Responsible 100 creates and develops detailed benchmarks on each of the issues we explore. The above reveals only summaries of the current statements describing POOR, OKAY, GOOD and EXCELLENT performance standards. No policy nor practice examples are included here. The complete benchmarks are shared with organisations which, through offering answers to the above questions, help to shape and improve the benchmarks on an ongoing basis. Find out more about our benchmarks here.
A diverse workplace is one in which a multitude of differences between employees are evident in respect of their age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion (see more on ‘protected characteristics below) and in terms of life experiences, attitudes and beliefs.
An inclusive workplace is one in which every employee feels respected and valued, without needing to change anything about themselves to fit in. When inclusion is successfully fostered in the workplace, employees feel confident to be themselves.
There are moral imperatives to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace - it is not fair to favour or promote employees on the basis of their individual characteristics and hold back others. There are also strong business imperatives to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace - there are swathes of research that indicate such organisations thrive in comparison to those which are not diverse and inclusive.
A healthy organisational culture requires inclusivity and making everyone welcome, regardless of any characteristics they might hold or aspects of their identity. Additionally benefits to businesses for having higher diversity include:
>> Better outcomes for innovation-focused tasks
>> A wider mix of talents, ideas and perspectives to draw on
>> A greater understanding of the values, expectations and preferences of customers and all their stakeholders
>> Access to a wider pool of labour from which to recruit and retain staff
>> Confidence within the staff that promotion is based on merit, which helps retain talent
Many individuals today face discrimination or barriers to professional success as a result of certain characteristics. Women are still underrepresented at the top of business, making up only 30.7% of FTSE 250 boards, while ‘disabled workers move out of work at nearly twice the rate of non-disabled workers’.
The Equality Act of 2010 is important to understand, as it protects individuals from harassment or discrimination based on 9 protected characteristics:
>> Age
>> Disability
>> Gender reassignment
>> Marriage or civil partnership (in employment only)
>> Pregnancy and maternity
>> Race (including ethnicity and nationality)
>> Religion or belief (including a lack of)
>> Sex
>> Sexual orientation
However, the legislation does not cover all aspects of diversity. UK law doesn’t address discrimination relating to class and socio-economic background, travelling lifestyle, weight, personality type, and much more. This means that it is up to businesses to sometimes go above and beyond the law, if possible, to ensure that people who are not protected by the law are not at a disadvantage in society.
Blind hiring - A hiring practice where identifying markers that indicate gender, race etc., such as name and date of birth, are removed from applications to reduce the impact of bias.
ARTICLES
UK Workforce Calls For More Action On Diversity and Inclusion - 14 September 2022
Culture Shift released a report on employee attitudes towards current business diversity and inclusion practices in the United Kingdom which found that 79% of employees believe that working at diverse companies increases happiness and 50% believe that businesses should be doing more to increase diversity.
Inclusion and Diversity in the Workplace - 24 August 2022
CIPD article promoting and managing diversity beyond the minimum legal requirements outlined in the Equality Act of 2010. They also layout potential strategies that can be used by executives to encourage diversity and inclusion.
Workplace Equality Falling Behind in UK - 8 June 2022
In a study of diversity and equality in 10 countries, the United Kingdom ranked last for recruiting people from diverse backgrounds and providing equal opportunities to all. A representative from the BEIS said that the government is planning to address and improve their ratings going forward.
CIPD Calls For Mandatory Ethnic Pay Gap Reporting By 2023 - 15 September 2021
In 2021, only 13 of the UK’s top 100 listed companies currently report their ethnicity pay gap, leading to calls for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting to be introduced in the next two years. The CIPD is also calling on the government to require organisations to provide a supporting narrative to explain the nature and causation of pay gaps, and an action plan of initiatives to reduce and remove any such gaps.
RESOURCES
Equality Act of 2010: Discrimination and Your Rights - 1 October 2010
Use this link to read up on the Equality Act of 2010 which protects workers from being discriminated against in the workplace by defining protected characteristics.
VIDEOS
How to Get Serious About Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace - 13 September 2018
Imagine a workplace where people of all colours and races are able to climb every rung of the corporate ladder -- and where the lessons we learn about diversity at work actually transform the things we do, think and say outside the office. How do we get there? In this candid talk, inclusion advocate Janet Stovall shares a three-part action plan for creating workplaces where people feel safe and expect to be their unassimilated, authentic selves.