The Northern Ireland Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the Workplace Conference 2024
Hilton Belfast, Northern Ireland 25 June 2024, 9:00am - 4:25pm
9:00am
Delegate Registration and Networking
9:50am
Chair’s Welcome Address
Jude Copeland, Legal Review Manager & Associate (NI) and EDI Speaker and Advocate
10:00am
Equality, Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace – Employer’s Moral And Legal Duty
- Understanding current data on the state of EDI in Northern Ireland
- What are the employer’s duties in relation to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace?
- Legal implications and costs of disputes and discrimination claims
Alyson Kilpatrick, Chief Commissioner, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
10:20am
Advancing EDI In The Workplace In Practice – Case Study from Belfast City Council
- Driving recruitment to advance accurate representation of Belfast’s diverse population
- Evidence-based strategy writing – ensuring EDI initiatives are fit for purpose
- Engaging with employees and ensuring their voices are heard and represented in all EDI initiatives
Christine Sheridan, Director of Human Resources, Belfast City Council
10:40am
Enabling Workplace Inclusion for the Less Abled
- About SYNC Living
- Key Product areas
- Aerolet Toilet Lifter – Case study
- Changing Places Toilet facilities
Andrew Smyth, Product Specialist, SYNC Living
11:00am
Questions And Answers Session
11:15am
Break and Networking
11:45am
The Case For Diverse And Inclusive Workforce – Case Study From The Northern Health And Social Care
- An overview of the Trust’s EDI workplace strategy
- Examples of recent developments: Workplace Adjustment Plan (Disability Passport) and Domestic and Sexual Abuse Workplace Strategy
- Unconscious bias
- Is being equal enough? What is equity?
Michelle Morris, Senior Human Resources Manager and Dr Darshan Kumar, Consultant and Clinical Director Acute medicine, Northern Health and Social Care Trust
12:05pm
Panel Session: Building and Implementing Inclusive Retention and Recruitment Strategies
- How are certain groups of people disadvantaged during ‘traditional’ recruitment processes?
- Tools and techniques for making the recruitment process more inclusive
- How can the onboarding process be made more inclusive for the diverse talent pool?
- What is considered best practice in retention efforts of diverse staff?
- How can intersectionality affect the accessibility of employment opportunities and what can you do to minimise its impact?
Speakers:
- Catherine Christy, Senior Manager Human Resources and Organisational Development, Belfast City Council
- Cara Marks, Recruitment Specialist and Co-Founder of SPARK
- Virginia Mendez, Author and Public Speaker
- Steve Lazars, Director & Founder, EMEEN - Ethnic Minority Employment & Entrepreneurship Network
12:35pm
Questions And Answers Session
12:45pm
Lunch And Networking
1:45pm
The Importance Of Benchmarking EDI Standards
- What does best practice in workplace EDI look like?
- Demonstrating real commitment to equality and diversity and its impact on the organisation's reputation
Christine White, Director, Diversity Mark
2:05pm
Neurodiversity Inclusion – Workplace Design For Neuroinclusion
- The case for neuroinclusion – what are the statistics on neurodivergence telling us about the UK’s workforce?
- Inclusive design – not only about the physical spaces!
- How does neuroinclusive workplace design benefit all employees?
Cara Marks, Recruitment Specialist and Co-Founder of SPARK
2:25pm
Change Begins With You: Becoming An EDI Advocate in The Workplace
- Understanding the impact of EDI on all aspects of working life
- Empowering employees to create inclusive workplaces that go beyond a policy
- Practical tools for effective EDI advocacy
Jude Copeland, Legal Review Manager & Associate (NI) and EDI Speaker and Advocate
2:45pm
Questions And Answers Session
2:55pm
Break And Networking
3:25pm
The Impact of Intersectionality In The Workplace: Removing Labels And Empowering Humans
- Defining intersectionality and understanding the complexity of the independent and overlapping identities that make a human
- The impact of intersecting identities in the workplace
- Fostering inclusive workplace culture with intersectionality in mind
Virginia Mendez, Author and Public Speaker
3:45pm
The Role of Active Allyship in The Workplace – LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
- Defining the meaning of allyship in a workplace context
- What does it mean to be an active ally? Defining the different types of allyship
- The impact of allyship on workplace inclusion
Jo McParland, Education & Training Manager, Cara Friend
4:05pm
Questions And Answers Session
4:15pm
Chair's Closing Remarks
4:20pm
Conference Close
Jude Copeland, Legal Review Manager & Associate (NI) and EDI Speaker and Advocate