Inclusive recruitment commitment

The National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) is committed to equality and diversity in the workplace. NCAS recognises that the environmental research community in the UK – including the atmospheric science community – is not sufficiently diverse. This inclusive recruitment commitment has been created as part of our commitment framework.

The inclusive recruitment commitment aims to support the learning and implementation of best practice in all recruitment processes. Its goal is to facilitate our strategic objectives of supporting staff and improving our diversity, and developing an inclusive research culture, as highlighted in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Living Action Plan.

NCAS appreciates the importance of having an inclusive workplace culture to enable and promote effective approaches to good recruitment practice and increase engagement with minority groups, as well as promote a feeling of belonging across the organisation.

By adopting and maintaining inclusive practices at all stages of the recruitment process, we will support our teams to attract and retain diverse talent. In turn, this will support NCAS’ commitment to create a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, that will facilitate diversity of thought and thus strengthen and progress our organisational structure as well as the wider environmental research community.

All work at NCAS, including this commitment, is underpinned by our values of Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Agility and Fairness, which are key to diversity and inclusion. The highest quality research is only possible through a culture that is inclusive, and where everyone feels they belong.

Inclusive recruitment is a process that is fair and equitable, offering employment opportunities for all groups of people, according to the definition by the Employers’ Network for Equality and Inclusion.

This process ensures that individuals are not facing barriers when accessing opportunities due to their personal characteristics. Recruitment should be conducted in a transparent and consistent manner, where everyone is able to access roles in a fair way throughout the entire selection process. This includes offering reasonable adjustments for existing and prospective staff to remove any potential barriers. More information and guidance around reasonable adjustments can be found in the inclusive recruitment practical guide.

This commitment covers all activities from the creation of the role, development of the job description and activities such as advertising, shortlisting, interviewing and selecting candidates, as well as induction and onboarding of new staff. 

NCAS is responsible for ensuring sufficient provision of training and support for its  recruiters and hiring managers to embed good practice across all of our sites. The goal of this commitment and the associated practical guide is to encourage all colleagues, and more specifically hiring managers, to implement inclusivity in their recruitment activities by suggesting practical steps that can be built into these processes. 

Host institutions legally employ NCAS staff. They have a number of responsibilities, including: providing written employment contracts, paying salaries, providing safe workplaces, providing fair treatment, following legislation and good employment practice, and undertaking a duty of care.

Please note, this commitment is not intended to replace the policies and processes of host institutions or partner organisations, but to complement these by providing an overarching NCAS approach to best recruitment practice. For specific university recruitment procedures, please refer to your host institution’s policies.