Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives

Four in 10 people experience microaggressions at work related to their identity. This figure rises to six in 10 for marginalized communities. Microaggressions can have a lasting health impact, including depression, trauma, anxiety, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

We collected 35 stories of workplace microaggressions. Each story was brought to life by a unique illustration, representing the underlying emotion.

The stories were produced as a book and poster set, printed on tearproof paper that is impossible to ‘destroy’, highlighting the lasting impact.

They were sent to employees and leaders to encourage them to eradicate microaggressions from their workplace.

Judges Comments

This clever and hard-hitting campaign is beautifully executed and raises awareness of an often misunderstood and underappreciated issue—what a microaggression is and how it impacts people.  Harnessing the power of storytelling, it thoughtfully crowd-sourced content from people who are affected directly by microaggressions, grounding it in the real world. Through working with artists, each poster was unique and memorable, and the idea that these “throwaway comments” aren’t throwaway at all is demonstrated by their printing on indestructible paper.

Judges were excited to see this subject, which does not normally get much airtime, faced head on with creativity, respect and no apology. They found the creative very strong, with beautiful and impactful visuals making great use of the print medium and ensuring this isn’t forgotten—the imagery stayed with them. Judges greatly appreciated the range of different experiences represented and felt this excellent initiative has such potential to be replicated across companies, not only in the pharma industry but more broadly, to raise awareness of the important topic.

Eliza McHugh, Costello Medical

As advocates for Women’s Health, Onyx Health’s “EndoVoices” campaign raises awareness of endometriosis, an often overlooked and misunderstood condition. Through social media storytelling and influencer collaborations, we put a spotlight on the challenges faced by endometriosis sufferers, fostering understanding and empathy. As the campaign unfolded, it prompted internal policy changes as the agency proudly became one of 113 Endometriosis Friendly Employers in the UK.

Onyx Health’s commitment to diversity and inclusion drives ongoing efforts to effect meaningful change within the organisation and the wider community.

In a recent workplace survey, 59% of employees felt uncomfortable disclosing their sexual orientation. As a truly inclusive business, we realised we had to shout louder for our LGBTQ+ community and make them feel comfortable to be their true selves at work.

“Flags of Hope” was an idea led by our internal LGBTQ+ council that collected messages from employees around the world and designed 50 flags of love, hope and protest to be waved across the metaverse and global pride festivals. The platform became a celebration of inclusivity across our network.

Women’s health is significantly underserved in women’s conditions and in those affecting both men and women. We need women at the top of pharma to champion women’s health, yet they represent less than a third of executive teams.

Women in Pharma was formed with the purpose of INSPIRING and EMPOWERING women in pharma to SHAKE the future of women’s health. Our launch campaign galvanised a community of >1600 across LinkedIn and Facebook in the first year—a springboard for leadership through podcasts, videos, webinars, face-to-face events, mentorship and published articles.

Driven by passion to address health inequalities for ALL women.