Planning for research excellence: embedding inclusion and diversity.

Dr Christine Nightingale

The HEFCE REF Equality and Diversity Advisory Panel (EDAP) reviewed institutions’ codes of practice on the selection of staff and produced a report of good practice found in the codes. How might this inform future REF preparation, submissions and the research process?

HEFCE REF EDAP panel

reviewed institutional Codes of Practice.

approved the national training prepared by the Equality Challenge Unit and delivered by trained trainers in each institution.

reviewed every claim (1033) for reduction of outputs due to complex circumstances.

reviewed every institutional Equality Impact Assessment.

produced a final report at the end of the REF processes.

HEI infrastructure, policies and strategic planning

Is equality, diversity, fairness and inclusion:◦ Implicit or explicit,

◦ embedded or discrete

Anticipatory actions and reasonable adjustments

Culture change and social justice

Codes of Practice on the Selection of Staff

REF Codes of Practice for the selection of staff: A report on good practice (2012)

Underlying principles: transparency, consistency, accountability, and inclusivity

Communication Staff and committees Training Individual staff circumstances Appeals Equality Impact Assessments Recommendations

Recommendations: Code of Practice

Submission of a Code of practice should remain a mandatory requirement for a future exercise.

Further guidance should be provided to help HEIs explicitly link their Code and EIA.

Individual staff circumstances

RAE 2008 – 7016 individuals submitted with fewer than 4 outputs (12.2%).

REF 2014 – 16,361 individuals applied with fewer than 4 outputs (29.2%).

1033 (1.84%) applied for complex circumstances.

Recommendations – Individual Circumstances

The lower rate of circumstances submitted in Main Panel B should be explored.

Allowances for staff who hold ‘Teaching only’ contracts during the assessment period should be considered for a future exercise.

a template should be developed to clarify what information is required for particular circumstances.

Any future panel considering complex circumstances should include a general practitioner as well as a clinical psychologist.

HEIs should give further consideration to their responsibilities in relation to reasonable adjustments for staff with complex circumstances and to the promotion of working cultures that enable an appropriate work-life balance for those with both teaching and research contracts.

Equality Impact Assessment

EIAs that reflected the Codes as living documents and linked to future actions and anticipated impact

clear and meaningful contextual information alongside the data analysis

analysis that combined relevant staff characteristics (e.g. age and gender)

clear and meaningful conclusions drawn from the analysis, linked to appropriate actions and commitments for improvement

EIAs with clear contributions from HR and/or equality representatives as well as those who had been involved in REF processes

Recommendations: EIAs

HEIs should proactively address inequalities in staff selection, rather than simply accept them as a general ‘sector issue’.

The funding bodies’ analysis of selection rates by staff characteristics should be undertaken and published at institutional level, as well as sector level.

In a future research assessment, a good practice template or a recommended standard of minimal content for EIAs would be beneficial, with additional guidance tailored toward smaller HEIs.

The funding bodies should consider more explicitly assessing measures to promote and support equality and diversity, as part of the research environment element of a future REF exercise.

Further planning

Audit now.

Look at fairness and distribution of research incentive schemes.

Look at representation on the key decision making committees.

What are the barriers for disabled people, carers, people with families, parental, maternity, paternity and adoption leave.

Using schemes such as Athena Swan, Race Charter, Stonewall to improve the everyday experiences of the workplace.