The People, Culture & Inclusion Committee of the Barbican Centre Board met on Wednesday, 8 January 2025, to discuss the progress of the Barbican's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy. The meeting also included an update on people, culture, and inclusion initiatives and a review of the Barbican People Engagement Survey results.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Barbican's EDI strategy, which was launched in February 2023. The report outlined the progress made on the main strategy action plan, the anti-racism action plan, and the access and adjustments action plan. It noted that the EDI team has been in place for 18 months and that the Barbican is undergoing a transformation. While much has been achieved, there are areas where progress needs to accelerate. The report indicated that 19 out of 35 EDI competencies were being met, with delays attributed to the departure of the Barbican CEO and some public relations issues. The implementation of a new People, Culture and Inclusion strategy, due to launch in Spring 2025, is expected to address many of these delays. The forecast is to meet 29 out of 35 competencies by the end of 2025.

Key achievements highlighted included:

• The launch of an all-staff anti-racism training programme in December 2024, with approximately 150 staff trained in the foundational module. Further training for the Board and management team was scheduled.
• The launch of the Access and Adjustments Action Plan in October 2024, aimed at embedding disability inclusion for staff, artists, and audiences. This plan was developed following staff consultations and benchmarking against best practices.
• The launch of the Barbican's first People Engagement Survey in October 2024, which established a baseline for feelings of inclusion among staff, with a 73% response rate.
• A successful diversity monitoring completion campaign, which increased the response rate from 44% to 72% over the last quarter, enhancing the data quality of the staff EDI data dashboard.

The report also detailed progress against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), including recruitment demographics, leaver demographics, and the size of pay gaps. It noted that while women and LGBQ+ staff are well represented at the Barbican, there is underrepresentation of disabled people, Global Majority people, and people belonging to a minoritised religion when compared to the population of London. The report also highlighted that the proportion of LGBQ+ and female staff among leavers is higher than among current employees, indicating lower retention for these groups.

The committee was asked to note and discuss this update and to review and approve a recommendation to attend an in-person anti-racism training session delivered by Hustle Crew.

Quarterly People, Culture and Inclusion Update

This item was scheduled to provide a report from the Interim Deputy CEO and Director of People, Culture & Inclusion, offering an update on the People, Culture and Inclusion portfolio at the Barbican Centre. This report was for decision.

Barbican People Engagement Survey Results

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on the results of the Barbican People Engagement Survey. This survey, launched in Autumn 2024, aimed to gather data on staff experiences, including diversity and inclusion measures. The report was for information.

The survey included metrics on feelings of inclusion, such as I can be my authentic self at work (72%), I feel respected at the Barbican (67%), I feel like I belong at the Barbican (63%), and I feel safe to take risks at the Barbican (40%), resulting in an overall inclusion score of 60%. The report detailed the discrepancy in inclusion scores between marginalised and non-marginalised staff across various demographics, with the aim to reduce this discrepancy annually. The survey also assessed feelings of inclusion across different directorates, with Finance & Business Administration scoring highest and Audiences scoring lowest. The report indicated that the Barbican is working to improve the scores of the bottom three directorates to meet the current average of 60% as a minimum, with the ultimate aim of reaching at least an 80% inclusion score for all teams. Feedback from staff on the EDI work was also included, with comments such as The EDI work is the most impressive and important work that the Barbican has right now.

The meeting also included standard agenda items such as apologies, declarations of interest, and the approval of minutes from the previous meeting. A motion was scheduled to be considered for the exclusion of the public for certain agenda items, which would then lead to the discussion of non-public minutes and further updates.