In October 2023, CityCare took the courageous step to implement a ‘Reverse Mentoring Programme.’ The Board led initiative was introduced to challenge the Board members to develop their cultural humility; and in doing so, ensure that their decision making was influenced by consideration of diverse perspectives.
Staff members with identified protected characteristics were offered the opportunity to challenge the leaders of the organisation in their approaches to inclusion. The key objectives of the programme were to offer a development opportunity for Board members, to: encourage more junior staff to deeply and openly discuss the challenges and experiences of underrepresented groups within the organisation, to enable the Board to consider ways to improve EDI practices and interventions across the organisation and also raise awareness about the hidden talents of marginalised staff.
The programme ran for 6 months and concluded with a questionnaire seeking insights into the impact of the programme, as well as a joint session between the mentors and the mentee’s encouraging the sharing of their experiences. Overall, the results were very positive. One mentee shared that their mentor had shown them an insightful video about the impact of microaggressions which they then based their conversations on, another mentor invited their mentee to join them at a civility and respect themed training session and again used the opportunity to share their differing perspectives regarding the messages taken from the session. The mentors also shared how beneficial they found having a dedicated space to discuss their life experiences as well as their hopes and ambitions for the future.
100% of reverse mentees stated that they agreed that reverse mentoring improved their ability and competence as an inclusive leader. In addition, 100% of the reverse mentors believed that the leadership team was more aware of the problems, issues and barriers faced by staff from underrepresented backgrounds based on their reverse mentoring experience. As a result, there is a unanimous agreement from participants that it would be beneficial to expand the programme to include other senior leaders within the organisation in the future and invite more staff members to participate.
The CityCare ambition to improve inclusivity across the organisation is continuing in a positive direction. The knowledge that the Board members have actively taken steps to broaden their perspectives is a positive sign and demonstrates their commitment to ensure that the correct assurances are sought regarding inclusive practice. The Board have taken great strides to lead the way in achieving this ambition and overtime, it is anticipated that the impacts of reverse mentorship will be more evident in decision making over time.
Date published: 22 October 2024
