Equalities in the workplace
This page is regularly updated with some, but not all projects, related to our EDI Strategy.
Our Behaviours
Generally, the way we behave is in our control. How we choose to behave at work – positive or negative – affects our workplace, colleagues and service users. Our Behaviours provide clear and consistent expectations for everyone, helping us feel safe, trusted and valued.
- Respect: We're inclusive, we promote equality, we treat people with fairness, understanding and kindness and we consider others in our decisions and actions.
- Integrity: We're open and honest, we take responsibility, we build trust, and we pull together to do what's right for our residents, colleagues and city.
- Flexibility: We're open minded, we keep it simple, we adapt to provide great services and find better ways of doing things, and we embrace opportunities for shared working and learning.
Guaranteed interview pledge
As an inclusive employer, we offer a guaranteed interview for any applicant that meets the essential criteria stated in the person specification and declares that
- they have a disability, long-term health condition or
- they are or have been care-experienced at any point during their childhood.
Anti-racist action plan
We’re committed to becoming an anti-racist organisation, one where all colleagues at all levels of the organisation understand their responsibility to recognise, identify, challenge and address racist and discriminatory behaviour and feel they have the skills and knowledge to approach this with confidence.
We’re aware that our workforce profile does not yet reflect the diversity of the population of the city we serve. To attract diverse applicants to join our organisation, we must be clear that we do not tolerate racist or discriminatory behaviour in any form. We must also address potentially discriminatory structural or systemic processes and practices to ensure no person is placed at a disadvantage.
We invested in an 18-month reverse mentoring programme where white senior leaders were mentored by colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds to give those leaders the opportunity to learn from colleagues, to understand their lived experiences, and particularly their experiences at work. As a result, an anti-racist action plan was developed to ensure that learning from the programme and beyond was taken forward in practical steps to achieve cultural change.
Our anti-racist action plan recognises that racism is a significant challenge that continues to have profound impacts on our colleagues and that it’s no longer enough for us to tackle inequalities - we must be actively anti-racist. The plan is comprehensive and ambitious.
Active bystander training
We run active bystander training sessions that empower our colleagues to create a safe and supportive workplace. Recognising the importance of active bystanders in our organisation, the training sessions explore the consequences of inaction.
This training promotes discussions on a range of social situations that can have a negative impact on the culture and performance in any organisation. It looks at the concept of 'bystander' and provides colleagues with some practical strategies that can be used to both support and challenge colleagues in difficult situations. By the end of the session participants will be able to
- discuss the role of leadership in the prevention of abuse and harassment
- discuss a range of social issues that are currently impacting negatively on the workplace
- define the term active bystander and the role those active bystanders can play in creating a supportive and successful workplace culture
- discuss a range of tools that support active bystander-ship.
Inclusive recruitment
The City of Edinburgh Council is committed to creating a fair, transparent, and inclusive recruitment process that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.
As one of Scotland’s largest local authorities, the Council recognises that attracting and retaining a workforce with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives strengthens decision-making, innovation, and service delivery.
Inclusive recruitment ensures that our commitments that: opportunities are accessible to all; removing barriers that may disadvantage underrepresented groups; and actively promoting equality are across every stage of the recruitment process.
This includes clear and accessible job adverts and partnerships with community organisations to help grow our diverse candidate pools. The Council also places a strong emphasis on well-being and flexibility, ensuring that roles are designed to accommodate different needs and circumstances, helping to make public sector careers more accessible to groups who may have been excluded in the past.
By embedding inclusivity into recruitment, Edinburgh not only enhances its reputation as an employer of choice but also ensures that its workforce truly represents and understands the needs of the city’s residents. This approach supports the Council’s broader ambition to tackle inequality, build stronger communities, and deliver high-quality services that are shaped by and for the people of Edinburgh.
Colleague networks
Our colleague networks have a link to a protected characteristic defined by the Equality Act (2010) or where the Council has formally recognised a group as such.
The role of a colleague network is to provide a safe space for discussion of issues, help to raise awareness of issues within the wider organisation, provide support for individual colleagues who may be facing challenges at work and provide a collective voice for change.
Our colleagues have chosen to have individual networks based on different protected characteristics. Each of these networks aims to champion equality across the organisation within their characteristic. However, our colleague networks are committed to working together and taking an intersectional approach to their goals.
Our current colleague networks
- Black and Minority Ethnic Equality Workers forum: The forum meet to discuss common issues that affect all minority ethnic colleagues and their communities.
- Care experienced network: A group to create a safe, empowering, and inclusive space for care experienced colleagues, contributing to a culture where lived experience is recognised and valued.
- DRIVE network: DRIVE promotes race equality and anti-racism across the Council.
- SHINE network: SHINE stands for Spiritual, Holistic, Interfaith, Network Edinburgh. It is an interfaith network fostering acceptance and understanding amongst different religions and beliefs within the network and across the council.
- SPARC network: SPARC stands for Supporting People’s Abilities Regardless of Circumstance. Their aim is to give colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions a stronger voice and a more inclusive and supportive environment.
- STRIDE network: STRIDE is committed to celebrating the diversity of LGBT+ identities and raising awareness of the issues that LGBT+ people face in the workplace and wider society.
- Women’s network: A community to inspire, empower and support women in the council to get the most out of work and their careers.
