Kerr has seen more firms commit to D&I since Floyd's death but says goal setting to drive action and listening to employee experiences is crucial
Newsletter
DiversityQ supports board members setting and enacting their D&I strategy, HR directors managing their departments to take D&I best practice and implement it in real-life workplace situations
A year on from George Floyd’s death, we asked a group of diversity, equality and inclusion specialists if anything has changed within organisations regarding race equality.Here Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Director at Business in the Community (BITC), shares her views.
The tragic killing of George Floyd in May 2020 has changed the way businesses and the wider population as a whole think about diversity and inclusion.
Over the past year, there has been a significant shift in the appetite of employers to understand the needs of Black and ethnic minority employees in the workplace and how they can improve their representation at senior levels. I’m pleased to say that the solidarity many businesses displayed through social media campaigns last May has begun to crystalise into tangible changes of both attitude and policy in many organisations.
To support businesses with these actions, Business in the Community published the Race at Work Black Voices report, highlighting how employers can benefit from ensuring inclusion and effective engagement of their Black talent.
Perhaps the clearest indicator of positive change over the past year is the significant increase in signatories to the Race at Work Charter in 2018. Launched in 2018, the Charter has 713 business signatories to date – 436 of which have signed up since George Floyd’s death.
By signing up to the Charter, each business has pledged their commitment to five key actions to drive forward change in the workplace:
Appoint an executive sponsor for race.
Capture ethnicity data and publicise progress.
Commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying.
Make it clear that supporting equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all leaders and managers.
Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression.
These are clearly steps in the right direction. However, we still have a long way to go to understand the experiences of ethnically diverse employees to truly tackle racism and discrimination in the workplace. Key to this will be the 2021 Race at Work Survey, which offers employers and employees across the UK the opportunity to share the realities of today’s workplace and have their voices heard.
The insight from this year’s survey will fuel our drive for a more inclusive workplace and shine a light on the areas that need addressing to benefit employees across the country.
BITC’s Sandra Kerr CBE on why listening to employee experiences will tackle workplace racism
694 business signatories have signed the Race at Work Charter to date.
Kerr has seen more firms commit to D&I since Floyd's death but says goal setting to drive action and listening to employee experiences is crucial
Newsletter
DiversityQ supports board members setting and enacting their D&I strategy, HR directors managing their departments to take D&I best practice and implement it in real-life workplace situations
Sign up nowA year on from George Floyd’s death, we asked a group of diversity, equality and inclusion specialists if anything has changed within organisations regarding race equality. Here Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Director at Business in the Community (BITC), shares her views.
The tragic killing of George Floyd in May 2020 has changed the way businesses and the wider population as a whole think about diversity and inclusion.
Over the past year, there has been a significant shift in the appetite of employers to understand the needs of Black and ethnic minority employees in the workplace and how they can improve their representation at senior levels. I’m pleased to say that the solidarity many businesses displayed through social media campaigns last May has begun to crystalise into tangible changes of both attitude and policy in many organisations.
To support businesses with these actions, Business in the Community published the Race at Work Black Voices report, highlighting how employers can benefit from ensuring inclusion and effective engagement of their Black talent.
Perhaps the clearest indicator of positive change over the past year is the significant increase in signatories to the Race at Work Charter in 2018. Launched in 2018, the Charter has 713 business signatories to date – 436 of which have signed up since George Floyd’s death.
By signing up to the Charter, each business has pledged their commitment to five key actions to drive forward change in the workplace:
These are clearly steps in the right direction. However, we still have a long way to go to understand the experiences of ethnically diverse employees to truly tackle racism and discrimination in the workplace. Key to this will be the 2021 Race at Work Survey, which offers employers and employees across the UK the opportunity to share the realities of today’s workplace and have their voices heard.
The insight from this year’s survey will fuel our drive for a more inclusive workplace and shine a light on the areas that need addressing to benefit employees across the country.
Sandra Kerr CBE is a race, gender, and disability business and policy advisor and is currently the Business in the Community‘s Race Equality Director.
Latest
DE&I the fillip to successful marketing at Digitas
How culture in financial services can change for everyone’s benefit
Ministers reject ‘menopause leave’ trial in England
Related
How culture in financial services can change for everyone’s benefit
Facing its image problem will propel the sector from “zeroes to heroes”
Dear Asset Management Industry: now is the time for change!
At the Women in Asset Management Summit USA 2022, Heidi Ridley reflected on the need to embrace the new stakeholder paradigm
How should employers support working parents financially?
48% of pregnant mothers plan to shorten their maternity leave due to financial hardship
AI in recruitment: is it helping or hindering your drive for DE&I?
99% of Fortune 500 companies use AI recruitment software to bolster hiring – but it can be problematic