Hold on tight as Simon and Rachel tackle a red-hot question: Are your employees still just employees, or are they morphing into activists? From baked beans to workplace tussles about toilets (a subject that disproportionately is vexing employers and their staff right now!) and drag pantos at Christmas parties, this conversation has everything, and a few surprises.

Find out why Rachel was kettled by the Metropolitan Police outside Miss World in her younger years, while Simon fondly remembers being “bullied” by bolshy feminists into joining activism life-changing, he insists! Together they dive headfirst into the messy business of workplace activism, staff networks, and how companies are struggling to balance societal debates with core business objectives.

Expect insightful banter, playful disagreement, and a healthy dose of practical wisdom as they explore whether activism at work builds belonging or creates division, and why some issues spark genuine progress while others ignite polarisation. Is your CEO secretly terrified of town halls? Could your company accidentally silence the majority while amplifying a few loud voices? And just why are women’s networks sometimes named so awkwardly?

Join Rachel and Simon as they fearlessly unpack this sensitive, complex topic with humour, empathy, and (of course!) courageous candour.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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In our second episode on the Supreme Court Judgement on the meaning of sex in the Equality Act, Rachel and Simon again explore the complexities. The re-statement of the law by the Court is crystal clear. But the reaction has ranged from the practical and sensible to the defiant and the downright defamatory. And from some people who should know better. Why did one of the leading law firms in the UK host a session where the Supreme Court Judges were described by a panellist to laughter as “f******g idiots”? Who shouted what insult at Simon on the bus? Why was Rachel’s conversation with a bricky on the train so surprising? What's the article with the best legal advice that we've found so far? Why should leaders be very cautious about them or their company grandstanding on the issues rather than remaining impartial and lawful and practical? Which is the best and most straightforward advice to be found for leaders navigating all this? More conversation and common sense from R&S on a subject to which we will undoubtedly return

Links:

Joanne Moseley - Irwin Mitchell

Do retailers have to provide single sex toilets and changing rooms for their customers and staff?

https://www.irwinmitchell.com/news-and-insights/expert-comment/post/102kb9l/do-retailers-have-to-provide-single-sex-toilets-and-changing-rooms-for-their-cust

Strathclyde Uni Law Blog

https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/lawschool/blog/genderdoesntmatter/

https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/lawschool/blog/gendermatters/

Times Editorial: Opponents of trans ruling should put pragmatism over ideology

Supreme Court judgement: For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent)

EHRC Statement: An interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment | EHRC

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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Why are you consulting? Why thinking about Parking Schemes will help you to do it well – honestly! Work is not a democracy? Don’t be kind, be clear. How do you make staff feel genuinely involved while being straight forward that it’s you who will take the final decision? How do you keep those who don’t agree with your decision on side? How do you say ‘No’. Can you cope with not being liked? All this and more as Rachel and Simon find the complexity in consultation. Is it a bit of a dry topic? Not the way we talk about it. Helpful hints, some more stories from our own experience and time to take out for you just to reflect.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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What is A Woman?

The Supreme Court judgement of April 16th has sent shockwaves through the national conversation about women's rights, where trans people stand, what single sex services and sports mean and what are the actual obligations for employers and organisations to their staff and the public. The noise is incredibly loud… So, if you need some calm about all this, listen to Rachel and Simon’s first of two episodes on the judgement where we will explore what the judgment actually said - and of course what it didn’t (beware of what you read and hear in all media), how we got here and what it means in practice.

Simon, one of the co founders of Stonewall, tells the story of their significant role and tells of his sadness about how they’ve turned their back on the legacy of how they achieved equality for lesbians and gay men up to 2014. And how leaders need to look to the law not lobby groups to ensure rights for their staff to protect their organisation.

Rachel explores what "woman” means in policy making, politics and organisational leadership and what it means to her personally through her deeply personal account from her recent medical experience and where she draws the lines around biological men and trans-women involved in her care.

Listen, like and share

https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc_2024_0042_judgment_aea6c48cee.pdf Yes it is long, but for a Court Judgement it is well written in terms of clarity for those of us who are not lawyers.

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-and-opinion/clarifying-definition-of-woman-in-the-equality-act/5123032.article Article worth reading. Particularly around the implications for trans men and women historically and now in relation to equal pay claims.

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/interim-update-practical-implications-uk-supreme-court-judgment Interim update from the U.K. Equality and Human Rights Commission

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For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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Banter is fun. But it's also waring and bullying. It's negative and positive. So When does the negative become harassment? But when does the absence of laughter and jokes make it more difficult to work together? Can’t we make jokes / laugh at work any more? What are the guidelines / boundaries? It's not comfortable walking on eggshells. But other people's sensitivities do matter. Is the ability to joke with each other a sign of safety with each other? Rachel and Simon explore all this.. seriously and also have a bit of a banter.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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Donald Trump is back. So, what does this mean for UK businesses and their EDI agendas? Simon sets out a practical five-point plan to navigate the turbulence, while Rachel reveals some of the rational, and decidedly irrational, executive behaviours she's encountered in boardrooms since Trump's second inauguration. Together, they unpack how leaders can seize opportunities, sidestep pitfalls, and stay respond productively in the face of renewed disruption.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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Introducing Fearless Diversity, the candid podcast that tackles the real dilemmas bosses, managers, and leaders face every day. Join Rachel Cashman and Simon Fanshawe — two of the foremost thought leaders in workplace diversity, leadership, and inclusion — as they dive into honest conversations that get to the heart of it.

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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