Diversity and Inclusion in the RAF

By Daye Bajela

Have you ever wondered whether the RAF is somewhere you could feel you belong? Look no further! This article is here to explain how the RAF are working hard to be a welcoming, inclusive force.

The UK is proudly a multicultural, diverse nation, and the RAF shares this pride. The RAF represents the UK all over the world in all kinds of contexts, so naturally their goal is that they should reflect our society in terms of its diversity, values and culture, and to make sure that all of its personnel feel included, valued and able to thrive - not just survive!

The RAF has 3 goals as a part of its strategy for diversity and inclusion:

• "To be an inclusive employer where all staff can fulfil their potential and feel confident that their unique perspectives and talents will be valued"

• "To be an organisation that, at all levels, appropriately represents UK society"

• "To be recognised as a force for inclusion in wider society"

There are several initiatives that are in place to help meet these goals. For example, the Armed Forces have increased the percentage of women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) personnel, and have targets in place to ensure that this continues to grow. Also, in armed forces surveys, scores for ‘feeling valued’ are higher for BAME personnel than non-BAME personnel, and men and women score equally in the area of ‘being treated fairly at work'.

This is very welcome and encouraging, but of course there is always room for improvement (a good doctor is always learning and improving!), so the RAF have measures in place to help improve their diversity and inclusion.

Some of these measures include training to help staff recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion, as well as making D&I a part of leadership training for all senior staff positions. The RAF also advocates for D&I within its staff, for example by providing role models for people from diverse backgrounds, as well as mentoring circles and coaching for staff.

With all of this in mind, the RAF has its goals set to significantly increase the percentage of female, BAME and LGB and disabled staff by 2030, and improve their satisfaction survey scores.

So if, like me, you come from a more diverse background and you're wondering whether you'll feel welcome in the RAF, rest assured that they are working hard to make sure that this isn't a barrier for you!