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UK funding (£80,290): Modest Workwear: the organisational impact of dress & appearance Ukri1 Dec 2021 UK Research and Innovation, United Kingdom
Overview
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Modest Workwear: the organisational impact of dress & appearance
| Abstract | This project extends to new user communities and non-academic audiences the impact of insights from AHRC project Modest Fashion in UK Women's Working Life led by Prof. Lewis (UAL) and Prof. Aune (Coventry University). The project explored women's experience of negotiating dress in religious contexts: when working for faith-based organisations in the UK (e.g. places of worship, charities) and when travelling to work in Saudi Arabia where they had to wear an abaya. The 12 month project has 3 main activities: 1) Develop, deliver, and evaluate 6-8 sessions in the UK and 1-2 for international workforces in the Gulf region. Target participants include: - Human Resources (HR) professionals and diversity and inclusion specialists (including employee network chairs) in organisations in the UK - Managers and HR professionals operating in the Gulf, including those employed by local, regional and global organisations - Managers, HR professionals, diversity practitioners, and religious and community leaders working for UK faith-based and interfaith organisations - Policy makers and specialists in interfaith and intercultural dialogue in the UK and internationally 2) Work with partners to develop sector-appropriate Continuing Professional Development (CPD) 3) Work with graphic designer to develop 35 infographics and select media images for visual toolkit The project develops and tests training materials in order to: 1) help managers, HR professionals and diversity practitioners understand how organisational requirements for modest dress and behaviour affect staff experience and organisational performance, reaching participants in UK and global organisations; 2) help managers, policy makers and intercultural partners in faith-based, interfaith and policy sectors evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of modest dress cultures and behaviours for their work; 3) help organisations better respond to religiously related codes of modest dress and behaviour by improving awareness of the variety of circumstances in which modesty requirements are encountered; 4) show how organisational performance can be enhanced by recognising that organisational culture, functionality and reputation are affected by how individuals experience workplace modesty requirements (positively or/and negatively, and regardless of personal religious or secular beliefs or practices); 5) support policy and community work on interfaith, faith-secular and intercultural dialogue by exploring how improved knowledge about modest fashion can a) help avoid pitfalls in process and b) generate rich content for dialogue activities. These new directions for project activities are vital at a time when attitudes to religion and claims made in the name of religion fuel division and social unrest. As employers and organisations seek to demonstrate commitment to anti-racism (also in response to the Black Lives Matter movement), our training programme sensitises managers, HR and diversity practitioners to the intersectional aspects of inequalities triggered by dress and appearance. We help participants develop visual skills to understand the role of dress in the workplace, for instance regarding non-western fashion as businesswear or managing gender inequalities in online meetings. For religious leaders, enhanced visual literacy will help remedy problems of appearance-based discrimination for post-holders and employees. For interfaith and intercultural dialogue, community groups and policy makers, insights on the diversity of religious approaches to modesty will increase their confidence to avoid simply deferring to the most conservative or orthodox voices. As religious communities' responses to COVID-19 measures have varied widely (from vaccine fears to worship or wedding attendance), policy makers and politicians urgently require guidance on looking beyond stereotypes (often signalled by dress/hair) to include diverse voices and communities. |
| Category | Research Grant |
| Reference | AH/W003015/1 |
| Status | Closed |
| Funded period start | 01/12/2021 |
| Funded period end | 30/11/2022 |
| Funded value | £80,290.00 |
| Source | https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FW003015%2F1 |
Participating Organisations
| University of the Arts London | |
| Sarum College | |
| British Council | |
| Jeito Consulting | |
| Muslim Women's Council | |
| The Zay Initiative |
The filing refers to a past date, and does not necessarily reflect the current state. The current state is available on the following page: University OF THE Arts, London UNIVERSITY, London.
