Diversity, equity, and inclusion at Taylor & Francis

At Taylor & Francis our very purpose – to foster human progress through knowledge – is founded on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).

We believe that diversity is a strength. Bringing together a diverse range of people, communities, and opinions is beneficial to the customers and communities we serve, to our colleagues – and ultimately to humankind. We also believe it’s the right thing to do.

Our approach to DE&I centers around:

  • Content. The research and authors we publish. Global challenges require global research, and we need to include everyone. We therefore strive to attract a diverse range of authors, support a diversity of thought in our publishing, and have a range of development initiatives that support authors and researchers in the Global South.
  • Commitment. We’re committed to ensuring we hire, support, and develop the best talent from any community. The ideas, energy, participation, and ambition of each colleague are what creates and develops our content, products, and services. As a people business with an international reach, this is what connects customers and communities across the world. We want all our colleagues to contribute, be heard, and be inspired. Find out more about working for Taylor & Francis.
  • Collaboration. The internal and external initiatives we support. We adhere to the global Informa Diversity and Inclusion Policy, and collaborate with colleagues through a range of Informa and Taylor & Francis staff networks. Externally, we’re a signatory to and active supporter of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) joint commitment for action on inclusion and diversity in publishing, a Coalition for Diversity & Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC) partner, and a contributor to the UK Publishing Association’s Diversity survey of the publishing workforce. These initiatives aim to improve diversity within and beyond publishing, including the communities we engage with and support.

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I)?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are three closely related but distinct values that work to be supportive of different groups of individuals.

  • Diversity refers to any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups or people. These include legally protected characteristics, such as those identified by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. While these may vary between countries, they typically include age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Diversity also includes neurodiversity, socioeconomic background, gender identity, diversity of thought or opinion, and more.  
  • Equity is about fair treatment for all. It differs from equality in a subtle but important way. While equality assumes that everyone should be treated the same, equity takes into consideration a person’s unique circumstances, and adjusts treatment accordingly so that the end result is equal. We strive to ensure that our company norms, practices, and policies ensure that identity doesn’t predict opportunities or outcomes.
  • Inclusion refers to how people experience the workplace and the degree to which all employees can make meaningful contributions. For us at Taylor & Francis, inclusion means actively involving and enabling different ideas, abilities, knowledge, perspectives, approaches, and styles to maximise our ability to deliver our services and products.

We deliver on this culture by promoting diversity in our publishing, to ensure our colleagues are treated with respect and fairness, and to support initiatives that make scholarly publishing more inclusive.

DE&I at Taylor & Francis is about creating a culture that values our differences and encourages a variety of thought. Our very purpose is founded on encouraging and examining different ideas and voices. Connecting a diverse range of people, communities, and approaches benefits everyone we serve and, ultimately, makes a positive difference in society.

Content – knowledge drives progress, diversity makes us stronger

We can only deliver on our mission to foster human progress through knowledge by being open to different perspectives and experiences. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are all essential to our success in curating, substantiating, and publishing the experts and truths that matter. Our commitment to DE&I in the content we produce is demonstrated through:

  • Our publishing. We seek out diversity in our authors, researchers and publishing, and welcome underrepresented voices. Our commitment to uphold diversity of thought means we may sometimes publish content that can be controversial or, at times, in direct conflict with other beliefs. We believe that ideas and opinions should be judged objectively, based on the evidence and arguments presented. We also support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through our scholarly research and publishing, as part of our sustainability commitments.
  • Our business policies, processes, and practices. This includes talent attraction and assessment, editorial board composition, and peer review programs. Read about our work with diversity of researchers, diversity in peer review, and our development initiatives that support authors and researchers in the Global South. These include training and development interventions, which are essential to build awareness, capacity, resilience, and opportunity.
  • Our campaigns. The campaigns we create or join to increase accessibility of our content to diverse audiences. Watch this video to learn more about our team working on accessibility.

We get to better answers by combining skills and talents, joining forces and embracing ideas – wherever they come from. This broadens perspectives, expands horizons, sparks innovation and keeps our thinking fresh. Find out more about joining us as an author.

Commitment – proud to be an equal opportunity employer

We’re committed to ensure we hire, support, and develop the best talent from any community. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and continually strive to do more to deliver on being a more equitable organization. We’ve made progress, but recognize that we still have work to do to ensure that all colleagues are treated equitably, and that barriers to inclusion are identified and addressed.

Taylor & Francis has a robust Reasonable Accommodation plan, and active and growing partnerships with organizations dedicated to inclusive candidacy. Ongoing review of our recruitment practices helps us ensure that we are competitive and equitable.

As a global business, we’re committed to promoting equality, diversity, and equal opportunities at all stages of employment and throughout the recruitment process.

We believe in:

  • Human dignity. We stand for human dignity and tolerance in all its forms. We have no place for racism, discrimination, xenophobia, or disrespect of any kind.
  • Meaningful action. We’re committed to meaningful actions that progress equal opportunity and broad inclusivity.
  • Zero tolerance. We have zero tolerance for actions and individuals that breach these principles.

Here’s what some of our colleagues who work in DE&I have to say about why it’s important, and some insights into the work they do to attract and hire diverse candidates.

To help create a more equitable organization, we’re committed to promoting work-life balance, well-being, and flexible working. We offer a balanced working policy for all our colleagues globally.

We also uphold the Informa Diversity and Inclusion Policy. Informa publishes a UK Colleagues and Pay Report each year as part of government gender pay gap reporting, and shares information on our approach to talent diversity and inclusivity.

How we promote inclusion in the workplace

We know we’re at our best and most successful when our colleagues can be themselves at work, develop their skills, and make a contribution, no matter who they are, what their background is, where they’re located, and in which team they work.

Because we recognize that underrepresented groups in any workforce can sometimes feel isolated, we have a range of company-wide Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs), which are open to everyone. Each staff network is designed to provide support and opportunities for different colleague needs, and a space to share experiences, inform business programs, and raise awareness of important issues.

These include a wide range of Informa and Taylor & Francis support networks, relating to:

  • Careers. AllInforma iCan is our Career Ambitions Network, dedicated to helping colleagues develop their careers, particularly early on.
  • Culture. Our Cross Cultural Inclusion and Working group at Taylor & Francis welcomes and supports colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds.
  • Disability. AllInforma Illuminate supports colleagues with visible and invisible disabilities and conditions. We also have an Accessibility, Disability, and Neurodiversity group at Taylor & Francis.
  • Ethnicity. Our AllInforma Nations group supports colleagues from minority ethnic groups, and celebrates different cultures across the business. We also have a Race and Ethnicity group at Taylor & Francis.
  • Gender. AllInforma Balance focuses on supporting gender balance and women in the workplace. We also have a Women in Publishing group at Taylor & Francis.
  • LGBTQIA+. AllInforma Rainbow supports LGBTQIA+ colleagues and allies.
  • Mental Health. Our Mental Health and Well-Being group at Taylor & Francis supports, empowers, and educates colleagues by creating a culture of care.
  • Parents and Caregivers. Our Parents and Caregivers in the Workplace group at Taylor & Francis supports colleagues to meet and balance their career goals and personal responsibilities.

CRGs increase the volume of colleagues’ collective voices, and allow staff from around the world to meet and network. They also help us identify gaps within our organization, and develop policies, learning programs, and recruitment strategies.

We want to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, and the work they produce makes a positive contribution to society. Whatever your background, there’s a place for you to succeed at Taylor & Francis. Learn more about how our colleagues benefit from our CRGs in our Diversity Q&A, or find out more about working with us.

Collaboration – diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives

We actively participate in a range of initiatives designed to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion both locally and globally. These include internal policy commitments, and external industry initiatives.

Internal initiatives and commitments include:

  • Informa Diversity and Inclusion Policy. As part of Informa, we adhere to the global Informa Diversity and Inclusion Policy. This builds on a foundation of equality and anti-discrimination legislation, and outlines our commitment to comply with legal requirements and our aim to exemplify best practice.
  • Global Colleague Forum. Our Global Colleague Forum enables meaningful two-way communication between staff and senior management. It gives Taylor & Francis colleagues a voice through representation, and promotes greater transparency and accountability in decision making. Colleagues can give feedback on the strategic direction of the business, and raise and discuss key issues that affect them.
  • Development initiatives. Global challenges require truly global research. As part of our commitment to DE&I, we have a wide range of development initiatives to support authors, researchers, and librarians in developing countries and regions. This includes free access to our portfolio to readers in the Global South, via our Special Terms for Authors and Researchers (STAR) initiative, open access (OA) discounts and waivers, and support, training, and workshops for authors and researchers. Together, these programs help level the playing field so everyone can access research and publication opportunities.  
  • Sustainability initiatives. We strive to reduce inequalities in the communities we serve, and create a positive impact. We call this our ‘impact multiplier’, and it’s a key part of our sustainability strategy. We contribute a value of over 1% of profit before tax each year through free or heavily discounted products and services, to disadvantaged individuals, academic community groups, and charities. Taylor & Francis is also a member of the Business for Societal Impact (B4SI) Network, a forum that helps businesses learn to effectively measure and manage their social impact.

External publishing industry initiatives include:

Discover more about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Taylor & Francis

To find out more about our DE&I commitments, principles, and policies – plus wider publishing industry initiatives we support – visit the following resources: