Build the evidence base
The first step to creating lasting change
You can't change what you don't understand.
Lasting workplace inclusion starts with evidence, not assumptions.
Before you can transform your culture, you need to understand your reality - the lived experiences, perceptions, and systemic barriers that shape your workplace today. We help you build a robust evidence base that guides meaningful action and ensures you create positive outcomes without unintentionally causing harm.
Too many inclusion efforts fail because they start in the wrong place.
Perhaps you've launched initiatives based on what worked elsewhere, only to find they don't resonate with your people. Maybe you're relying on diversity statistics that tell you who's in the room but not whether they feel they belong. Or you're making decisions based on senior leaders' assumptions rather than the actual experiences of your workforce.
Without robust evidence, even well-intentioned actions can miss the mark- or worse, reinforce the very barriers you're trying to remove.
The solution?
Start by listening, observing, and understanding before you act.
Evidence isn't bureaucracy.
It's your foundation for real change.
With robust evidence, you can:
Understand your organisation's current culture and inclusion climate
Identify the different needs of your staff and stakeholders
Uncover lived experience and perceptions of inequalities
Pinpoint specific barriers and enablers to inclusion
Beyond diversity statistics: Building a complete picture.
Workplace inclusion is complex, and the evidence you need reflects that complexity.
While diversity statistics have their place, they're only part of the story. The most powerful evidence comes from the people most deeply connected to inclusion challenges - their stories, experiences, and perceptions.
A robust evidence base draws from multiple sources:
Stories &
lived experience
The personal accounts of those facing inequalities provide nuanced insights that numbers alone can't capture.
Perceptions &
attitudes
Understanding how people perceive your workplace culture reveals gaps between intention and reality.
Behaviours &
practices
Observing inclusion-minded behaviours, or their absence, shows what's actually happening day-to-day.
Systems &
processes
Examining policies and procedures identifies structural barriers that may be invisible to leadership.
Demographics &
statistics
Quantitative data provides context and helps track representation across different groups.
This multifaceted approach ensures you're not relying on a single story or perspective. You're building understanding from multiple viewpoints.
Data collection:
Tailored tools that encourage genuine engagement.
We don't believe in one-size-fits-all surveys that people rush through without thought. Our bespoke data collection methods are designed to encourage meaningful engagement, conversation, and participation. We meet people where they are and create space for voices that might otherwise go unheard.
Practical, not performative.
Bespoke design
We don't hand you a standard template and walk away. Every data collection approach is tailored to your specific context, challenges, and the questions you need answered.
Ethical approach
All activities are conducted with the highest ethical standards, respecting participant dignity, minimising risk, and ensuring appropriate data management throughout.
Actionable insights
We won't just deliver raw data. We work with you to analyse, interpret, and translate findings into clear insights that guide your next steps.
Photo credit: Jennifer Cox © Crown copyright 2024
Conducted with integrity and care.
Your people are trusting you (and us) with their experiences, perspectives, and personal data. We take that responsibility seriously.
All our data collection activities are conducted in accordance with strict ethical principles. We're committed to:
Respecting the dignity, rights, and welfare of all participants
Minimizing risk to participants, researchers, and third parties
Managing personal data appropriately and securely
Maximizing the public benefit of research
Maintaining confidentiality and protecting anonymity where promised
We obtain ethical review and approval from the Social Research Association for all data-collecting activities.
What happens next?
From evidence to action.
Building your evidence base is Step 1 in your journey to inclusion. Once you understand your current reality, you're ready to move to Step 2: using that evidence to empower transformational change.
We'll work with you to analyse your findings, identify priorities, and co-design practical solutions that address the specific barriers and challenges your evidence reveals.
