Equality, diversity and inclusion

We recognise that great minds don’t think alike.

Contents

Our approach

Equality, diversity and inclusion is a journey. We are well on the way on the journey and we are committed to continuous improvement. Our aspiration is a working culture which actively values difference and unlocks the potential of a diverse workforce.

In a nutshell, we recognise that great minds don’t think alike, and we want all of our people to feel valued.

We continually assess and improve our policies, procedures and practices to enable all individuals to perform to the best of their ability and create a positive, engaging and inclusive working environment.

We are continuously striving to achieve a culture that values ability, difference, openness, fairness, transparency and inclusivity, aiming to go beyond the statutory and legal requirements. Improving our equality, diversity and inclusion is a major strategic initiative at the Met Office, reflecting the commitment, and investment, in continuous improvement from our board.

We are a Disability Confident employer, Mindful Employer, and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze award for our work on gender equality.

Our aim is to have a work force that is representative of the public that we serve, so that our services are relevant to the whole of the UK, and beyond.

All Met Office employees will:

  • treat everyone with dignity, trust and respect
  • be aware of the effect of their behaviour on others and be mindful of making reasonable and manageable demands
  • communicate honestly and openly, clearly stating what they mean and expect;
  • provide honest feedback based on evidence and be open to challenge and constructive criticism;
  • seek and be receptive to feedback and open to modifying their behaviour where appropriate;
  • work together to create a positive environment; to enable us to perform to the best of our ability.

Met Office Equality Objectives 

Here at the Met Office we believe that great minds don’t think alike, we celebrate and appreciate the value of difference. We believe that setting equality objectives is an important way for us to show our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Our equality objectives help us describe the things we’ll do to support our vision to be a progressive employer of choice.

We’ve set out four equality objectives that will enable us to focus on key areas and ensure we are making progress.  The objectives will last from 2020 until 2024 at the latest, but we will keep track of where we are annually and update where relevant.

Our initial objectives and outcomes were agreed in 2020 as:

Objective 1: Engaging with and understanding the diversity of our people

1a. By March 2021 we will have undertaken an all-staff survey to significantly improve our understanding of the needs of all of our staff and will review our processes and procedures to ensure everyone is valued and treated equally.

1b. By March 2022 we will be fully aligned with Civil Service guidelines for recording personal diversity data for ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief and disability.

Objective 2 – Advancing equality of opportunity

By December 2021 we will have launched and provided training to key personnel on our Equality Impact Assessments (EqIA) process, ensuring we prevent unlawful discrimination, foster improved relations between people who share protected characteristic and those who do not, and that we identify and act upon opportunities to advance equality of opportunity.

Objective 3 – Increasing representation of under-represented groups at all levels

The ongoing review of our recruitment and progression practices will enable us to identify areas for improvement and ensure we will take positive actions to attempt to increase staff numbers from under-represented groups throughout the Met Office by 2024.

Objective 4 – Zero tolerance to bullying, harassment and discrimination

We are reinvigorating our approach to Dignity at Work by April 2021 and will promote a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment in the workplace.

A detailed set of actions underpins the high-level objectives.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, agreed in January 2021, shows how the objectives and corporate strategies align.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Networks

There are a number of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion networks at the Met Office.

Accessibility and Disability Network

This is a staff-led network that aims to:

  • Work across the organisation to improve all aspects of working life for staff with disabilities

Autism Network

This is a staff-led, peer-support network for autistic-identifying employees, placements and contractors at the Met Office.  By "autistic" we include anyone with a diagnosis of autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), autism spectrum condition (ASC) or Asperger syndrome; anyone pursuing a diagnosis; and anyone who identifies as autistic but for whatever reason is not pursuing a diagnosis at this time.

Our primary aim is to offer a safe space for those on the spectrum to share insights and experiences, and to support each other in adapting to the various day-to-day challenges of employment.  A secondary aim is to share our knowledge and experiences, to increase understanding of autism and how best to support and work with autistic people within the Met Office.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network

Our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Staff Network aims to support the Met Office in becoming the employer of choice for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We want to build a working environment that promotes equal involvement by spreading awareness as well as providing advice and encouragement to colleagues from underrepresented groups.

The Network is a forum for BAME colleagues across the Met Office to share their experiences and support each other. It is a safe space to discuss, challenge and take action where necessary to promote race equality and diversity at the Met Office.

Dementia Carers and Carers Networks

The Dementia Carers and Cares Network is saff-led, and aims to:

  • Provide information and support for staff with caring responsibilities
  • Work with HR to improve all aspects of working life for carers

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group

This group is drawn from the leads of our staff-led networks, and exists to:

  • Propose ED&I actions and review delivery of those actions
  • Share information between staff networks 
  • Provide a direct link between staff-led ED&I networks and senior management

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Network

A staff-led network to:

  • Provide information and support for staff, their friends and family;
  • Increase visibility & awareness of LGBTQ issues;
  • Actively promote the Met Office diversity and inclusivity agenda to include encouraging difference, openness, respect, fairnessand transparency, through which a positive and open working environment can be created

Read Rob Springett's Q&A about Celebrating Pride In STEM

Why we use pronouns

Knowing and using someone's gender pronouns is a positive way to support our colleagues. By adding gender pronouns to our email signatures, we can increase awareness and make gender diversity part of the conversation that acts as a reminder internally and builds awareness externally. Using the right pronouns for someone will make them feel acknowledged and valid. It provides a simple way of showing respect to the minority who are questioned about their gender identity and can be an acknowledgment of our own privilege.

Menopause Network

This staff-led network is for female staff of any age, at the Met Office, who want to know about the Menopause, to offer support and to chat about their experiences of this transition in life.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Awareness Network

A staff-led network aiming to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellbeing in our workplace and our day-to-day lives. We recognise that our mental health is as important as our physical health, so we encourage open discussion of issues surrounding mental health and wellbeing. We also support national Mental Health Awareness Events, arrange talks and workshops, and highlight sources of self-help and professional support.

Women in Climate Network

The Women in Climate network is a joint staff-led University of Exeter and Met Office initiative to support the retention of women in climate science and promote diversity. Women are under-represented in scientific leadership positions so as well as discussing topical issues, the network hosts skills-based sessions to help people achieve success in their careers.

Employee Data

We are a Civil Service body. Our statistics are reported in the following data:

Gender pay report 

See downloads for our recent Gender Pay Gap Reports.

Downloads