A Perspective on Black Inclusion Week: Cherelle Robinson-Curtiss

Introduction

My name is Cherelle Robinson-Curtiss, and I am a People Services Manager at Newcross Healthcare. I live in Birmingham, and I have been working in the HR industry for the last 3 years. Black Inclusion Week is an important opportunity to recognise and celebrate the wealth of talent and expertise within the Black community across various sectors. Additionally, it offers a chance for employers to look at how they can facilitate and improve black representation, promotion and recognition.?

What Black Inclusion Week Means to Me

Black inclusion is a topic that is very close to my heart, as my relatives immigrated to Britain from Jamaica in the early 1960’s and?have candidly shared their experiences with me. Over the past 50 years, there has been a marked shift in societal perceptions of the Black community and the range of career opportunities that are available to us?now. I was instilled with the belief that?my race should not be a barrier to me?achieving my aspirations. This has been further influenced by seeing my Mum establish and independently run a small voluntary enterprise named Kingsway Project since 2005. Throughout the year, Kingsway Project actively collaborates with schools, libraries and other community organisations?to positively promote Black Caribbean and Black British history. This is achieved?by hosting a range of events and selling merchandise including mugs, calendars and booklets all aimed at spreading an awareness and appreciation of Black heritage.?

Significance of Black Inclusion in the Workplace

In the workplace, Black inclusion means ensuring there is proportionate representation at all levels from entry to leadership level and removing bias from recruitment processes, policies and working practices. This brings with it numerous beneficial opportunities for employers, from?bringing in a range of ideas and perspectives to drive innovation and problem solving, to enhancing employee engagement. At Newcross, I feel that my talents have been recognised from my first day, which has provided me with?a promotion to management within my first year of employment, receiving support to continue my professional development by completing my CIPD Level 5, and having my views and ideas considered in management discussions. ?

Upcoming Black History Month and our EDI Strategy

We look forward to recognising Black History month in October, to create more cultural awareness in the business, celebrate black achievements and strengthen our connection with our colleagues and?the Black community.?

Newcross Healthcare’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and approach sits at the heart of our organisational vision and values and is a true enabler to ensure we make a real difference to the communities and individuals we support.? To be able to deliver our vision effectively and the work we do, we need people from diverse backgrounds to ensure that we make sound decisions that are representative of the different perspectives within society. We also believe that by making all our colleagues feel welcome and included, they will deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers and the communities we help.?

As an employer, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity amongst all of our workforce. We take steps to ensure we are a great employer that values and welcomes the different ideas, skills, behaviours and experiences of our colleagues. We also aim to foster a culture that promotes wellbeing, mental and physical health and provides support to enable all our colleagues to thrive.?

We are also fully aware of our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and that we have a legal duty to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity, eliminate unlawful discrimination and foster good relations between key equality strands. These include age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity.?

We are determined to do more than just meet our statutory obligations, incorporating areas of value-add and ED&I best practice as we grow as an organisation. We promote equal opportunities, and we respect and acknowledge the diversity of colleagues who work within the organisation, the customers and other stakeholders that are part of the wider communities we work with.?

#BlackInclusionWeek #Diversity #Inclusion