Tower Hamlets Women’s Contribution to The Field of Equity Diversity and Inclusion
A brand-new animated short film, entitled ‘Dear Employer… ‘ has been created in a collaboration between account3,
local women residents of TowerHamlets and Bristol based Studio Giggle, released on 30th March 2023 issues a strong
call out to employers to notice, understand and tackle racism and its impact on mental health in the workplace.
The animation is based on personal experiences of the women involved, and takes inspiration from a report by the
gender equality organisation The Fawcett Society, and race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust which found:
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- Three quarters of women of colour have experienced some form of racism at work, while just over a quarter
have faced racial slurs,
- Three quarters of women of colour have experienced some form of racism at work, while just over a quarter
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- Nearly two thirds, 60% modify their language, hairstyles, clothes, or diet in order to fit in at work.
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- More than half of Muslim and Black African women said they had changed the clothes they wore at work,
while a quarter of those with Indian heritage said they had changed their name.
- More than half of Muslim and Black African women said they had changed the clothes they wore at work,
The film is part of the work done by account3, a community-based support organisation whose driver is to support women’s economic independence and personal development, as part of their ‘Dare to Lead’ BAME Leadership course for women, funded by LB Tower Hamlets. The participating women completed a series of online classes on feminist leadership values, networking, negotiations, building personal confidence, and other leadership topics.
The project also requires the women to develop a Social Action Project, alongside the training: a collaborative approach to bring together their vision and build on their learning.
The decision was made to create an animation after a group session which saw women share their own personal
experiences of racism throughout their lives and discussions on the impact of both societal behaviours and workplace
practices on mental health and well-being.
The film can be shared as a resource to open conversations on racism at work and encourages employers to be more
conscious of how both implicit and explicit racism and racist practices impact staff and their mental well-being. It also
asks employers to observe, recognise and understand what is happening in the workplace and importantly to have
clear, relevant and meaningful strategies to change workplace cultures.
“Developing a genuine inclusion strategy requires an honest recognition of the challenges and barriers facing Black,
Asian Mixed Heritage and marginalized groups. The message from the women is simple and strong – recognize the
mental and well-being impact of discrimination in the workplace.
We want employers to question and challenge
existing cultures and make workplaces genuinely inclusive and create cultures that contribute to the transformational
change we need to see to help Black Asian and Mixed Heritage women enter and progress in their careers.”
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ‘Dear Employer…’
