CELEBRATING SUCCESS IN PROMOTING EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CAN HELP RAIL TO CLOSE ITS SKILLS GAP

That is one of the key themes of the new chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) working group, which is jointly sponsored by RIA and Women in Rail.

Mandeep Singh, Global Product Marketing Manager for TUV Rheinland, became chair of the group, which champions equality, diversity and inclusion across the UK rail industry, in March this year. After taking on leadership of the EDI Charter working group, Singh says he wants to join the supply chain and the wider industry together with a common theme of improvement for all.

He told The Railway Industry Magazine that, while rail has further to go in delivering better equality, diversity and inclusion, his emphasis is to celebrate what has already been achieved. Doing that, he says, will make the railway industry more attractive to potential new recruits, not least to young people and women – and attracting and harnessing a diverse range of new talent will be key to the rail industry’s future success.

With a lack of diversity in senior leadership roles, Singh’s focus is on reaching out to the people who will lead the industry tomorrow. He is convinced that the face of that future rail industry will look very different from its face today: “The railway in ten years is going to be very different” he said. “The real target here are the future leaders. They will become the new cohort of senior management and will shape the approach that we need”. To become a railway filled with diverse leaders, Singh argues that the pathways to leadership and the flexibility in ideas and inclusion need to be expanded.

Singh first became involved in the working group nearly two years’ ago when he attended a RIA event in Birmingham whose focus was on how SMEs in rail could have better EDI processes and practices. “I quickly realised that there was room here for actually highlighting best practices and encouraging the railway to be the forerunner for EDI practices” he said. Singh started off as a member of the working group, with a particular interest in the rail supply chain – “I felt there was no real guidance or space for the supply chain to focus on the EDI issues that they face” - and was then elected vice chair, and subsequently chair.

Create Change And Lasting Impact

Asked what he hopes to achieve as chair, Singh said “The main objective is to create change and leave lasting impact. It is all in the delivery. We have a highly engaged audience of signatories who are looking for guidance and advice. Becoming a signatory is a public statement of intention to deliver better EDI in their organisations. We accept that we may not be able to be the gold standards immediately, but we are able to make noticeable, immediate changes that will make our workplaces better environments”.

Explaining why companies should want to do deliver better equality, diversity and inclusion, he said “there is a well-documented library of research that evidences that companies who have a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion have happy, positive and profitable workforces. Externally, this is also the opportunity to become a more attractive sector. The only real way to fill the looming skills gap is to attract talented individuals. We need to make working for rail exciting and work hard to retain the individuals that we recruit. People come to work and deserve to work without discrimination”.

Talking about the tone of voice that the working group seeks to adopt, Singh said “Equality, diversity and inclusion has a negative lens applied, but we have had to be critical to address certain issues head on. I do, however, feel there is cause to celebrate. Let us celebrate the improvement that has already happened. We have some organisations that are well ahead of the curve in treating people well and focussing on equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing”.

“From an HR and talent resourcing perspective” he said “we aren’t getting enough females in rail. We aren’t getting enough ethnic minorities. It is a real shame for the railway. Part of this is due to other sectors not understanding the width and breadth of roles available in the railway. One of the things that we really focus on is going into schools and encouraging younger people into thinking about careers in rail”. Singh stresses that the railway should be representative of the communities it serves and not operating in a silo.

The Exciting Challenge

He said “we are looking at the railway of tomorrow and trying to do things differently. EDI is an opportunity for everyone in the railway to change the world of tomorrow, open more doors for the railway and actively contribute to a better railway and a better society. That is the exciting challenge we are undertaking”.

Describing the working group’s methods of operation, he said that there is a monthly Charter signatory forum where presenters from around the railway share best practice – “it could just be as simple as a ‘copy and paste’ into your organisation, if you don’t know where to start. The monthly forum is a community of people who learn, share and discuss”.

With RIA and Women in Rail, the group hosts events covering a whole range of topics – Singh gave the example of a recent neurodiversity workshop, including a guest speaker who described how his autism affected his role as owner of his own business. The group is also working on an industry-wide survey of EDI to understand both the positive changes that have already been made in the railway and the opportunities for further improvement.

He emphasises that the working group is not “an echo chamber” but brings together a wide range of people with different characteristics and experiences. Their primary focus is to offer practical support to people across the rail sector who want to do EDI better but may not know how to put that into practice.

Over 200 rail companies and organisations are already signatories of the EDI Charter, and the working group seeks both to help them and to encourage others to join. “Any organisation can become a signatory of the Charter” Singh said, “becoming a signatory doesn’t mean you already have the best EDI in the world. Rather it is journey and a collaborative journey that is made from relationships”.

If you would like to learn more about the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Charter, please contact info@edicharter.co.uk.