I’ve worked for Nottingham CityCare for 10 years and I’m currently a Team Administrator within the Workforce Learning & Development Team. During those 10 years, I’ve supported numerous teams, projects, initiatives and seen a lot of change. 2023 has been a time of significant change and professional development for me since taking on the role of Chair of the Ethnic Equality Staff Network in December 2022.
I remember, as if it was yesterday, completing the expression of interest, submitting it and wondering whether it was good enough to secure me the role; not believing it was something I could do or was deserving of. To my surprise, I got the role, the backing of staff and Senior Leaders who have championed and supported me ever since. I see the role of Chair as an opportunity to contribute to positive change within the organisation, to take my seat at tables I was not previously invited to, to have my voice heard and valued by Senior Management, Board members and Executives and also to speak up on behalf of staff from ethnically diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.
Within the past 10 months, membership of the staff network has continued to increase, and I have been able to encourage the members to take numerous opportunities to support the EDI strategy. Members of the staff network have reviewed recruitment policies, cultural guidance documents and taken part in polls about staff retention amongst other things. Some of the members have also been invited to sit on EDI Stakeholder panel interviews to ensure transparency and equity at the recruitment stage for new employees.
Nottingham CityCare recently created a Leadership Development Programme to give staff at all levels the opportunity to develop leadership skills, to enhance their careers and ultimately enable them to progress professionally. Another door opened for me, and I was accepted onto Cohort 1 of the six-month programme which has recently concluded. The programme gave me the confidence to encourage other members of staff to look for opportunities to develop themselves, to put forward my ideas for improvements and to ask questions of the organisation about their commitment to the EDI strategy and implementing lasting change.
Delivering training sessions, coaching, supporting individual’s personal and professional development are all passions of mine that up until now I’ve been unable to pursue within my career; however, I feel I am now on a journey that will enable me to incorporate these passions and fulfil my true potential.
I’m aspiring to reach the highest professional levels, so when you see my name within the organisational chart of Nottingham CityCare’s Senior Management team, remember, you heard it here first!
Date published: 3 October 2023
