RE:ACTION - ED&I Newsletter - Issue 02 - March 2023

We want to say a huge thank you from the newsletter team to all those who read the last issue as well as those who responded to the survey. Your feedback is invaluable, and we aim to implement the changes and suggestions you proposed in this and subsequent issues. We hope you enjoy this newsletter and look forward to hearing your thoughts on it. Thank you for reading!

MESSAGE FROM ELT

Inthe6yearsIhavebeenwithReactionEngines,Ihavealwaysbeenencouragedby the inclusivity that is prevalent across this company. I find it a great environment in which to work and learn, with a genuine openness to new ideas across the company,andwhereweallnotonlyrespectbutencouragedifferentopinions.

On a personal note, throughout my career I have found it most rewarding to experience different viewpoints and ways of working, having been lucky enough to work alongside different nationalities and cultures, or living in different countries. I also know, through friends and family, how much happier and open they feel when they are able to live their true self All of which brings home to me the true value of addressing all forms of inequality such as social mobility, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientationordisabilitytonamebutafew.

In Reaction Engines we made a commitment in early 2020 to be more actively focused on ED&I. Evidently, this was the right thing to do for our people, our company and the wider society Since then the level of engagement and work that the ED&I team have made towards making REL an inclusive and diverse environment has been great to see and support. However, to achieve equity and opportunityforall,thereismoretobedone,andastheysay“ittakesavillage”,soI would encourage everyone to lean in and actively support the ED&I team in any waytheycanoninternalactivitiesorexternaloutreachprogrammes.

Message from ELT

DAMIAN LOCHRIN

*www.takeitpersonelly.com/201

When moving to a new country there is always an underlying pressure to integrate, to make yourself fit in the culture that you now live in Besides speaking a different language, you have to make new friends, build a new safety net, adjust to different foods, ways of dressing and overall behaviour While this is essential to a certain degree, there is always a risk that you lose your own identity in the process

There are ways to try to keep your

culture alive while living abroad

This is easier when you have a community to rely on, but even if not, you can always introduce your friends to your culture, for instance by showing them some of the traditional food of your country, celebrating holidays, etc Moreover, there are ways you can help overcome cultural barriers as well as embrace cultural differences in the workplace According to Chantal Bechervaise's article*, everyone can contribute to breaking down these barriers Here are some suggestions on how to do it:

First - learn about different cultures Asking polite questions about each other’s cultures and expressing willingness to learn about different backgrounds can foster workplace relationships and make it more inclusive

Second - work towards accommodating cultural differences by recognising and avoiding unconscious biases and by being sensitive towards different traditions Proactively learning and building your understanding about different religious customs and encouraging cultural celebrations is a great place to start!

Third - share knowledge. Knowledge from different cultural backgrounds and experiences stimulates cultural inclusion and results in innovation.

An extreme case of cultural barriers arises when the person moving is a refugee seeker that might not have the time and means to prepare for the move, have no idea what to expect from the new country, and might not even speak the language. Organisations such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in the UK and International Rescue Committee (IRC) in the US support people who are forced to flee their homes overseas –you can be part of these organisations. Moreover, you can make a great impact by simply educating yourself on what seeking safety means. This helps to fight personal unconscious biases and raise awareness in your social circle. A great article on this was published by The UN Refugees Agency**.

**www.unhcr.org/world-

UNCONSCIOUS BIAS

CLAIRE FARROW

What is unconscious bias? Bias (often unconscious) affects our perception of and attitude towards another person, and in turn our behaviour towards them. Everyone is affected by unconscious bias as we are influenced by our backgrounds, personal experiences, social stereotypes, and cultural context. Bias can affect where we divert our attention, how much (or little) we listen, and the extent to which we publicly recognise an individual, whether personally or professionally There are many different types of bias, but below are some of the most common ones to look out for in the workplace:

Affinity bias: Favouring a person who has similarities to yourself (background, schooling, hobbies, family life)

Confirmation bias: Focusing on information that fits an initial viewpoint and overlooking other details

Attribution bias: A process where people evaluate their own and/or other people’s behaviours, making (often false) judgements and assumptions linked to character or personality. Horns effect: Only focusing on the negatives or viewing another person negatively after learning something unpleasant or negative about them.

Halo effect: Only focusing on the positives or placing somebody on a pedestal after learning something impressive about them

Gender bias: Having a preference to one gender over another Ambiguity bias: Filling in the gaps with a positive or negative account based on how much you can relate to the person

Conformity bias (or Groupthink): Changing personal opinion, or behaving in a certain way, to follow the majority.

It’s important to highlight that bias isn’t unique to the hiring process and can show up in many situations, including meetings, the distribution of work, recognition, and social events Bias is part of being human and it’s important to raise awareness of the subject and how it may negatively impact what we do. Whilst we cannot eliminate it, there are ways to mitigate bias such as:

Taking our time on decisions: Bias is more likely to creep in when we act on the spur of the moment or are rushing to finish a meeting.

Reflecting on our decisions: Were they really made objectively and if so, where is the evidence?

Widening our social circles and learning more about what we don’t know: this will build cultural competence and lead to a better understanding of others.

Using rotas to ensure everyone is taking on an equal share of the tasks often attributed to a particular gender or personality type ‘Calling someone in’ to a conversation, or politely challenging, if you believe bias has been at play

A short video on unconscious bias by the Royal Society is available online* In the near future, you will be invited to a learning session on unconscious bias, including more detailed guidance on how to mitigate it

OUTREACH EVENTS

In the last 3 months, Reaction Engines has been incredibly busy with outreach events Thank you to everybody who was involved in making these events possible:

Show and Tell on the 1st of February for other companies on site The event was held down by Costa in the main entrance

SIYF careers fair on the 28th of February at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory which was aimed at encouraging female GCSE students to go into STEM. Careers talk at the Imperial College London delivered by Philip Tzonev.

Adrian and Andrew from REI, in collaboration with CASP and the Control Tower, presented Reaction Engines in front of a group of 30 high school students.

"It was a very unique experience to be able to go back to my old university and provide the exact advice and information I wanted when I was studying there. I enjoyed sharing my story and helping students realise what pathways they have after university!"

Philip Tzonev

UPCOMING EVENTS

We have upcoming outreach activities in the next few months, including:

CTP South Central Careers Fair on the 22nd of March

aimed at those transitioning out of the Services Please contact Events Marketing Associate, Abbey Lawson at abbey lawson@reactionengines co uk to volunteer STEM Presentation for AFBE (Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers) to be delivered by Sarah Azamtu.

Great Britain FIRST LEGO League National Final, 22nd of April 2023 in Harrogate – STEM competition where children work in groups and design a Lego robot that must autonomously complete missions and compete against other teams

Arthur Collins is also scheduled to deliver a talk about REL and our recruitment process for the students at Swansea University

If you would like to participate in more outreach events, please contact the ED&I Outreach Leads Abbey Lawson at abbey.lawson@reactionengines.co.uk or Ruta Marcinkeviciute at ruta.marcinkeviciute@reactionengines.co.uk.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

BEN ENDICOTT

"I joined Reaction Engines in 2018 because I wanted to be part of the most exciting thing I could think of. I worked on DEMO-A (the SABRE air-breathing demonstrator engine) until it was wrapped up in early 2021 and then joined the CTO to support wider space studies, progressing from Systems Engineer to Systems Engineering Tech Lead during this period.

I find ED&I fascinating, I suspect due to its complexity. Diversity in particular is an interesting topic to unpack since there are countless ways of differentiating ourselves. An example I enjoy is that I listen to metal, I literally can't stand listening to Radio 1. No one in my family shares this interest, few of my friends. But the number of people I have met who work here who also love metal has surprised me! It sets us apart and brings us together. And this is just one silly example."

"I have worked at Reaction Engines as a Senior Systems and Test Engineer for two years, having previously worked at Rolls-Royce. Throughout my career I have been aware of ED&I, but it wasn’t until I embarked on an international assignment to India with Rolls-Royce that I became actively engaged in the topic. That ambassadorial and coaching role naturally developed my appreciation of the benefits of wider collaboration, which led to me joining the ED&I team and participating in outreach events at Reaction Engines.

Whilst working in India I also met my now fiancée, Jemima. Through her work as a Modern Slavery Victim Care Advisor, I have gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the challenges faced by many refugees and asylum seekers around the globe and here in Oxfordshire Keep an eye out for the Stellar article coming soon about her work "

ED&I RECOMMENDATIONS

Each month we plan to recommend ED&I content which may help our understanding and empathy These may be books, films, TV shows, or podcasts, and they may relate to any subject, including LGBTQIA+, race, religion, disability, mental health, or gender

We hope you can find time to enjoy some of this incredible work

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Set against irreversibly transforming mid 20th century England with its rich racial and cultural background, White Teeth explores the social chaos at the bridge of different nationalities, sexual and generational mindsets.

MOVIE

The Swimmers – Netflix

This biographical drama tells the inspiring true story of two sisters escaping the civil war in Syria and pursuing their dreams of being Olympic swimmers.

SAM FOX

BUILDING BLOCKS

Did you know 1 in 6 adults in the UK are affected by hearing loss?

The 2nd to 8th of May is Deaf Awareness Week in the UK, so I wanted to share my experience with hearing loss, the impact it has in the workplace and everyday life, and answer a few questions that might feel awkward to ask in person I’m Charlie Alsworth, I work in Digital Marketing, I have been at Reaction Engines for one year and like 2 million others in the UK, I wear hearing aids

After suffering with hearing loss during childhood, I first got hearing aids when I was 11, which I wore religiously at school However in my 20’s I stopped wearing them and "coped" with my hearing loss, not thinking I was really missing anything It wasn’t until I moved in with my partner 6 years ago and he commented I play music really loud, that I always had subtitles on the TV, or how I sometimes found myself shouting even when the room was quiet I realised my hearing had gotten worse, so after a quick visit to the audiologist I had a fresh pair of hearing aids and now I wear them every day

There are a few different types of hearing aids, but they all work the same way, with a built in microphone that picks up on sounds and converts it into a digital signal, that is amplified and enhanced and played in the earpiece The 3 most common you see are:

BTE (Behind-the-ear) – These are what I wear, the receiver fits behind the ear and has its own custom ear piece

RIC (Receiver-in-canal) – These are really similar to BTE but a little smaller Rather than a custom ear piece, they have a thin, virtually invisible tubing that tucks into the ear canal.

ITC (In-the-canal) – These fit completely in the ear canal, and look a little bit like modern Bluetooth headphones.

Hearing aids are incredible, but they aren’t perfect, even amplified sounds get missed as my hearing loss simply can’t pick up on them. They also hurt my ears wearing them after a while (imagine wearing headphones all day!) so I take them out to give my ears a rest. These may seem obvious, but here are a few things you can do to help me and other people with hearing loss to make sure we can comprehend you:

Make sure you have the person’s attention before you start speaking. Be aware of noisy environments, it may make it harder for someone with hearing loss to focus. Face the person while you are speaking, and avoid covering your mouth. Speak clearly, without shouting or speaking too quickly or slowly. Be patient, repeat yourself if needed, maybe rephrase your sentence if it is still misheard. And most importantly, if the person doesn’t hear you, don’t give up or say “never mind”.

I hope this information has been some help, and if you find yourself doing similar things like I was, I want to encourage you to get your hearing checked! It's very easy and painless, you can even get a free assessment on the high street in Boots. And if you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them!

If you'd like to see some good representations of hearing loss in the media, I would recommend:

Movies - CODA, and Sound of Metal

TV - Hawkeye

Books - Wonderstruck

INCLUSION CALENDAR

MARCH

Women’sHistoryMonth:honourstheroleofwomeninAmericanhistory

3rd–EmployeeAppreciationDay

4th–WorldEngineeringDay

8th–InternationalWomen’sDay:adayhighlightingthepolitical,social,cultural,andeconomicachievementsofwomen

8th–Holi:Hinduholidaythatcelebratesthewinterharvestandonsetofspring

10th–HarrietTubman’sday(observed):Americanabolitionistwhoiswell-knownforherkeyroleintheUndergroundRailroad

17th–St.Patrick’sDay:feastdayofaCatholicsaintwhoinspiresculturalandreligiouscelebrationsaroundtheworld

21st–InternationalDayfortheEliminationofRacialDiscrimination

March22ndtoApril21st–Ramadan:thestartofIslam’ssacredmonth duringthistimeMuslimsabstainfromeatinganddrinking fromdawnuntildusk

StressAwarenessMonth

2nd–WorldAutismAwarenessDay:raisesawarenessforthosewithautismseekingtoimprovetheirlivesandtheacceptance oftheminsociety

4th–MahavirJayanti:celebratesthebirthdayofJainismfounderLordMahavira

5th-13th–Passover:spans7-daysandcommemoratestheIsraelitesbeingfreedfromslaveryinEgypt

9th–EasterSunday:themostimportantholidayinChristianityItcelebratestheresurrectionofJesusChrist LordandSavior ofChristians

16th-FeastoftheDivineMercy(Christian)

April21sttoApril22nd–Eidal-Fitr:holidaythatmarkstheendofRamadan.Toendthefast,abigmealisitsprimaryevent

22nd–EarthDay:holidaythatapplaudstheplanetweliveonandallitdoesforus;EarthDayisobservedbymorethan 192nations

MentalHealthAwarenessMonth:raisesawarenessforthoselivingwithmentalhealthandbehaviouralissuesThismonthalso seekstosupportfamiliesorcommunitieswhoareimpactedbymentalillness

OlderAmericansMonth:celebrateshowolderAmericanscontributetotheUnitedStates

JewishAmericanHeritageMonth:honorsAmericanJewsandtheircontributionstotheUnitedStatesthroughouthistory AsianAmericanandPacificIslandHeritageMonth:commemoratespeoplewithAsianandPacificIslandancestryandtheir contributiontotheUnitedStates

1st–Beltane:afestivalhonouringlifeinthePaganandWiccanreligionsItrepresentsthepeakofSpringand thebeginningofSummer

5th–Vesak:aTheravadaBuddhistfestivalthatobservesthebirth,death,andenlightenmentoftheBuddha.

17th–InternationalDayAgainstHomophobia,Transphobia,andBiphobia:thisdayseekstoraiseawareness fortherightsofLGBTQ+individuals

18th–AscensionDay:thisdayis40daysfollowingEasterwhenChristiansbelievethatJesusascendedtoHeaven

19th–MalcolmX’sBirthday:well-knownMuslimministerandcivilrightsactivist,whowasassassinatedin1965

23rd–MartyrdomofGuruArjanDevSahib:adayobservedbySikhstocelebratethefirstmartyrintheirfaith 25th-27th–Shavuot:celebratesthegivingoftheTorahonMountSinaiandagrainharvest

CHARITIES TO CONSIDER

Please consider donating or otherwise contributing to organisations supporting refugee seekers:

0808 196 3651

www redcross org uk/get -involved/donate

British Red Cross National support line for refugees

08081967272

www refugeecouncil org uk

Refugee Council UK Infoline

www.rescue.org

International Rescue Committee USA

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME

www.icnarelief.org

ICNA Relief USA

Free and confidential service for employees to help you with a wide range of work, family and personal issues, including but not limited to stress & anxiety, bereavement, relationship advice, housing concerns, financial wellbeing, legal information, alcohol & drug issues, childcare support and many more.

Access the EAP at healthassuredeap.co.uk.

Download the "My Healthy Advantage" app.

Check Stellar post for information on username, password and freephone number.

ED&I AFFILIATIONS

Reaction Engines continues to be a signatory of the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter (WIAAC). Partnered with ADS Group (the UK trade association advancing leadership in aerospace, security, defence, and space) and supported by UK Government and Industry, the WIAAC demonstrates a commitment to support the progression of women into senior roles in the aviation and aerospace sectors by focusing on the executive pipeline and aspires to see gender balance at all levels We will measure our progress, alongside our wider ED&I metrics, and along with our gender pay gap, report annually

This is an exciting opportunity for us to commit to working with other like-minded companies to build a more fair and balanced industry and is an important step for us in our journey to become more diverse and inclusive As well as contributing towards, and benefiting from, an extensive resource hub, packed with toolkits, training programmes and research papers on everything from inspiring the next generation to empowering women in leadership, we’ll be sharing networking and mentoring opportunities with you

Other partners (we will introduce one with each issue):