Our values

Diversity and inclusion

At the UK Parliament we are committed to increasing diversity and providing a positive, inclusive working environment.

We welcome applications from people inclusive of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race and ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, and caring responsibilities.

Find out more in the House of Commons Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and the House of Lords Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Our values

POST is a bicameral research office. This means we contribute to both House of Commons and the House of Lords. Our team produces impartial, non-partisan, and peer-reviewed briefings, designed to make scientific research accessible to all legislators at the UK Parliament.

The House of Commons aspires to be:

• Inclusive:  We value everyone equally. We respect each other and all have a voice.
• Courageous:  We try new things. We own our actions and decisions and learn from our mistakes.
• Trusted:  We trust each other to do a good job. We’re impartial and build confidence in Parliament through our integrity.

• Collaborative:  We share our knowledge and experience. We work towards a shared vision and know we work better in partnership.

And the House of Lords focuses on:

• People:  Creating a culture where everyone has the opportunity to excel.
• Place:  Ensuring our work and visitor spaces are as inclusive and accessible as possible.
• Performance:  Enabling all colleagues, leaders and suppliers to perform to their best.
• Profile:  Sharing our story and building our reputation for excellence in inclusion and diversity.

Our team

POST is part of the wider Research and Information (R&I) team with the House of Commons Library. Our team includes communications professionals, data and information managers, librarians, researchers, scientists, statisticians and more.

In R&I we recognise that we still have work to do to ensure that our workforce is diverse and reflects society. So, supporting, developing, and promoting diversity and inclusion in everything we do is important to us. This includes ensuring our research supports work in the UK Parliament and represents people across the UK.

We also know that some researchers who share a diversity characteristic are under-represented in engagement with the UK Parliament. This includes women researchers, researchers from minority ethnic communities, and disabled researchers. Our Knowledge Exchange Unit is working on understanding and addressing barriers to change this. You can find out more about this work on the UK Parliament website.

Supporting our people

We want R&I to be a great place to work for everyone. We also want people working with us to feel they can be themselves and they are supported to reach their full potential. We’re committed to:

• Supporting professional and career development for everyone;
• Safeguarding health and wellbeing;
• Providing guidance, training and support to raise awareness and understanding of the benefits and importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace;

• Running reciprocal mentoring programmes.

Recruiting new people

We’re looking for individuals that understand and strive to live our values. Our commitment in return is to build a culture which is inclusive and enables diverse people from a variety of backgrounds and experience to join us and thrive. We’re committed to:

• Ensuring our recruitment processes are fit for purpose. This includes having minimum essential criteria that are relevant to the role (and not just about qualifications and previous experience).
• Expanding the number and range of opportunities, including our Fellowships.

You can find out more about opportunities to work with us and how to apply on our dedicated page.