Research showed that over seven in 10 Black employees felt they had faced barriers in recruitment which was twice as many of the number of White employees who felt this way.

A new report conducted by Lloyd’s of London, an insurance company, found that 71 per cent of Black employees reported facing barriers when it came to recruitment. This was in comparison to only 35 per cent of White employees.

Furthermore, this also branched out to affecting promotions within careers. A similar number of Black employees (70 per cent) felt that they had also experienced barriers to promotions. However, only 45 per cent of White workers felt the same.

Additionally, almost four in 10 Black employees (39 per cent) felt undervalued at work. In comparison to their White counterparts, Black and ethnic minorities were twice as likely to feel this way than White colleagues.

This report also highlighted the importance of visible representation within the workplace. Over six in 10 (63 per cent) Black respondents noted that seeing visible representation within an organisation would increase the chances of them applying for a role at the company.

Similarly, almost seven in 10 (69 per cent) of Black and ethnic minority employees said that they were significantly more likely to apply to a job based on their perception of an organisation’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.

Despite this, 27 per cent of Black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups who were surveyed reported their belief that their “visible representation” worked against them during the hiring process. However, only 14 per cent of White respondents felt the same way.

Focusing on how to attract and retain BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) employees, this report stated that using targeted internships, scholarships, school access programs, outreach programmes and university diversity networks would be the best way of championing this cause and attracting BAME talent.

It additionally outlined steps for senior management to take including Diversity and Inclusion training for managers and ensuring managers provide BAME staff with opportunities to train and develop. It also stressed the importance of combatting any injustice (e.g. bullying or harrassment) within the company as well as offering mentoring and networking schemes.

John Neal, CEO of Lloyd’s of London, said:

The success of our market depends as much on creating the best environment for our people and setting a framework for the most inclusive culture, as it does on executing our performance and strategic priorities. A key element of inclusivity is ethnic diversity.

Recently, the confederation of British Industry (CBI) called for all FTSE 100 companies to have one BAME member at board level by 2021. 

Similarly, Legal and General also vowed to vote against the reappointment of the national committee chairman at FTSE 100 companies which fail to appoint a non-white director by 2022.

 

*This research was taken from Lloyd’s of London’s Report “Ethnic Diversity in the Workplace” which surveyed over 900 professionals in July-August of 2020.

 

 

 

 

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Monica Sharma

Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.