Eighty people have heard a talk about diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Hayley Barnard, the co-founder of MIX Diversity Developers, shared details of her personal exposure to bias and insights from her years of study within the field of psychology and human behaviour, specialising in inclusion.

Today, Hayley advises companies include Bloomberg, HSBC, T-Mobile, Lloyds Bank, Naked Wines and Experian on diversity and inclusion benefits, barriers to inclusion and practical tools to aid inclusion.

She said: ’We have about 11 million bits of information hitting our brains at any time. It looks for ways to find these energy saving processes by making quick assessments.

’This ultimately saves us time, so our unconscious mind is a powerful force, but it’s fallible.’

The audience learned ways in which to recognise and tackle subtle exclusion and bias along with how to create a supportive and inclusive environment where equality can flourish.

The recent introduction of the Isle of Man Equality Act 2017 will affect businesses in terms of adopting new legal requirements in place to safeguard minorities for protected characteristics, including age, disability, sexual orientation and race.

While the legal case is enforced, the business case is equally compelling.

Hayley said that ethnically diverse companies were 33% more likely to gain financial returns in direct comparison with the national industry average.

Sally Fenton, managing director of recruitment company Search & Select, which hosted the ’Future Works’ event, said: ’Diversity and inclusion are moving up the agenda of the businesses that we talk to here on the Isle of Man.

’It’s not just about box ticking or political correctness. It’s about recruiting and retaining the best talent regardless of race, sex and sexual orientation.’

Dee Copley, head of human resources at Zurich International, which sponsored the event, said: ’Hayley’s passion to drive progress on these important issues is shared by everyone at Zurich International. Initiatives promoting diversity, inclusion - and wellbeing too - are all part of how we are putting people at the heart of our strategy.’