How embracing EDI changed my career and my life

Bianca Adigwe-Obiorah started her career in the NHS as a nurse, joining #TeamKCHFT as a Workforce Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Change Agent earlier this year.

To mark Black History Month and the theme of Reclaiming Narratives she reflects on the journey she has made in her career.

"As a newly qualified nurse the term EDI always sounded so …well... fluffy.  When there’s people needing life-saving operations, emergency treatment and social support it just didn't seem important. Unless the EDI team shows up with a dozen Inco pads,  what use are they to me?

"But, attending an EDI meeting for all colleagues, the EDI lead started speaking and my ears pricked up. They spoke about injustice, identity and belonging. I felt something building inside of me that I didn’t know was there. Deep down I’d pushed these feelings away, hoping they’d disappear and I could fit in. He also mentioned networks, that you could join to talk and raise awareness, even make meaningful change.

"See, at the time, I was one of two women of colour in the team. I was newly qualified and shy and micro-aggressive comments were just the norm. If I changed my hairstyle I would have to prepare myself for a barrage of comments: ‘Is that your real hair?’, ‘wow, can I touch your hair?’ I always felt uncomfortable and strange, but I didn’t know I had a right to say so.

"I joined the BAME network out of pure curiosity and had no idea what to expect. Things were in person in those days, so my first meeting was in a seminar room. My first surprise moment was that we weren’t all black. There were colleagues from east Asia, west Asia, Africa, south Asia, the Caribbean, Ireland, England you name it.

"The best part of it was the immediate sense of camaraderie. All these people worked in the Trust at different levels and departments. I got to know so many people who’d had a positive experience and they taught me how to have a voice. I left the job completely changed as a person.

"As I grew in my career, I got comfortable to share more of the real me. I became a mum and began to feel comfortable in accepting that I have dyslexia too. When trying to negotiate flexible working, I was advised by a colleague to approach the EDI Team.

"My initial response was: ‘what do they have to do with anything?’ But the team were there to point me in the right direction for reasonable adjustments to my working pattern. Once again, the EDI Team were empowering me with information.

"So, when it came to a pivot in my career recently, I knew I wanted to empower my colleagues. Guess where my ambitions were set? Yes, the EDI Team.

"As the EDI Change Agent at KCHFT since February I’ve had the privilege of working with and supporting many colleagues. I can honestly say that I have never seen staff networks as active, responsive, able to raise awareness and advocate for their colleagues as boldly as our staff networks do.

"We have networks for the armed forces community, LGBTQ+, BAME, neurodiversity, the Men's Network and for the menopause. There is even support subgroups like dyslexia peer support and support for parents and carers of those with Autism/ADHD.

"The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. It’s important that we feel we belong. Joining a network and working with the EDI team here at KCHFT will help to make this a reality."