Keeping pace with ED&I
By CA magazine
24 February 2021
With equality, diversity and inclusion ever-more important in the workplace, ICAS has a range of resources to enhance your understanding.
ICAS has resolved to put equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) at the centre of its plans for the future. The ED&I Committee – renamed from its predecessor, the Guthrie Group – will draw up a long-term plan for ICAS to work towards creating a more inclusive profession and to provide support for our members.
We have now introduced mandatory ethics CPD for all members, and updated the Code of Ethics to make it clear CAs are required to respect the values of ED&I. This was done to highlight the importance of upholding these values and to emphasise what is expected of individual CAs.
We have also become a signatory of Access Accountancy, a collaboration of more than 25 professional bodies and firms dedicated to improving access to the accountancy profession in the UK. Helping to make accountancy an inclusive profession is in the spirit of what it means to be a CA.
There are a number of ways to keep up with the relevant material in this area. We run online courses with our CPD partner BPP and publish thought leadership in CA magazine. Here, we highlight the wealth of free material that is also available in ICAS webinars and articles, as well as the open-access FutureLearn courses.
BPP courses
Equality, diversity and inclusion online course pack
This suite of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion courses examines the root causes of discrimination and supports compliance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, helping you to reap the full benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace.
FutureLearn courses
Intercultural Communication
Get a better grasp of the nuances of cross-cultural interaction. This course explains different communication styles, and how values can change from country to country.
Communicating with Diverse Audiences
Different values and different modes of speaking can hinder clear communication. Learn to make conscious decisions about the way you use language and develop a range of strategies to communicate more effectively.
Supporting and Engaging People with Autism
This course provides a foundational understanding of autism, as well as a practical framework, the “person first” approach, for managing the challenges of supporting someone with the condition. It uses real scenarios, drawing on students’ experiences, and aims to foster a supportive network of parents and carers.
Understanding Diversity and Inclusion
This course will help you develop your knowledge and understanding of diversity and equip you to create more inclusive and open working environments. Topics include diversity dexterity, unconscious bias, attitudes and skills, and ethnocentric mindsets.
Webinars
ICAS Insights: International Women’s Day
We celebrated International Women’s Day 2021 with a panel of CA speakers from the education, fashion and sport sectors. They shared their career journeys, including the challenges they faced along the way.
Diversity in the accounting profession: What do ideas of inclusion lend to understanding success
ICAS President Catherine Burnet CA, Regional Chair for KPMG in Scotland, delivers a keynote speech on her first-hand experience of diversity issues while Professor Susan Murphy shares insights from academia to help understand and overcome workplace challenges.
ICAS Insights: Social mobility in the accountancy profession
How can we ensure the accountancy profession is truly open to all? Learn what we can all do to improve social mobility and access to the profession.
ICAS Insights: Challenging racial inequality in the workplace
This panel discussion explores ED&I in business, with speakers sharing their career journeys and the challenges they have faced because of race.
ICAS Insights: Challenging Conversations - bullying in the profession
In this webinar, hosted in partnership with the Law Society of Scotland and Adam Smith Business School, we will provide examples of bullying experienced by members of the accountancy and legal professions and explore what needs to be done by organisations to eradicate such behaviour.
ICAS Insights: Equality, diversity and inclusion in the accountancy profession
Catch up on the ICAS Insights: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webinar, hosted by ICAS Executive Director of Member Engagement and Communications, Sarah Speirs, and featuring a conversation with ICAS President, Catherine Burnet CA, and Chair of the Guthrie Group, Jim Robertson CA
GoodPractice guides
Mentoring racial or ethnic minorities
This article offers advice to individuals looking to mentor an employee from a racial or ethnic minority. Based on the work of Professor David A Thomas of Harvard Business School, it identifies the particular challenges presented by interracial mentoring relationships, and offers tips to overcome them.
Effective intercultural communication
There are immense benefits to communicating with a varied range of cultures, as we can learn much from others. This article discusses human behaviour, and offers tips for communicating effectively with people from very different backgrounds.
Definitions of diversity
Language has been identified as one of the principal areas where prejudice can lurk. It is therefore vital that your organisation not only sets out its intentions for tackling diversity in a meaningful manner, but does so in the appropriate language. This article helps to explain how.
The Equality Act – Leaders and managers
Employment lawyer Elin Pinnell of Capital Law explains what is covered by the 2010 Equality Act, which brought together nine major pieces of equality and discrimination legislation, and examines its implications for leaders and managers.
Leading diversity
Globalisation, the increasing diversity of workforces and markets and the growth of international teams all add up to a compelling business case for the management of diversity. This outlines how senior management can increase the diversity of the workforce in a purposeful way, and lead it with a new range of competencies.
Managing intergenerational talent
Managing a team of different ages can be highly rewarding, as you enjoy a range of outlooks and expertise. We need to acknowledge differences between age groups, while ensuring fair and equal treatment for all. These top tips will help you manage an intergenerational team successfully.
Barriers to effective intercultural communication
Language differences, whether verbal, written or non-verbal, can present significant barriers to successful intercultural communication. This article examines these differences and outlines the best methods to overcome them.
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