At the Intersection: A internal and external campaign on the importance of intersectionality

This was my key project during my time at Leonard Cheshire. I completed internal and external work to understand knowledge of, promote, and publicise intersectional approaches to life and work. I expressed to my manager that this project was of interest to me, before he helped me to pitch it to more senior colleagues. I then co-ordinated with multiple stakeholders, colleagues and teams in order to complete this project.

The key components were:

An internal survey
A report of findings and suggestions for improvements.
Blogs to be published online
An intersectionality at work learning resource

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The Survey

The creation of this survey used the knowledge of many colleagues, who formatted questions, made suggestions, and improved the overall structure. It was formatted and shared via Microsoft Forms.

We included an initial demographic section, to find out about people’s identities, including age, sexuality, race etc.

We then set a series of questions which would determine what each person’s understanding of intersectionality was at the outset of the quiz. A definition was later given, so that people could self-determine whether they exist at the intersection of minority identities.

Following this, questions about interest, consumption of media and importance were asked. Finally, people were given the opportunity to share details of personal experiences where intersectionality was important and provide names/pronouns and contact details.

It was important for the questions to be simple and provide balanced opportunities for answers, removing any bias within the survey itself. The survey was shortened significantly so that people would not be put off by how long it might take.

The survey was primarily shared by groups relating to the Diversity hub, as well as internal comms and SALO. Both emails and workplace were used to spread the survey link. The link also went out via the internal weekly ops newsletter, so those from services would have a chance to contribute.

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The Response and Report

The survey was active between 20/08/2021 to 14/09/2021, in which time 123 employees gave their response. Just 3 of these were from colleagues outside of the UK.

60 responses came from people aged 45+, another 60 from those aged between 25 and 44, just 3 from those between 18 and 24.
31% of respondents self-identified as disabled
98 respondents were white British, 2 white Irish, and 11 were white other. The remainder were Black people of various origins, those who identified as mixed, and several employees of South Asian Heritage.
68% of responses came from women, 29% from men and the remainder were nonbinary or other.
16% of respondents identified as LGBTQIA+, 2% self-identified as transgender

A report was then compiled to expand upon the results and suggest further action. A knowledge gap was found, especially among older age groups. There was a large degree of interest in learning more about intersectionality, including its relevance to the workplace and people's stories.

I also examined the demographic results of responses, and highlighted issues around representation.

The Blogs

The survey allowed several people to get in touch, offering to share their perspectives and experience of life at the intersection of minority identities. I chose to include stories from both disabled and non-disabled perspectives to give a wider variety of intersectional stories.

I selected four volunteers to interview, either over video call or email. We discussed their experiences and I wrote up blogs to be shared on the charity's website. These are being shared gradually. Blogs were written from the perspective of:

a gay, disabled man
a gay man who helped to create an accessible queer drag night
a Black woman of dual heritage
a non-British woman who lives and works in England.

In addition to his blog, one volunteer's experiences were used in another article. The volunteer and a trans drag performer (who I knew personally) reflected on the issue of inaccessibility at queer venues.

To go alongside these more personal blogs, I created content to provide context, wrote profiles on intersectional historical figures, and wrote posts about modern intersectional celebrities. In combination all of these posts could educate more people about intersectionality, whilst improving brand image, by demonstrating awareness of important diversity issues.

A Learning Resource

I also constructed a learning resource, primarily for internal use. It took survey responses into account, seeking to educate about the sociological term, demonstrate its use in the workplace and explore relevant examples.

I included the following sections:

Intersectionality
- What is it?
- Global Context
- At Leonard Cheshire
- What do our colleagues think?
Intersectionality in the workplace
- Why is it important?
- How does an organisation promote intersectionality?
- More on Internal Networks
INSERTS
- Case Studies (blogs)
- Questions and Discussion points
Further Reading
Glossary of Terms (including links to identity related lists eg LGBTQIA+ glossary)

Intersectionality in the Workplace

Why is it important?

People whose identities are at risk of systemic discrimination often face more difficulties, including condescension, harassment, and being passed over for promotion and opportunities. These people are also more likely to sit on the negative side of a wage-gap.

A person with an intersectional identity finds that these problems multiply in the face of combined prejudices. Some of these difficulties are experienced uniquely, based on the combination of identities:

For example, a Black, disabled woman could identify with the experiences of Black colleagues, female colleagues, or disabled colleagues, but some experiences will only be shared with other Black, disabled, female colleagues.

Without an intersectional approach to inclusion, these manifold experiences of discrimination cannot be fully addressed.

An intersectional approach to HR, Client Management and engagement with stakeholders improves relationships. Intersectionality:

Improves wellbeing, by fostering a safe and supportive environment for all
Increases awareness of discrimination, improving safeguarding
Promotes equality and diversity
Ensures the organisation prioritises and adheres to the Equality Act 2010
Allows HR to demonstrate a forward-thinking modern approach
Improves brand image
Increases productivity by showing employees and clients that you care

How does an organisation promote intersectionality?

Several things can be done to improve inclusive practice. The most important is education. All employees should have access to resources on equality and diversity, and the opportunity to attend training sessions.

To improve equality, employee data needs to be viewed from multiple perspectives. If you have data on the number of disabled people, it is also important to know what % of these employees are LGBTQIA* or BiPOC etc, to comprehensively understand marginalisation and vulnerability. Publishing this data is also a useful practice in engaging with this issue. (Further guidance in Further Reading Section, page.)

Create internal networks that allow marginalised groups to communicate and work with one another to facilitate positive change and advocate for themselves. Within these networks, leadership needs to be representative. For example, a women’s network should endeavour to include BiPOC, LGBTQIA* and Disabled members in decision making.

As well as these official systems, encourage intersectional social spaces, such as book clubs and inclusive exercise classes, to allow employees to improve relationships across marginalised groups.

At the Intersection: A internal and external campaign on the importance of intersectionality

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The Survey

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The Response and Report

The Blogs

A Learning Resource

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