Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The CRUK Scotland Institute is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within our community. We value equity in our actions and deeds, diversity and inclusion within our workforce and collaborators, and the diversity of thought this brings.

We are pleased to offer a range of leading family friendly, inclusive employment policies, including up to 6 months full pay for those on maternity leave and 6 weeks full pay for shared parental leave. We also offer flexible working opportunities, support for staff through various forums and mentoring and coaching opportunities, and have strong links with the School of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow VOICE (Athena Swan) Committee. This includes hosting frequent talks, seminars and events aimed at giving all staff the opportunity to develop and have a voice in how we enact our commitments to EDI. Here are details of our EDI Vision and Aims:

Dr Karolina Majorek, a Postdoc in our Ubiquitin Signalling Laboratory, talks about her experience of our Maternity Policy

"As a mother of twins during my postdoc, I found the Beatson Institute to be very accommodating throughout my pregnancy, maternity leave, and transition back to work. The Institute provided me six months of fully paid leave followed by three months of statutory pay. To keep my projects progressing the Institute provided maternity cover for my position. In addition, my contract was extended allowing me to be a mother and make up the time away from my research without pressure. When I returned to work, I was offered a flexible schedule, which made the transition much easier. In addition, Beatson provided a private room with a refrigerator for expressing breast milk, which enabled me to keep breastfeeding my babies. Overall, the environment at the Beatson enabled me to be a mother and effortlessly transition back to full-time research."

In 2019, we introduced up to 6 weeks shared parental leave pay for partners who wish to take time off with their newly born child when the mother returns to work. This has been well utilised.

Dr Leo Carlin, a Junior Group Leader at the Institute, talks about his experience of our Shared Parental Leave Policy

"I lead the Leukocyte Dynamics Group, which studies how immune cells influence cancer progression and spread, and also the team that supports our advanced light microscopy facility, the Beatson Advanced Imaging Resource (BAIR). Our son was born in May 2019 and my partner and I are both scientists. I always wanted to take some time as our son's full-time carer during his first year when my partner returned to work and the Beatson's shared parental leave policy made it a 'no brainer'. Therefore, I was able to take parental leave at the end of 2019 with 6 weeks full salary. I had a great time and learnt a lot, and it really helped me to build confidence and bond more fully. Importantly, this also allowed my partner to return to her job full-time earlier than would have otherwise been possible."