22 May 2020

Diversity Lens - Issue 27

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May 22

Diversity Lens - Issue 27

Diversity Lens

Welcome to Diversity Lens, the newsletter from BAME Recruitment and Diversifying.io! We’re pleased to be bringing you all the latest news and opinions about recruitment and the world of diversity and inclusion. We hope you are all keeping safe and adhering to social distancing guidelines in this turbulent time.

** Are you from a BAME background, living in the borough of Newham and currently commuting to work via train, tube or bus networks? Our friends at Radio 5 live would love to speak to you! If you are up for a quick interview about how the virus is impacting your commute, please get in touch. Email cressida@bamerecruitment.com **

Latest News

'Overwhelmed' Michael Phelps says Covid-19 has taken toll on his mental health
Phelps has previously been vocal about his mental health battles and has opened up again in this article regarding the exacerbating effect of the coronavirus pandemic. In an honest conversation with ESPN, he is frank about his day-to-day struggles; having perpetual questions, arguing with his wife, and feeling worthless. Phelps is also forthcoming about how beneficial seeing a therapist has been for his anxiety.
A male athlete, of such high standing as Phelps, being vocal about these struggles has the potential to make a big difference surrounding social perceptions of mental health and therapy. This open discussion helps to normalise mental health struggles in a way that feels very relatable, and this is his aim in speaking out: “There’s nothing to hide from. Nothing to be afraid of. The fight is only against yourself", he says. To hear more from Phelps Click Here

Doreen Lawrence helps on Coronation Street storyline about racism
Baroness Doreen Lawrence, mother of Stephen Lawrence who was tragically killed in a racially-motivated attack at 18, is consulting on a Coronation Street storyline about racism. The episode is to follow the prejudice that the Bailey family experience and the generational divide in their response. The show was originally due to air on Stephen Lawrence Day but was delayed due to coronavirus. Doreen was consulted intimately on the nuances and subtleties of the plot. The inclusion of the Baroness in the decision making of the show demonstrated huge strides in the sensitive and authentic handling of discrimination in television media. To read the full article Click Here

Why I’m fighting for an independent public inquiry into the Covid-19 deaths of people of colour
During the last couple of months we have seen a number of different groups of society disproportionately effected by the virus and in a host of unique ways. Perhaps most significantly is the huge disparity revealed between the death rates in white people and in people of colour. One response to this inequity comes from The Ubele Initiative which launched the #WeNeedAnswers campaign, calling for an independent inquiry into why BAME groups are being excessively effected by Covid-19. The #WeNeedAnswers campaign wants to incorporate the lived experience of a community into the investigation, “taking into consideration their quality of life and living circumstances, all of which are vital to creating practical and purposeful solutions”. Read more about the campaign by clicking the below image.

This Is How Much Overtime Brits Are Doing While Working From Home
If you are among the fortunate percentage still in work and in a role which you can carry on from home, chances are you may feel hesitant to make any complaint at the risk of seeming ungrateful, perhaps you are even overcompensating and picking up extra work. A new study has shown that remote workers are picking up an extra 28 hours a month of work. With many new to the experience of remote working, respondents admitted that they felt the need to demonstrate a high level of productivity at all times and to extend their working hours. This kind of hyper-productivity is likely to exacerbate mental health problems as the lockdown is set to continue. Read what Chris O’Sullivan of the Mental Health Foundation advises to do instead, click the photo below.

Diversity and Inclusion Insights

Digital kindness: 10 ways to help your colleagues’ mental health
As we draw towards the end of this year's #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, its message shouldn't stray far from our minds. This year's theme of kindness is more relevant than ever. In this time of change and upheaval in our personal and work lives, we should be regularly checking up on colleagues. This article gives ten simple but insightful ways to show that we care about the mental wellbeing of those we work with. Try scheduling coffee check-up chats, or perhaps share a funny news article or meme, as you would in the office. Or, try a virtual walking meeting, it gets you out of the house and has been shown to aid in creative thinking and engagement. Remember that kindness is a powerful thing when shown to ourselves as well as others. Show digital kindness to yourself by stepping away from your screens; from work, from the news, and enjoy some offline time. Click the photo below for more tips on digital kindness.

Are video calls good for equality?
Are virtual meetings having an inadvertent effect on equality in the workplace? Grace Chen, CEO of a tech firm argues that for women particularly, video calls have had an equalising effect through the medium of the “neutral rectangle”. When your visibility is reduced to what fits inside that rectangle, many other factors are made invisible, Grace argues. In other words: “Many of the things that subconsciously remind people of your gender are no longer apparent” and this seems to have had a knock on effect on gender biases. Yet this begs the question, must women be reduced to an image on a computer screen to be seen as equitable workers? The hope is that the benefits we have gained from video meetings will translate into the post-pandemic world of work; not just the gender balancing, but the intermingling of work with family life, and the new-found flexibility of work. Read more about Grace Chen’s experience by clicking the image below.

Story of the Week

This incredibly inspiring video brings you exceptional athletes from across the world who have battled through illness and overcome barriers of disability to excel in sport. From a baseball player who turned his growth disorder into his secret weapon, to a runner living with epilepsy who gets back up every single time, these athletes are unstoppable.

Watch four athletes' incredible journey in perseverance.

Featured Video

This #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, the theme is Kindness. Acts of kindness towards ourselves and others have proved to have powerful effects on our mental health. In fact, almost two-thirds of UK adults say that being kind to others has a positive impact on their mental health. Watch the video below to see how kindness is making a difference in so many lives amid the pandemic.

Hear how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Inspirational Person of the Week

Nadiya Hussain
Nadiya became a household name after winning The Great British Bake Off in 2015. However, behind the scenes Nadiya has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since childhood. Since being in the public eye, she has been vocal about her mental health struggles and has become a powerful advocate for mental health awareness. In last year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Hussain appeared on a documentary titled, ‘Nadiya: Anxiety and Me’, reaching more people than ever. In the documentary she meets with other muslim women who suffer from anxiety and is filmed having therapy. When talking of her motivation for this deeply personal documentary, she says: “If I break my finger, I go to A&E. If I have a cold, I go to the pharmacy. But if I’m broken inside, where do I go?”. Nadiya is determined to confront the lack of communication surrounding mental health and share her story in order to remove the stigma. Her documentary is currently available on BBC Iplayer, click the photo below to watch now.