The majority of UK businesses are still not doing enough to remove barriers and create opportunities for underrepresented groups; and they are falling behind international counterparts, according to a new report.
More than half of senior business leaders surveyed in the UK (52%) say their diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategy only “pays lip service to supporting talent from underrepresented groups and doesn’t provide any helpful support in practice”, confirmed KellyOCG’s Global Workforce Agility Report 2021.
The report from the workforce solutions provider also found that UK businesses are falling behind their global counterparts when it comes to paying attention to, or being transparent about, whether their DE&I initiatives are having any real impact. In fact, just two-thirds (66%) of UK firms say they have programmes that support progression and development of talent from underrepresented groups once they’re in roles; which is well below the global average of 74%. Additionally, only 44% of UK businesses are tracking the success of their programmes to remove barriers that prevent underrepresented groups from accessing the right work; the lowest percentage from the 13 countries surveyed.
‘BARE MINIMUM’ DE&I EFFORTS
The study highlights that UK businesses are not going beyond the “bare minimum” when it comes to DE&I. More than half (51%) of UK executives say their organisations aren’t doing enough to create an inclusive culture for underrepresented groups. The data also shows the UK is falling behind its global counterparts in terms of providing employee training on how to identify and report non-inclusive/discriminatory behaviours. In fact, 62% of organisations in the UK say they provide such training, compared to 73% globally. And nearly two-thirds (61%) say their business could have done more to support talent from underrepresented groups during the pandemic.
The research did, however, uncover a group of business leaders who are improving DE&I and noticing the business benefits. Dubbed the ‘Vanguards’, this group has shown that an effective DE&I strategy has improved employee motivation, boosted the ability to innovate, and increased employee satisfaction and loyalty over the past 12 months.
BLUEPRINT FOR DIVERSITY SUCCESS
The report shows that these ‘Vanguards’ share common approaches to their DE&I strategies; and provide a blueprint for other firms looking to improve their DE&I credentials. They include:
- Programmes to attract and support the career progression of women and candidates from underrepresented groups.
- DE&I training and incentives for leaders.
- Clear channels to report discrimination.
- Measurable goals and objectives to track DE&I outcomes.
- Transparent processes for reporting on the impact of the strategy against DE&I goals and objectives.
- Fully developed DE&I strategies in place for both permanent and contingent talent.
- Active programmes to monitor the DE&I policies of recruitment providers.
PRIORITISING DE&I
“Whilst huge progress has been made on the DE&I agenda in boardrooms around the country in recent years, it is clear that many business leaders are still nervous about how their efforts to develop diverse and inclusive workforces are translating to actual change,” commented Sam Smith, Vice President and Managing Director of KellyOCG EMEA. “The reality is that these failings negatively impact employee productivity, engagement and retention.”
However, “even those businesses that are falling short, are recognising it”, noted Smith. “Once the need for change has been accepted, there is now a clear pathway to addressing these issues, offering a chance for the UK to get back on a level footing. The global data uncovered an elite group of organisations – which we call the ‘Vanguards’ – have seen employee wellbeing and productivity improve; even during the Covid-19 pandemic. All these organisations consider a well-planned DE&I strategy that is implemented fully across their workforce, and measured against its objectives, to be a priority; and it is now time for that prioritisation to extend into all businesses in the UK.”
KellyOCG surveyed over 1,000 senior executives, 20% of whom are in C-suite or board member roles, across 10 industries and 13 countries; including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and US. Click here for more information about the report.
Despite good intentions around closing inequity gaps, many companies globally struggling to achieve their DE&I goals, according to a new study. Click here to read more.
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