Connecting with other EDI staff
Connecting with other people in similar roles is invaluable when working in EDI, and there are several ways you can do this at the University.
Microsoft Teams groups
There are two Teams groups for EDI staff in the University:
The EDI Hub team is for anyone involved in or interested in EDI, whether it’s your main job or something you fit in around your day job. Members of the team include EDI officers, HR staff, EDI academic leads and members of EDI committees, amongst others. The Team gives you an opportunity to share news, events and good practice, whether that’s happening in the central University, departments or colleges. It is also a good place to ask questions.
The EDI Facilitators at University of Oxford team is specifically for professional and support staff whose main job has an EDI focus. Most of our members are EDI officers or Athena Swan leads in departments or divisions, and some work in related areas such as training and staff development. The membership of the group is deliberately kept smaller than the EDI Hub team, so that staff who spend most of their working hours on EDI can make meaningful connections with colleagues in similar roles.
EDI facilitators regular meetings
Any member of professional and support staff whose main job has an EDI focus is welcome to attend termly informal meetings with other EDI facilitators. These have recently been online but were previously in-person. They provide an opportunity to meet and learn from staff in similar roles, to share experiences and challenges, and to keep up-to-date with EDI activities elsewhere in the University. The details of each meeting are posted in advance in the EDI Facilitators Team.
EDI Community of Practice
A new community of practice is being established, initially just for EDI facilitators, but it is likely to be open to a wider group of staff in the future. A community of practice provides opportunities for staff working in EDI to meet regularly to share experiences and take part in professional development. It also allows staff to raise questions and concerns with senior management, through the community sponsor. Contact equality@admin.ox.ac.uk if you have any queries about the community of practice or would like to join.
The EDI community of practice is one of a number of new communities being set up with guidance from People and Organisational Development, as part of the Professional Services Together programme.
EDU website
The EDU website includes a range of resources that you will find useful in your role. Here we have highlighted a few key resources:
The Resources and Advice section [link] houses the majority of the information on the website, including:
- Topic pages for all key EDI themes, which contain information about University policy, activity and resources, as well as new sections containing selected external resources relevant to the theme. The emphasis is on practical guidance and advice, so if you are working on Athena Swan, for example, there is a comprehensive Athena Swan toolkit taking you step-by-step through the process of preparing an Athena Swan application and delivering your action plan.
- A data and analysis section, which includes information about sources of EDI data available both within the University and from external organisations; full details of the University’s biennial Staff Experience Survey; and guidance about running your own survey, including GDPR considerations.
- A monitoring and evaluation section [link] which provides guidance and resources related to monitoring progress and evaluating the impact of EDI activities in your departments, divisions, or colleges.
The Training section brings together all key EDI-related training available within the University, provided by the EDU, People and Organisational Development and the MPLS Division.
The Policy and Strategy section [link] includes:
- The University’s annual equality report, which is a very useful, up-to-date overview of key EDI statistics and activities that have taken place across the University to further EDI. A highly recommended resource!
- Information about the governance of EDI at the University [NB. This page needs some updating], including the various committees and groups you may come across in your role.
- The University’s Equality Policy
- Guidance about our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty
The Equality charters section is your one-stop-shop for information on the University’s work relating to the Athena Swan Charter, Race Equality Charter and Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
External websites
Here is a selection of websites that EDI staff frequently use to support their work. We have picked out resources from some of these on the topic pages of the EDU website, but there is lots more to explore.
