The D&Igest: Diversity & Inclusion at work

There’s a huge talent pool out there that’s largely untapped. In this episode, I sit down with Emma Freivogel, the Founder & CEO of Radical Recruit and Co-Founder at B-Radical to learn more. Emma moved from Australia to London 11 years ago, and since then, she’s built Radical Recruit as the UK's only charitable recruiter for businesses that want to level the playing field for radical people and communities. We dive deep into the process that Radical Recruit goes through in hiring people who’ve suffered adverse life experiences, such as prison leavers. Emma gives her view on the business case of hiring people from these backgrounds and how they’re convincing organisations. Emma shares some incredible stories of the lives that Radical Recruit has changed. From the challenge Emma faced with putting together a CV for someone who had spent the last 10 years in prison, to the financier who was let go after 26 years as a result of a retrospective DBS check and is now running a business and making more money than ever. The lack of available support for prison leavers is causing people from these backgrounds to go right back to where they started. Emma’s mission is to change this, to decrease homelessness and help businesses reap the benefits of this unique form of recruitment. Covered in this episode -  The benefits of hiring people from diverse backgrounds. The issues with the lack of support for prison leavers. How Emma put together a CV for someone who had spent the last ten years in prison. The story of a financier who was let go after 26 years after a retrospective DBS check. Discovering what people are good at when they have no confidence in their skills. How Radical Recruit is able to derisk the hiring process for organisations. What is the response from organisations after hiring through Radical Recruit? How to get involved with hiring more radically. LEARN MORE Radical Recruit - https://radicalrecruit.co.uk/Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Emma Freivogel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmafreivogel/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

83% of people experiencing an accessibility problem on your website will leave. So why are so many websites still not tailored to people with disabilities? Ross Linnett is the CEO and Founder of Recite Me - an inclusion tool that allows websites to be used more easily by people with dyslexia, visual impairment, and numerous other accessibility needs. Ross learned of his dyslexia at university when he realised something was holding him back from getting the grades he deserved. After benefiting from a piece of life-changing accessibility software, Ross was driven to campaign for companies to be held accountable for adopting accessibility standards on their websites. In this episode, Ross shares his story and we dive deep into the accessibility issues causing people to bounce from websites and purchase elsewhere. We learn about what has changed so far in website accessibility standards and the work that still needs to be done. And we speak about the challenges that children with dyslexia are facing and how the education system can contribute to them. Covered in this episode -  The accessibility challenges that are causing people to leave websites and buy elsewhere. How software can transform the lives of people with dyslexia. The historic standards that websites still follow today that are causing accessibility issues. Rethinking dyslexia - why companies need to understand it better. The state of laws around website accessibility. How dyslexia can affect schooling. Advice for parents of neurodivergent children. LEARN MORE Recite Me - https://reciteme.com/ Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Ross Linnett on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosslinnett/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

Since the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, organisations have started to take more notice of DEI in the workplace, but things still haven’t progressed at the speed that we would hope for. In this episode, we sit down for a frank, honest and practical discussion with Sheree Knowles, Chief Executive Officer at HR Knowledge Source. Sheree has been in the human capital space for three decades. As head of HR, she found herself taking on roles within DEI for organisations looking to fulfil DEI targets. This is what fueled her passion to move these organisations beyond what was merely a box-ticking exercise and into a better understanding of how hiring for diverse talent can benefit not just the individual, but the organisation, too. Sheree speaks with us about how she has been able to sway opinion within the organisations that she’s worked with, such as the tech company that she helped to place more women in technical roles. We speak about the ‘tapestry of diversity’ and how invisible diversity comes into play. We discuss George Floyd’s murder and why it was such a turning point for the world, as well as the differences across the world in attitudes towards DEI, and so much more. In this episode, we cover -  How Sheree was able to change opinions after her DEI workshop was shot down. How to ‘find a bigger pond’ to find a more diverse range of candidates. The damage that ‘masking’ can have. How to do DEI training that works. Why the murder of George Floyd was such a turning point. The DEI mistakes that many organisations made when attempting to bring it to the forefront as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement. What does equity mean for business owners? ‘Calling people in’ vs. ‘calling people out’. Tackling the backlash to change. LEARN MORE HRKS - https://www.hrknowledgesource.com/Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Sheree Knowles on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shereeknowles/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

4 in 10 men believe that inclusion has gone too far the other way. This is according to Lee Chambers’ research with Male Allies UK. Lee was awarded the UN Women’s Changemaker Award in 2023, and in this episode, it’s clear to see why. Lee started Male Allies UK, an inclusive wellbeing business after exiting from his first business and going through an eye-opening period of discovery. Lee shares with us the inspiring journey to breaking all expectations to build a highly successful business that took off faster than he’d ever imagined. We speak about Lee’s illness, and how this led him to look at his life and business in a whole new light. After making the switch to becoming a full-time dad, Lee’s eyes were opened to the challenges that women face and the change that is desperately needed. In this episode, we cover -  How we can tackle pushback to change. How did growing up black in a poor socio-economic background shape Lee’s D&I perspective? Lee’s experience with exiting a successful business and realising he’d ‘climbed the wrong mountain’. How Lee was able to reframe illness as a positive to his business. Lee’s eye-opening journey that led him to start an inclusive well-being business. The business skills Lee picked up from being a stay-at-home dad. How experiences of all-female pitching teams and all-male pitching teams differ. The D&I missteps leading businesses to lose candidates. LEARN MORE Male Allies UK - https://www.maleallies.co.uk Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Lee Chambers on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leechambers-1/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

Are you connecting with the communities that you serve in a meaningful way? In this episode, we speak with Tomasz Dyl, founder of GottaBe! - a marketing agency that specialises in multicultural marketing. Tomasz moved from Poland to the UK 20 years ago. He didn’t speak a word of English, but four years later, at the age of 17, he started his journey and took Western Union as a client. Tomasz found a gap in the market - brands looking to reach out to Polish people living and working in the UK. Tomasz has filled this gap by providing diverse marketing solutions that build bridges between brands and ethnic minorities in the UK. As well as learning about Tomasz’s inspiring story, he shares his insights into how understanding and implementing multicultural marketing has a direct effect on recruitment and customer acquisition and retention. We get a ton of actionable advice in this episode on how organisations can begin to connect with diverse communities better, both online and offline, in a genuine way. In this episode, we cover - What is multicultural marketing/ethnic marketing? How Tomasz Dyl was able to launch his agency at 17 and take on Western Union as his first client. The effect that multicultural marketing has on recruitment and attracting and retaining customers. How marketing can be tailored to particular ethnic groups. Tomasz's view on where the UK is from a D&I perspective. Simple changes that organisations can make to improve their multicultural marketing both in-person and online. LEARN MORE GottaBe! - http://www.gottabeethnic.co.uk/ Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Tomasz Dyl on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomaszdyl/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

Sports recruitment has a ways to go in its journey to truly inclusive hiring. Founder of levelequals, Francis Kelly, joins us in this episode to share with us the answers to inclusive recruitment. levelequals is a consciously inclusive talent partner for sports organisations that creates a fair and inclusive process for candidates. They’ve worked with large organisations such as the Premier League and Premiership Rugby and small NGOs like UK Deaf Sport and Cerebral Palsy Sport. We speak about the current state of diversity and inclusion in sport today, and why it’s so important for businesses to hire inclusively. Francis gives us insight into the process that levelequals goes through to reduce bias in every stage of the process. He offers actionable tips that organisations can take to get started with making a change.  We speak about the ‘wall of silence’ that’s putting off talent from ever applying and how to break it down, and why the process of inclusive hiring can never be rushed. We also get insight into the key milestones in Francis’ life that led him to start levelequals. In this episode, we cover -  The state of D&I within the sports industry. Why does sport need more inclusion? The ‘wall of silence’ putting people off applying for roles and how to break it. Is bias more of an issue in sport? The correlations between back-office and on-the-pitch diversity. The key things that organisations should be considering to encourage a diverse range of applications. Why inclusive hiring takes time. LEARN MORE Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Francis on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/edib-recruitment/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

Is prison-ism the next bias we need to address? Our guest today believes it is, and shares with us his fascinating lived experience that’s sure to get you thinking. In this episode, we’re joined by Jazz Singh and we delve into the often-overlooked talent within the prison leaver community and tackle the concept of the prison skills economy. Jazz grew up in East London and suffered racist bullying throughout his education. His education put him on a path towards a career in law, but the discrimination he faced pushed him in a very different direction. Jazz describes the situation that he found himself in and the choices he made which led him down a path of drug abuse and his eventual three-year incarceration. The day he was sentenced, he decided that things had to change. He spent the next three years building himself back up and since then has become focused on helping people become the highest version of themselves. In this episode, we cover -  The overlooked talent pool of prison leavers. The challenges Jazz faced as a brown Cockney growing up in East London.  The path that led Jazz to spend three years in prison. How Jazz was able to coach 3 other inmates to sell £92k of IT courses in under 6 months. The kinds of people Jazz met in prison and their stories. The open prison system and how it works. The biases in education and other factors that contribute to the prison pipeline. How companies get involved with becoming part of the solution. LEARN MORE Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Jazz on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazz-singh%E2%9C%A8-a0b808222/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion, and our guest today fits that theme perfectly. Shelmina Babai Abji is a prolific keynote speaker and former VP of IBM. She is also the author of SHOW YOUR WORTH - the book that helps underrepresented women accelerate career success and fast-track into leadership roles. Shelmina shares with us her inspiring story from her humble beginnings in Tanzania, to travelling the world to attain her degrees before realising her life’s purpose of advancing gender equality in leadership roles. After finding her first job in her field, Shelmina quickly realised that finding her voice and her confidence and ultimately bringing more value to the organisation than what was expected of her, was essential to her finding success. She brings a wealth of experience and insight to this conversation for anyone looking to fast-track success within their organisation. In this episode, we cover -  Becoming confident in your own worth and the unique value you can bring to an organisation. The keys to being heard within your role and progressing. Why prioritising is so essential to success. Learning when to say no. The real meaning of perfection at work. How do we move gender equality forward? How do we ensure that IWD 2024 is more than just a hashtag? LEARN MORE International Women’s Day 2024 - https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ Show Your Worth book -https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Show_Your_Worth_8_Intentional_Strategies.html?id=UoA_EAAAQBAJ Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Shelmina on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelmina-babai-abji/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

Rocki Howard became frustrated with the lack of resources that leaders of SMBs have to create safe environments for their people, which drove her to build Diversiology.io - a platform designed to support SMBs in their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. She is also a speaker, podcaster, a mother of four and so much more. But the road to get to where she is now wasn’t easy. Rocki grew up in an abusive household and poor economic conditions. She shares with us the inspiring story of how she was able to “come out of survival mode”, become her authentic self and start supporting others. Rocki was pushing for diverse recruitment at a time when most businesses weren’t interested. When she did find a role as a Chief Diversity Officer, she was saddened to see that she wasn’t provided with the resources to make the change that she knew needed to happen. Now, Rocki joins us on The D&Igest to share her story and give her insight into what leaders can be doing today to make the change needed to drive their business and create a supportive and safe culture. In this episode, we cover -  How Rocki survived the challenging conditions of her upbringing and was able to use her experiences as fuel for helping other excluded people. The power of reaching out. The empowerment that comes with becoming your authentic self. The point at which Rocki’s career took off. How Rocki’s role as a Chief Diversity Officer didn’t give her the ability to make the change that was needed. Why D&I roles are being cut. One thing business could be doing to get started with D&I tomorrow. LEARN MORE Diversiology.io - https://diversiology.io/ Grown Woman Life podcast - https://www.grownwomanlife.com/podcast Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Rocki Howard on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rockihoward/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648

Before Shell was diagnosed with ADHD, she found herself struggling to keep hold of a job. After being fired from over 10 jobs and directing the blame on herself she embarked on a journey to find the career that was right for her. In this episode, ADHD Career Coach, Shell Mendelson, sits down with us to share her journey and her expertise on careers for people with ADHD. Shell left college with a Bachelors in Communications and teaching qualifications, but she struggled to find the right role.  Shell wanted to be her own boss, which led her to build her own business, before leaving over 10 years later. She opens up about why she had to leave the business she poured her heart into, and the trigger that led her to seek a diagnosis. Shell shares insights into how she discovered her true career path and the challenges she faced working with neurotypical individuals before her ADHD diagnosis.  She gives plenty of practical advice for those suspecting they may have ADHD, such as the symptoms to look out for and how they can begin to find the right path for them. She also offers advice for businesses on how they can better support people with ADHD so that they can better retain staff and help them be at their best. In this episode, we cover -  Shell’s journey to finding the career that was right for her… …and how other people with ADHD can find the career that’s right for them. Why Shell had to leave a successful business that she built. What are the symptoms to look out for if you think you might have ADHD? How can people with ADHD approach work to improve their career progression? What can workplaces do to encourage and support people with ADHD? The unique skills that people with ADHD can contribute to the workplace. Are businesses improving in terms of how well they are supporting people with ADHD? Why businesses need to be aware of what individuals with ADHD need. LEARN MORE Career Coaching with Shell - https://passiontocareer.com/ Unlock Your Career Path Book - https://passiontocareer.com/course-book-live/ Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ CONNECT Shell Mendelson on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourpassiontocareer/ Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/ Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/ LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648