Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Katie Drummond, founder of Syme Drummond, HR and L&D recruitment consultancy, as part of her ‘Spotlight on HR’ Series. This series is chance for the ‘people’ people, ie those with a responsibility and interest in the employee experience, to share knowledge that would help colleagues during this tough time.

You will not be surprised to know that the topic of my spotlight was equality, diversity and inclusion.

It was a real joy to share my top tips with the community. Also, I got to show off my snazzy vintage shirt.

If you aren’t connected with Katie on LinkedIn (you should be - she’s great), then you can access my tips by heading to this link and the second half here.

Also, if you are reading this, you deserve some behind the scenes gold.

Here are the notes that I had prepared so you can take these tips without listening to me waffle for 15 minutes!

What are some key Equality Diversity and Inclusion issues for HR professionals to consider during the pandemic?

· Working remotely and flexibly right now is not ‘normal’- it’s trying to get work done during a pandemic. This is not just copy and paste from usual circumstances.

· Take note of the challenges of digital delivery and ‘dumping’ things online. We need to do things differently in online space – not just expect the ‘before’ to work on screens.

· Remember that there is a difference between reasonable adjustments versus wellbeing (the first has a legal duty), and mental illness versus resilience.

What practical steps can be taken today?

· Empathy without answers is okay. Recognise that things might be tough and we want to work together to get through this situation.

· Focus on outcomes of work. Not the where/how but what needs delivered and by when.

· Keep mental health/wellbeing/remote/flexible work beyond COVID-19.

If this resonated with you and you would like to chat more about equalities, join our free Imperfect Inclusive Community.