Explore the main tasks, what you need to be able to do and everything you need to understand to achieve them effectively.
Understanding diversity
The meaning of diversity:
- The definitions of diversity, protected characteristics and lived experiences
- Our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, and the concept of discrimination.
Why diversity is so important for the screen industries:
- What typical recent diversity statistics are for the screen industries
- The opportunity for diverse and inclusive workforces to drive greater productivity, creativity and authenticity
- The opportunity for screen industries to positively influence society’s attitudes and opinions
Who is responsible for diversity in the screen industries:
- Understand the impact of all of our decisions, and the power we each have to make a positive impact
- Additional responsibilities for HoDs, showrunners or people involved in hiring regarding diversity
- Awareness of wider screen industry initiatives and mandates around DE&I, e.g. Freelance Charter, Diamond diversity data.
How we can increase the diversity of our output
The steps we can all take to increase diversity in:
- who we hire
- what stories we tell, and who tells them
- who we cast or select as contributors
- the digital characters we create
- how we lead
- self-awareness of our own potential biases in decisions
Understanding equity
Understand our frame of reference:
1. Our own unique frame of reference based on characteristics and lived experience
2. The concepts of privilege and power
Exploring our ideas of fairness:
How the idea of fairness relates to our own frame of reference, and how certain fairness statements have underlying issues
The meaning of equity vs equality:
The difference between equality and equity, and how this relates to individual people’s needs
How to address the barriers to equity in the screen industries:
1. Understand what the typical barriers are to equity in the screen industries
2. Understand ways we can increase equity in the places we work through appropriate processes to ask the right questions and offer support:
- identifying needs and making adjustments
- the hiring process
- our onboarding processes
- ongoing management
3. Understand good practices to look for among employers – and the creative and business dividend this brings
4. The need to take personal responsibility in increasing equity where we work, for ourselves and for our colleagues
Understand how to create an inclusive culture
The meaning of inclusion:
The benefits of an inclusive environment or culture for the screen industries
Our responsibilities regarding discrimination:
1. Our employer’s responsibilities to protect you from discrimination
2. Our own responsibilities to behave in a way that does not discriminate, and to act appropriately when we witness discrimination and inequality
Using language to develop an inclusive culture:
1. The impact of our language on the culture of where we work
2. Ways to know what language to use in day-to-day communication with colleagues and content
Other actions we can take to develop an inclusive culture
The importance of:
- asking open questions
- catching ourselves making assumptions – see addressing unconscious bias
- including underrepresented people and those with different life experiences in our networks
- creating space for everyone’s voices to be heard
- questioning established practice
What to do if you get something wrong:
How to set a positive example if you use inappropriate words or actions
Download all Diversity, equity and inclusion competencies to explore them anytime.
See these other related competencies: