Charting the Future: Preside's People Panel Sparks Crucial Dialogue on Employer Transparency and Diversity

At the heart of Windō’s Preside event—a unique gathering of 140 university society presidents from across the UK—was the illuminating People Panel. This session highlighted a pivotal shift: the next generation of professionals is exceptionally judicious in selecting employers, gravitating towards organizations that echo their values.

We were honoured to have several society leaders take part in this panel, representing the Durham University Women in Business Society, King’s College BAME in the City Society, 93% Club Manchester University, and Cardiff University Equal Opportunities Law Society. Their insights into employer research and advocacy are invaluable. Here’s a summary of the sage advice they share with their society members.

Here’s a summary of the sage advice they share with their society members:

Data beyond how diverse the workforce is: Beyond surface-level workforce demographic data, companies should divulge employee survey outcomes, segmented by demographic groups, to paint a clearer picture of whether their people feel seen, heard and valued. (Arshia Bhatnagar)

Salary Transparency: The absence of disclosed salary ranges for entry-level graduate roles disproportionately impacts individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Approach those jobs with caution. (Matilda Thorley)

Comprehensive Employer Research: A thorough vetting process involves exploring diverse information sources — from official websites and podcasts to social media channels. Additionally, look at how active their employee networks are. (Lin Lundberg)

Measurable Impact on Diversity: Evaluate an organization’s progress in diversity over the past five years through their published reports. (Leonardo Zhang)

Workforce Demographic Data for all diverse groups: Only 4% of the FTSE 100 companies share representation data beyond gender and race on their websites and that is something that really needs to change (Arshia Bhatnagar)

This discussion reiterated a crucial message: in the quest for meaningful employment, transparency, and commitment from companies are not just desirable—they are essential. Let’s continue the conversation and encourage more organizations to follow suit.