Reflecting our Communities
NRW wants to be an organisation where people are treated fairly, irrespective of who they are or their background.
In this blog, Lyn Williams, who advises on our work on equalities, tells us more about why making strides in our equalities, diversity and inclusion duties are important and how understanding about your perspectives and experiences can help us progress.
“Our work takes us to each and every community in Wales at some time or another, and we need to reflect those communities, both through the way we work we and the people we employ.
“And we know that organisations that represent the communities in which they work; that welcome difference; and provide spaces for all voices to be heard, will perform better. This is because views and perspectives from people from different backgrounds can bring fresh ideas, thinking and approaches which make the way work is undertaken more effective and efficient.”
Considering Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
“We know diversity comes in all forms, often not visible and never as single issues – we all have a gender, an ethnicity, abilities or disabilities, a sexual orientation, a work pattern, and responsibilities that are particular to each of us. We are all different
“As well as embracing difference, we must all challenge ourselves to think about the way our own biases and behaviour affects those around us. At the same time, we must speak up when we don’t feel included, and understanding different perceptions of inclusion is really important to us”
Tell us about your views and experiences
“So that we can really promote all aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion, we need to understand where we are now, and we need to understand more about you - the communities we protect, and people who enjoy our sites up and down the country, those we regulate and the partners we work with on a whole host of projects.
“We want to understand your experiences, views and perceptions, listen to what is good or bad and understand your issues and challenges. By understanding more, we will learn, and we will be able to make changes to create a more inclusive organisation.
“Diverse Cymru is managing the work on our behalf and so you can be assured that the survey is entirely confidential and anonymous; none of your answers will be attributed to you personally, or reported back in a way that could possibly identify individuals. So please be open and honest, this is the only way we can make meaningful change.
“Your feedback will provide us with invaluable data and insight that will help us to make informed decisions on which to build our future plans for a more inclusive organisation, that will better support you.”
The survey can be found on the Equality Diversity and Inclusion page. It will be available online or if you prefer, in hard copy for you to complete and return to Diverse Cymru Policy, Engagement and Research Team, Alexandra House, 307-315 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF5 1JD.
If you feel that you would like to contribute further, you can also join a focus group for a more in-depth discussion. More information about these facilitated events is available here
Diverse Cymru Natural Resources Wales - Engagement events - Diverse Cymru