveraging EDI as a force for good
Finally, the FA’s acknowledgment of using football as a force for good, inspiring positive change in wider society, resonates deeply. Engineering firms have the power to effect significant societal change by embracing EDI, not just within their companies but in the broader community.
By fostering an inclusive culture and actively working towards equality, they can inspire the next generation of engineers, making the industry sector more reflective of the society it serves.
Setting out your own EDI strategy
If you'd like support creating or delivering your EDI strategy, feel free to connect with me and I'd be happy to chat further.