Dear colleagues,
The Faculty of Medicine is a workplace where staff members differ in many ways – including gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, ability, sexual orientation, and worldview.
Diversity in the workplace presents both opportunities and challenges. The faculty management aims to encourage reflection on the significance of diversity so that we can better develop and utilise the resources that a diverse workplace offers us.
That’s why all staff are invited to this spring's major inspiration event: “What is the value of diversity?” It will be held in Norwegian, but please sign up if the language barrier is not too big an obstacle.
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
The attack on academic freedom and academic institutions that we have witnessed in the USA forms a serious backdrop for this event. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are all about rights, security, and trust.
The literature on diversity management emphasises that diversity has inherent value. At the same time, there are instrumental arguments for a diverse workplace. It is highlighted that the potential for innovation can be stimulated by considering different values, perspectives, and worldviews. Facilitating diversity is a management task that involves not just legal and institutional frameworks, but also communication and collaboration.
The faculty’s action plan for equality, inclusion, and diversity is rooted in the various strategic documents of UiO. The university aims to “systematically work to create a good working and learning environment, increase diversity, and foster an inclusive culture for students and staff” (UiO Strategy 2030). Traditionally, the university's and faculties' equality policies have primarily focused on gender balance, which remains an important area of work. The proportion of female professors at UiO is below 40 percent. We are also seeing a concerning trend regarding boys and higher education: the proportion of male students is also well under 40 percent at UiO.
At the same time, the understanding of equality has been broadened in the recent strategic documents, and diversity and inclusion have gained increased attention. This is also true at our faculty. The faculty aims to promote scientific advancement, sustainability, innovation, and value creation, while also being a good workplace for everyone. This is best ensured when staff and students reflect the diversity of society and when the faculty actively works towards equality and inclusion.
How do we promote the recognition of and implementation of a diverse Faculty of Medicine?
“What is the value of diversity?” is part of the faculty's project to develop and implement measures to enhance equality, inclusion, and diversity. (See the project page for Balance+ at MED in Norwegian). This project is funded by the faculty and BALANSE+ (in Norwegian), which is the Research Council of Norway's programme to promote gender balance, diversity, and inclusion in Norwegian research.
The event will address questions related to gender and equality, ethnic diversity, dealing with discrimination and racism, and communication and cooperation: Why should we recruit diversity? How can we collaborate effectively when perspectives are challenged? How do we learn to recognise difference as a strength?
Our goal is for the event to help increase our competence in diversity work – and to create space for and listen to different perspectives.
Welcome!
Best regards,
Eli