Inclusivity in Business

The ability to progress and thrive in your organisation starts with a feeling of being included and a sense of belonging. We support organisations to build a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences are celebrated to serve colleagues, clients, and customers better.

Businesses We’ve Helped

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At Representation Matters, an inclusive and supportive culture that cultivates a feeling of belonging will help organisations understand and meet the needs of those they serve truly. Colleagues should feel confident that they are valued and that they can bring their whole selves to work.

An important aspect of this work is the ability to hold the mirror to who we are. We need to provide ourselves with time to reflect on who we are and the perspectives that we hold. At Representation Matter, we call this the 'cultural review’; like a house that is valued, or a car that receives an annual MOT, individuals need a space to check their bias and prejudice—an opportunity to reflect. Through immersive talks and workshops, we take you on a journey of self-discovery whilst providing practical tips and tools that will help you to create a culture that truly allows colleagues to thrive. 

While many organisations will recognise the business case for diversity, which includes the financial,  moral, legal, commercial, and environmental, the journey to developing a culture of belonging is more challenging and requires leaders to hold the mirror both personally and professionally.

Did you know…

The UK economy could gain

per year if industries embraced a full representation of Black and minority ethnic individuals

2017 McGregor-Smith Review

£24B

Ethnically diverse companies are

more likely to out-perfom their competitors

2015 McKingsley study

35%

of UK Companies have leadership teams which do not reflect the demographic of the UK force

2015 McKingsley study

78%

However

Key principles to consider when developing a true culture of inclusion:

  • The vision and values of the organisation

  • Leadership commitment

  • The perspective of colleagues – buy-in 

  • Context/work environment 

  • Policies and procedures 

  • Branding, communication, and marketing 

  • Innovation and product/service design 

  • Recruitment Retention, development, and progression 

  • Training and knowledge development 

  • Technological innovation 

  • Sustainability 

  • Wellbeing support 

  • External factors such as political and social issues 

  • Developing a shared language of cultural inclusion  

All organisations want to ensure that the comment on time and resources will have an impact on the culture of the organisation. However, to ensure this happens, the work must be beyond a tick-box activity and take into account the key business principles that will allow organisations to address the gaps and have a greater impact.

Our services for businesses

We offer two types of services; general inclusion and anti-racism.

Inclusion Services

  • An immersive and interactive keynote speech, which is crafted through the lens of storytelling and authentic voice.

    Each Representation Matters associates. We have a wonderful team of associates who live with the 9 protected characteristics, as well as wider factors that prevent individuals from feeling like they belong at their place of work, such as economic background.

  • One-three-hour sessions are offered on your choice of topic: Race and Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Disability, Religion and Faith, Gender. All sessions give an opportunity to discuss and challenge

    Each training workshop session will include :

    • Pre-task activity
    • Interactive delivery
    • Post-session 'Think Piece' 
    • Post-session consultation/feedback

  • Training and workshops tailored to the specific needs of leaders who are supporting and driving their organisation's EDIB strategy. An important part of driving leadership change is taking a moment to consider the culture of the organisation, the vision and values and what steps are needed to be considered when making change.

  • Bespoke quotations provided on request.

Anti-Racism Services

  • Creating anti–racist organisation requires unwavering commitment, tenacity and integrity and a desire to change. We provide support to develop a strategy that will align with your vision and values whilst upskilling your staff to feel empowered to lead an anti-racist culture.

  • We facilitate brave spaces where colleagues can share lived experiences and provide actionable insight to support decision-making and strategy delivery. Our storytelling style and immersive approach to the work allow the individual to step into their bias, hold the mirror and question all they thought they knew.

  • We provide staff of colour with a brave space to speak their truth with bravery and authenticity. Storytelling, empathetic support, empowerment workshops, and the ‘brand you’ programme support individuals as they begin to heal from trauma. Centring joy is a vital part of the healing process.

  • We develop engaging and effective groups that form part of your anti-racist strategy.

  • The programme assesses and examines the systems, processes and policies that exist across the organisation. We will provide insight from your stakeholders in the form of qualitative and quantitative data that will support the development of race equity strategies.

    See below for more information

  • Workshops that raise awareness and educate stakeholders. This is a vital strand of the race equity strategy.

  • Aisha combines her love of storytelling, her academic knowledge and her research with her deep passion and desire to tackle racial inequality. Choosing an immersive and interactive approach to speaking, Aisha will take you on a journey to challenge your own perceptions whilst understanding the importance of race and representation.

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Representation Matters Equity Framework

Help to identify, measure and analyse gaps and progress. While celebrating success in their journey toward true inclusion and belonging. 

Underpin a coherent EDIB strategy for the entire business ecosystem to create a more equitable working environment. 

Support leadership teams to address bias and prejudice and mitigate systemic inequality and discrimination. 

Stage 1: Scoping

Lift the lid and truly discover, through assessment, what is happening in your organisation/workplace 

Stage 2: Discovery

Listen to the voices. Provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide their perspective of the organisation. ‘listen to understand, rather than listening to respond.’ 

Stage 3: Action

Once the organisation is understood, we work with you to set clear goals and objectives; we build them into an action plan and strategy in line with your vision and values.

Stage 4: Legacy

Ensuring that this work is not a tick box takes a long-term commitment to change. Charter marks and badges can help you to evidence your practice. But true legacy comes with the embedding of a culture of belonging. We provide practical advice and consultancy, tools to support the organisation's change and new inclusive behaviour.  

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  • Thank you very much indeed again for your talk this week. We have been talking about it since and people have been asking us how we can keep this conversation going.

    News UK, Tech – Director of Business Operations

  • Aisha presented the keynote talk for a Business Retreat for female small business owners. I previously worked with Aisha at TEDxBristol in 2019 and so knew she was an incredible speaker with a fundamentally important message to share.

    Come Network with Me, Bristol, UK

  • Really liked this session-very clear and important information. Aisha gave some very important ‘golden nuggets’ that not only addressed top-level themes but some depth as well. I really appreciated Aisha sharing how this related to her and her experience.

    Black Female Educators in Leadership Participant

  • Thank you so much for your support for the launch of JEDI. Your talk was captivating, raw, and passionate. We’ve had overwhelming feedback from colleagues who were in awe of your excellence. So many individuals were impressed by the calibre of talent you were able to bring in. But most importantly, your impact on our students was immense. We’ve had countless students ask about how they can get involved with JEDI. Aisha, you transformed this event. I appreciate your contribution so much.

    Ahecia Taylor, Lecturer, University of Wolverhampton

  • On a personal level, I found it a rollercoaster – not only thinking about my own privilege and the work I still need to do but also thinking about …why this work is critical for a more equitable society.  

    Julia Willison, Head of Learning and Participation, Kew Gardens

  • The impact was amazing. Aisha has helped us to kick off these conversations, and now we need to use that momentum to drive this forward. Thank you, Aisha!

    OMERS Private Equity, London, UK

Enquire about our services

Begin the transformation your business deserves. Fill in the form below and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.