Diversity and inclusion in the workplace means that every individual feels valued, included, and respected regardless of their differences.
At Oxford University Press (OUP), we believe that education has the power to transform lives for the better, and we exist to give people access to knowledge, research, and resources. Creating a diverse, inclusive culture is essential to helping us achieve our ambitions. By empowering our people to express their individuality, to make their mark, and to achieve their personal aspirations, we can better reflect the markets we operate in, and the customers we work with.
We look to inspire change not only within our organization, but within the industries in which we operate.
In 2018, OUP launched five global diversity and inclusion goals to help ensure we are as diverse and inclusive as possible. We have a number of activities in place—at both a global and a local level—to help us achieve these goals.
We have set up committees and local networks in many of our offices around the world, including the UK, USA, South Africa, India, Brazil, Spain, Hong Kong, Mexico, Malaysia, Canada, Kenya, Japan, Argentina, and Pakistan. They support our diversity and inclusion goals by organizing events, creating awareness about the importance of diversity and inclusion, inclusive leadership, and best practices, and by holding ‘inclusion conversations’ where people can express their views freely, in a safe environment. We use the insights we gather through these activities to identify and drive improvements around diversity and inclusion across OUP.
Over time, we will set up additional committees across other regions where we have a presence.
We also have a number of committees focused on specific areas:
We also have an Event Planning Committee, which supports the other committees by planning and running internal events around different aspects of diversity and inclusion.
We know that diversity and inclusion is an area that many of our people feel passionate about. Some of our employees have set up networks to support our diversity and inclusion ambitions for OUP as a whole, and to support to fellow employees.
The Befriender Network, launched in October 2018, provides informal support to anyone returning or continuing to work after a traumatic or life changing event. Befrienders can provide support (face-to-face or remotely, and for as long as is required and feasible) across a wide range of experiences including mental and physical health challenges, well-being,bereavement, being a new starter, and supporting dependants.The network also assists colleagues and managers to 'find the right words' to support a colleague going through a challenging experience.
The Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) network was launched in January 2019 to support OUP's global diversity and inclusion objectives but also as a fun, social endeavour for BAME colleagues in, or visiting, the Oxford office. The network mainly focuses on professional development, socialising, and raising the presence of the BAME community at OUP.
OUP's LGBTQ+ network is based in the Oxford office and open for all employees to join. Currently focusing on building professional networks across the Press as well as externally, the group holds monthly lunches and teas, and run campaigns and events to encourage participation and assist in creating an inclusive culture. They plan to invest in LGBTQ+ role models and allies programme to help HR raise awareness in future.
The OUP Women's Network works towards facilitating the career progression of women in the Press. The network achieves this by providing networking, mentoring, professional, and personal development through discussions, events, and workshops, covering topics such as the power of mentoring and unconscious bias.