Rachel Youngman On How To Create More Inclusive Workplaces

Creating inclusive workplaces is crucial for any organization that wants to get the most out of its talent. This means creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong, has equal opportunities, is empowered to do their best work, and feels comfortable making requests and contributing ideas. In this series, we asked prominent HR and business leaders about the steps they take to create more inclusive workplaces. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel Youngman.

Rachel Youngman works with charities and corporates to achieve sustainability through environment, social and governance (ESG) principles. With an international career that spans the legal profession, social justice and science, Rachel’s most recent role involved bringing a fresh approach to how a national science organization sets out an ESG framework that is transparent about the challenges of reaching net zero, and removing stereotypes and barriers that hold underrepresented groups back from STEM careers.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Before we drive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

Having started my career at the International Bar Association where I was promoted into my first senior leadership position, I then moved into organisations working on human rights and social justice. I’ve held CEO positions at a number of social justice organizations and charities and have consulted for several UK Government departments. Having already worked with professional member organizations that provide a sense of community for people in their sector, the Institute of Physics (IOP) seemed like an interesting fit for my expertise. I was keen to see how my experience in social justice could help tackle underrepresentation in physics. I launched the charity’s first ever diversity campaign — Limit Less — which challenged society’s view of women in STEM and the barriers they face. As well as advocating for policy change, we worked with influencers including for the first time on Tik Tok to create a new narrative directed at girls and other minority groups to show the opportunities from pursuing STEM careers. I also launched the Looking Glass podcast covering a range of topics that really matter to society and where physics can bring solutions. The podcast won a New York Radio Award.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

My first meeting when I started at the International Bar Association was in Dublin. I was very nervous so arrived early only to find the very grand building looking closed as it was a Saturday. I eventually managed to find an unlocked door. I walked in and found the caretaker and asked where I could find the room for our meeting. He took me to an equally grand room with a huge Boardroom table and large portraits on the walls. I asked if he could arrange teas, coffees and biscuits and he said he would go and do that. 30 minutes later people started to arrive. All very senior Irish lawyers. The main chair at the head of the table was empty until.. in walked the caretaker and sat down. He was President of the Irish Law Society. He just quietly smiled and the meeting started. So, never make assumptions! I met the President many times after that meeting and he always got the tea and biscuits!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

At the risk of sounding cliché, my parents helped me to be the person I am today. I was a mixed-race child born in 1960s Britian to an unmarried white mother who felt there was no option but to put me up for adoption. That was incredibly brave. In many ways I was born not to belong. The notes from the adoption centre said I would be “hard to place”. But my parents, who were both white English born, gave me a family, including my adoptive brother and sister. I’ve been lucky to have such a great family but it would be fair to say that there were times I struggled to belong because I looked so different and as a young person fitting in really matters.

The ability to find a place in environments where I don’t naturally belong, came from my father who was a lawyer. He helped me to identify who I really was and what I wanted to do and be. He taught me that it’s not just about how you look or speak, but about who you are and your own experiences. His valuable lessons have given me confidence and resilience that have helped me as a woman in business. My mother was a social worker and through her I would see all sides of life, and appreciate my relative privilege. That has stayed with me throughout my life. My parents are not here any more, but when I faced my own cancer diagnosis last year I drew on the strength they ingrained in me to get through physical and mental challenges.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Life is uncertain, and we plan for uncertainty”. That was said to me by my wonderful breast cancer surgeon. It made so much sense not only about my diagnosis and treatment, but more generally about life. It reminded me of what I value most and what a privilege it is to be able to lend my voice to improving equality in society so people from all backgrounds can be heard without fear or censure and make a valuable contribution.

Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self?

Don’t give up if things go wrong and don’t panic! Try to slow down, seek out your network of trusted friends and advisors and surround yourself with people who will help you to see different ways to get through challenging times. We all have them. Listen to their advice but also listen to yourself. Carve out some quiet time. And don’t feel you need to conform or let people hold you back. Do your job, interact with people, bring knowledge and expertise, and know that you can do all of that and still wear Converse!

Let’s now move to the central part of our interview. What systems do you have to ensure your workplace is as inclusive as possible?

I’ve worked for many not for profit organisations, and as an employer we have a responsible role to present ESG frameworks that will support diversity of thought and a sense of inclusion. There is plenty of evidence that shows how an inclusive culture where diversity can thrive, can help organisations to achieve impact through better innovation and performance.

Understanding data is important and that is why I think reporting on gender and ethnicity pay for example, is a really positive development. As leaders, I believe our role is to co create a vision based on solid business principles that need to be adhered to, and then to empower our employees to design and deliver. One example is the flexibility of working that came from the pandemic. That is now the subject of much discussion in many organisations both for and against. What we did at IOP is set out the business principles to make sure we could still deliver and remain sustainable whilst creating a much more inclusive culture. An employee led team designed the detail and system and did it much better than I could have done. Being a leader is about knowing when to step back. I would say the flexible working revolutionised IOP for current and future staff. Performance has not suffered.

Based on your experience and success, what are your top five tips for creating more inclusive workplaces?

1 . Be creative, be bold and take risks. Be prepared to make changes as you learn. IOP was one of the first organisations to move to a system of complete flexible working. That was a bold move but it has worked.

2 . As a leader, understand that teams will have the best ideas. For a long time I didn’t do that well. But teams have consistently shown me how important it is. For example, thanks to a small team at IOP, the organisation started to talk openly about the menopause, personal experiences and what practical ways the organisation could help. Their work made IOP a better employer.

3 . Getting to know each other breaks down barriers. At the IBA, we all travelled so much together and all over the world so there were plenty of opportunities. Just a few weeks ago I was laughing with a former colleague about our first visit to Russia many years ago. Of course travelling isn’t always possible but you can still get to know each other, create those opportunities and memories.

4 . The importance of listening to create an inclusive culture can never be underestimated. It sounds really easy yet in a pressurised environment it can be difficult to cut through all the hectic noise and carve out quiet time. It is so important not to brush away difficult conversations but to have time and the right environment for conversations and to listen and reflect. I’ve worked with some great teams over the years who have done this so well and I’ve learnt from each of them.

5 . Building an inclusive culture is not about eliminating conflict. One of my favourite CEO roles was at a youth organisation called Leap Confronting Conflict. Their work was based on the premise that conflict is natural and can be healthy if managed well. By suppressing it, a passive aggressive culture can develop and sometimes bubble over into something far worse.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make while trying to become more inclusive? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

In times of economic pressure, organizations can see reaching diversity targets as a box-ticking exercise and forget the value of retaining a diverse pool of talent. This can become more acute in a society that is divided on what some see as the woke agenda. But if employees do not feel their working environment is inclusive, they will soon leave, rendering all ‘box-ticking’ a waste of time. Without an inclusive culture, there is no benefit to diversity. Organizations need to look at the broader picture and understand that by feeling valued, staff will stay with an organization and contribute to its success through better innovation and performance. This makes financial sense as well as good HR practice. By retaining staff you reduce recruitment costs, you maximize performance with a happy and content workforce, you can attract more investment and support from partners and funders and meet expectations of shareholders and compliance bodies who will be monitoring performance.

How do you measure the effectiveness of your DEI efforts?

Somewhere to start is with a survey to measure the level and type of diversity in a business. That will normally include responses to questions such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and socio economic. The survey can help to benchmark and understand trends. It acts as a powerful contribution to creating the right solutions. But it is important to remember that human beings rarely fit into a box.

We are all made up of many different aspects that together form our identity and the barriers to inclusion. So D&I, or whichever letters are used, is far more nuanced than a survey tick box. This is why the campaign LimitLess, which encourages young people from underrepresented groups to study physics at 16, was designed on qualitative social justice outcomes to create change to public behaviours, attitudes and perceptions. Surveys are one small part. They are important, but not the full story. Case studies or even a single image can be much more powerful.

Are there other organizations you admire for their approach to DEI? Can you please explain why?

I think the financial services sector is doing some interesting work. Its certainly not an easy sector but they have set out the economic value of diversity which is a powerful counter to the anti woke messages. Research shows that 30% is the tipping point to create momentum of diversity change and I often look at the work of the 30% Club and their global campaign to boost female representation on Boards and C Suite. They do some great work. I was fortunate to work with their former Chair, Brenda Trenowden from PWC, who was an incredible force for change and taught me so much. Since she died in 2022, her legacy very much lives on.

What do you do to address Proximity Bias? How do you ensure remote workers are treated the same as onsite workers and have equal access to opportunities?

I find the expression “remote worker” so odd and divisive. I remember when I started working at IOP it was a common expression for London based employees, where IOP had its office, and everyone else who was deemed remote! With the post pandemic working culture some of that proximity bias has had to change. I live in London but my horizon is much wider because I’ve always been interested in the wider world outside the square mile. Its really about a culture and mind shift, as well as bringing people together to meet, and that takes time. But its one leaders have to drive because people’s self inflicted barriers and perceptions are the hardest ones to shift and if left unchecked can impact an inclusive working environment.

We are very blessed to have some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this.

I have spoken out my whole life in different ways on gender equality. From my own life experience to more recently spending six of the happiest years of my career as Chair of Hibiscus supporting foreign national women in the UK immigration system, many of whom have survived trafficking, gender based violence and the uncertainties of being a refugee in a deeply flawed system. I see an amazing new generation of women calling for change. One person that stands out for me is Waad Al-Kateab for her work to bring through film the horror of war on the lives of girls and women in Syria. The film For Sama, was so powerful and I love that Waad is now mentoring the next generation of female journalists.

How can our readers further follow your work?

Find me on LinkedIn here, and I love to engage on X/Twitter so do get in touch with your thoughts here.

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!