At Equinox, we aim to create an open, supportive workplace for all our colleagues, and our commitment to inclusivity and diversity is a big part of that. Pride month has been a great opportunity to look at how we’re making our business inclusive for everyone, and while we’re proud of what we have achieved so far, we still have more to do.
Actions speak louder than words, and we are working hard to make real, tangible progress towards a truly diverse and inclusive work environment. We know that people from the LGBT+ community experience discrimination and worse in our society, but at Equinox they and people from other minorities are welcomed and celebrated as valued friends and colleagues.
Everyone has a voice
We pride ourselves on the friendly, open environment we have created at Equinox. Every employee, regardless of their level of seniority, background, or identity, has a voice and ability to affect change in the company. This is true whether you’ve been with us for one month or two years.
When we recruit new team members, we focus on who is the best person to have a positive impact on our organisation, disregarding the gender, age, race, sexuality, and religion of any applicant.
Everyone in the company has access to an anonymous feedback and suggestions system which encourages total honesty about the accessibility of our business. All feedback is valuable and taken seriously; everyone’s experience is important.
This open dialogue is immensely important. We want everyone at Equinox to feel like their voice is heard, particularly those from minority communities that often feel their voices are passed over. While the anonymity of our feedback system is a central pillar of our company dialogue, people are also encouraged to be more direct and make their voices heard more publicly if they want to.
Next steps
There is progress still to be made. We are using this year’s pride celebration as an opportunity to assess how we provide an inclusive environment for every colleague and make improvements where possible.
While we go to great lengths to ensure our recruitment process is as neutral as possible, the threat of unconscious bias is firmly on our minds. We realise that people from minority groups are regularly marginalised without intention, and we are reviewing our policies and processes to eliminate the phenomenon as much as we can.
Ensuring that all our team is on the same page is of the utmost importance. We have a zero-tolerance policy on any discriminatory language or behaviour.
Apart from protecting our team, we also want to actively celebrate diversity. We have committed to marking key events in the calendar that can promote the diversity of our organisation. We’re starting with pride this June, but we’re equally excited to celebrate black history month, autism awareness day, religious festivals, and other similar events that can demonstrate that we are open and supportive to people from a range of backgrounds.
“This year’s pride celebrations are a great opportunity to reflect on our efforts towards providing an inclusive, supportive work environment for everyone, including not only the LGBT+ community, but also those with neurodivergent needs, disabled people, and people from minority ethnic backgrounds. We recognise that many people from these groups experience discrimination and can particularly struggle in a professional environment.
“Our company ethos includes being supportive and fair, a commitment that underpins our entire work life. Like many organisations, we still have progress to make, but we have a positive outlook on the future of diversity and inclusivity at Equinox.”
Johnathan Collins — Head of HR
IP charter
To get us started in our efforts towards a more inclusive organisation, we have signed the IP Inclusive Charter.
The charter aims to demonstrate an organisation’s commitment to a more diverse and inclusive intellectual property sector, and to ensure equal opportunities for all who work in it.
To achieve this, the charter sets out six steps to help deliver and maintain a more inclusive organisation:
- Having in place a named individual within their organisation an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer. This person will be sufficiently senior to make change happen and be accountable for their progress.
- Having in place a written Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy and making everybody in the organisation aware of it.
- Promoting openness and transparency so as to demonstrate merit-based equal opportunities in their recruitment and career progression processes.
- Acknowledging the effects of unconscious bias and introducing measures to tackle it.
- Monitoring and reporting internally on their progress using measures and at intervals that are appropriate to their size and nature.
- Sharing their experience within the IP Inclusive community to help build an effective network for equality, diversity, and inclusion across the IP sector.
At Equinox, we aim to create an open, supportive environment for all our colleagues, and our commitment to diversity is a big part of that. Actions speak louder than words, and we are working hard to make real, tangible progress towards a truly diverse, welcoming work environment.
Inclusivity and diversity is central to our goal to be supportive and fair. To learn more about our company values, visit the About Equinox page.
