Less than half (46%) BAME (Black, Asian and Latinx) women and 52% of LGBTQ+ women feel included in company decision-making, according to global research from Culture Amp, the people and culture platform.

The research highlights gender disparity further, with only 54% of straight white women saying they feel included, compared to 69% for straight white men.

Decision-making

The findings, which assess the views of 34,634 employees around the world, also show that while 80% of straight white men feel that people from all backgrounds have equal opportunities to succeed, only 54% of black women; 58% of LGBTQ+ women; 63% black men; and 69% of straight white women agree.

The survey also found that, in the workplace, there are almost twice as many partnered men with children than women (13% and 6% respectively) while the proportion of men to women with no children is almost equal (21%:24%). The findings seem to support the argument that new mothers with professional careers don’t return to work after having children because they believe companies won’t accommodate their needs.   

That said, 66% of partnered parents think that perspectives like theirs are included in decision making at the company compared to 59% of employees with no children. For single parents, only 56% of parents agreed.

Inclusivity report

Culture Amp’s Workplace Diversity, Inclusion & Intersectionality Report was released in November 2019 against a backdrop of worldwide demographic research indicating an increasingly diverse population.

Minorities are becoming an increasingly influential voice in the workforce in leading economies. UK academic research suggests that ethnic minorities will comprise 35-40% of the UK population by 2061 and a majority by the end of this century, while the US is projected to have a majority-minority workforce by 2050.

Culture Amp’s survey data also indicate an increasingly youthful and self-aware global workforce. The youngest (under 24 years of age) cohort outnumbers the oldest participant group (55+ years of age) by three to one, with this cohort being more likely to identify as LGBT than any other (11%).

The Culture Amp survey provides greater insight into global workforce diversity initiatives and priorities than a simple company diversity census because it draws on data regarding who is in the workforce as well as their experiences – increasing businesses’ potential to take meaningful action informed by data.

The study does, however, show where companies are now making effective progress on D&I strategies, finding that:

●      Companies that collect in-depth data on diversity and intersectionality are more likely to act on the findings

●      Organisations that incorporate diversity and inclusion (D&I) principles into everyday workplace life – instead of treating them as separate initiatives – are delivering on target outcomes

●      Teams taking a “small wins” approach to achieve D&I strategies – such as being more transparent in their decision-making – typically see an uplift of between 4-8% on target areas

Jess Brook, senior people scientist and head of D&I Europe at Culture Amp, comments: “Diversity and inclusion initiatives are integral to the success of an organisation. 

“They provide new perspectives, a wider talent pool, stronger innovation and even improved profits. Yet despite the world around us being increasingly diverse, these findings suggest that change still isn’t happening organically in the workplace.

“Organisations, therefore, need to focus on D&I with practical impacts if they want to reflect leading economies’ fast-changing demographics and fully embrace the opportunities a diverse workforce can offer.”