The programme supports employers to review workplace culture and ensure that policies and practices reflect the diverse experiences of women at work – including racially minoritised women, disabled women, lesbian, gay and bisexual women and trans women. It also recognises the link between women’s inequality in the labour market and wider structural inequality, including violence against women.
Participation in Equally Safe at Work provides the council with an opportunity to demonstrate leadership across the organisation and in the wider community. Over the coming year, the council will deliver a programme of activity that includes reviewing and developing internal policies, examining recruitment and progression practices, improving access to flexible working and strengthening how colleagues are supported to report and respond to sexual harassment or gender-based violence.
Chief Executive Dawn Roberts said:
“We are committed to building a workplace where fairness, inclusion and respect are part of everyday practice. As a woman in leadership, I recognise how important it is that our systems and culture support women to feel safe, heard and able to thrive. Taking part in the Equally Safe at Work programme gives us the opportunity to reflect on how we work and ensure we continue to evolve in the right direction.”
Council Leader Councillor Stephen Thompson said:
“This programme supports us to challenge inequality, support a diverse workforce and embed a culture where all colleagues are treated with dignity and respect.”
The council recognises that advancing gender equality at work is not a one-off project, but a long-term responsibility. As part of its accreditation journey, Dumfries and Galloway Council will embed sustainable approaches to monitoring progress, addressing structural barriers and supporting victim-survivors of violence against women.
Equally Safe at Work is delivered by Close the Gap, Scotland’s policy and advocacy organisation working to address the causes of women’s inequality in the workplace.
To learn more, visit www.equallysafeatwork.scot.