Last week Fifty welcomed Nathan Nalla, Founder and Director of Be The Riot, to lead an inclusive behaviours workshop for Fifty’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Be The Riot’s mission is to “inspire people to create inclusive workplace culture.” Nathan and the team facilitate workshops around inclusive behaviours, antiracism, inclusive leadership, LGBTQ+ inclusion and other key topics. The session aimed to explore common barriers, stereotypes and biases through group and individual exercises. The committee explored a range of topics, including the importance of people-first language and what it means to be a truly inclusive organisation.

Fifty’s People Manager, Tash comments:

‘Implementing inclusive practices should be built into the foundation of any business, by everyone and not just the People Team. That’s why having a committee and running expert training is vital - it equips the team with the knowledge and confidence to put our commitment into practice. One of the (many) parts of the training that stood out to me, was the importance of building a work environment where we can be ourselves - but crucially, where we also feel celebrated and recognised for our individuality. Part of our 2022 strategy will be rolling this out to all leaders and managers at Fifty.’

The workshop educated the team on going beyond ‘protected characteristics’. Questions such as - ‘has anyone ever asked to touch your hair, or touched your hair without permission?’ and ‘have you ever felt afraid to walk down the street holding the hand of your partner?’ facilitated discussions on the reality of individual privilege and intersectionality.

To conclude the workshop - each participant identified three inclusive behaviours we already champion and three we would like to commit to championing moving forwards. Behaviours such as defending: speaking up if you witness anything that may make others feel uncomfortable and listening: actively listening to the experiences of others that differ to my own - really resonated with the team.

We also asked Nathan his thoughts on working with our committee:

“It was great to witness how passionate Fifty's inclusion committee is about having an impact and keeping inclusion a central priority for the business. I had an amazing time and look forward to our future work together!”

Fifty will continue to work towards honouring our 2022 Diversity and Inclusion commitments by implementing strategies and expanding training that fosters inclusivity. To see what we have already achieved - read more here. We look forward to having Be The Riot in to deliver to the wider team!

If you would like to hear more about Fifty's Diversity & Inclusion commitments, feel free to reach out to our People Manager, Tash (she/her) at [email protected]