As we close Pride month this year, we reflect on the issues facing the wider LGBTQ+ community. Not only within the workplace, but in all aspects of society.
The focus on diversity and inclusion within KD isn’t new. We know that inclusive design is good design, and as a consultancy and an employer, our aim is to mirror those we design for. We speak and act with our XXEquals initiative, the UK’s first women-led innovation and product design initiative focused on women’s health and wellness, with a team made up of 75% women and 100% allies of women in industry. As well as XXEquals, we have our Ethnic Diversity Excellence programme, an internship opportunity that helps to tackle the visible lack of diversity within the UK design industry, due to enter its third year.
For me, it is refreshing to work for a company that is honest about the fact that we aren’t as diverse or as inclusive as we want to be. It helps us to dispel the myth that D&I is something you can say that you’ve sorted. All too often there is the tendency to treat D&I initiatives much like a to-do list, merely items that you can tick off as you go and never go back to once they’ve been done, causing whatever you’ve done to eventually fade into the background and lose all effectiveness, leaving you back at square one.
This may sound cliché but, for me, D&I is a journey with no end point. Effective D&I is a continuous effort, and it takes work. That’s why this Pride month we are proud to announce the formation of KD&I: KD Includes, an internal steering group made up of colleagues who will not only focus on driving D&I here at KD but will also have an external outlook for our clients and project work. Our ultimate aim is to add to the positive steps that KD have already taken, and encourage the business and all KD colleagues to go even further by helping to maintain a constant D&I focus in everything that we do at KD, adding to our positive culture as much as we can and adding value to our clients in terms of inclusive design. The D&I Group isn’t the solution to the multitude and complexity of issues across D&I, but it is an important part of KD’s strategy in this area.
D&I isn’t easy. I’m sure the group will make mistakes without meaning to, and we might not be able to implement everything we want to do, but I think it says a lot that KD is willing to add to its D&I offering in this way, instead of saying we’ve completed the journey with what we already do.
When we invited colleagues to become a part of the D&I Group, it was heartening to see so many colleagues from all areas of the business express interest and KD’s values of seeing possibility; making a difference; and standing together are a great starting point for the group to work with.
Sunny Panesar
“It’s quite the burden being the ‘only’ or one of a few. The KD&I initiative is really important to me to help bring down barriers and give everyone an equal footing.”
Sam Russell
“I’ve always felt I’ve had to jump through hoops to obtain the support I’ve needed growing up. So, it’s refreshing to get to work with other members of the team who are so passionate and motivated about providing a parity of experience across the workplace.”
Katie McGill
“I have both benefitted from supportive, inclusive people and spaces, and experienced barriers through my life – many of which I’ve only noticed retrospectively. My previous work expanded my knowledge and experience around D&I principles and practices. Being part of the KD&I group is a chance to continue learning this space and work to improve the balance of experience others have.”
Tim Banks
“It has taken most of my adult life to recognise the value of my own neurodiversity to my work. For a long time, it was something I felt I had to mask and avoid talking about.
Somehow for me it has always been easier to see the value of diversity in the people I work with than in myself. However, being silent about one and not the other would be hypocrisy, and silence only holds back the progress needed to reduce the inequalities that stifle diversity in design and technology businesses.
I believe that every amazing voice in this company of amazing people deserves to be heard. Only by proactively making space, nurturing and supporting each other can we grow a culture in which no one feels silence is their only option.”
Tina Medeiros
“I left my birth country as a young adult and have lived most of my life in different continents. It’s not easy being seen as an immigrant wherever you go – most often than not, you’re automatically excluded as an active member of society because you look or sound different. Eventually, you’ll get used to the fact that only a few people are willing to see your potential and how much you have to offer. It shouldn’t be the case. I believe our differences, whatever they may be, must be celebrated because, at the end of the day, they are the amalgamation of unique qualities that make us a strong, exceptional group of people. Together, we are one incredible team.”
Right now, KD&I: KD Includes is very new and we’re starting to piece together what our priorities are going to be to ensure that the group has as much impact as possible both to our colleagues and our clients. As our work continues, we stay committed to communicating what we’re doing both internally and externally. If you’d like to find out more about what KD is doing as a business in terms of anything to do with D&I, then please do reach out to us to continue the conversation.
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