The Future Laboratory is proud to join the MRS Inclusion pledge, which reflects our commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within not just our own business, but the research sector as a whole.
We understand that the systemic barriers present within our industry hold back our peers and colleagues from marginalised groups. These barriers prevent some of us from belonging, succeeding and leading, while benefitting others in an unjust system.
At The Future Laboratory we believe that diversity, inclusion, equity, justice and liberation should be a core part of all businesses. For us, it underpins everything we do and what we stand for. Signing the Inclusion pledge is only one step on a long journey to creating lasting and meaningful change.
The Inclusion pledge asks research and data businesses to make five commitments that support diversity and inclusion. These include taking action to close the gender pay gap, positively support and promote a wider mix of talent and to set goals and hold themselves accountable.
In more detail, The Future Laboratory has made commitments to:
- Publish pay statistics annually and demonstrate clear, sustained progress towards gender and racial pay parity.
- Work towards an inclusive team and culture that supports and offers a platform to marginalised and under-represented groups.
- Work towards achievement of government targets on inclusion of women and people of the global majority at executive committee and board level.
- Improve recruitment processes to prioritise inclusion and equity by tackling nepotism and systemic barriers through initiatives including supporting school and university leavers and apprenticeship programmes.
- Create a supportive and inclusive workplace for all by facilitating a proactive culture that champions community, radical softness, healing, whistleblowing and transformative justice.
The Future Laboratory is committed to tangible and impactful action to effect change. We have set out on our journey to do this by creating a strategy built around the education, diversification and liberation of our team, and we look forward to sharing regular updates on our progress against this plan.
– Cliff Bunting, managing director, The Future Laboratory
If you have any questions on our Diversity & Inclusion work, please get in touch with our D&I coaches at dandi@thefuturelaboratory.com.
