Diversity dilemma: one in four employees feel held back by discrimination
One in four employees say they feel they’ve been held back in their careers because of discrimination towards their ethnicity, sexuality, religion, age or gender, according to a new survey.
Research published by recruiter Barrington Hibbert Associates paints a bleak picture with 27 per cent of respondents reporting that diversity and inclusion in their workplaces was at best an ‘average’ priority.
The report spoke to 2,000 employees around the country in sectors ranging from finance and legal to healthcare and education, and found one in ten said they didn’t fit in at work.
The recruiter said it was also concerned about “code switching”, where ethnic minorities feel they can’t be themselves at work and feel the need to change aspects of their behaviour to fit in.
The report also found that mental health issues and disabilities were most likely to be barriers to career progression.
One in five said they did not feel represented by senior team leaders or senior levels in their companies, causing disappointment, exclusion or anger.
Half of those surveyed said representation at a senior level was important since decisions would be more inclusive.
They said discrimination and a lack of diversity, particularly at the top, resulted in missed opportunities and a failure to tap into the full potential of the workplace.
Some 14.5 per cent of white employees in financial services were managers, directors and senior officials, compared with only 7.5 per cent of employees from minorities, according to The Annual Population survey.
Michael Barrington-Hibbert, chief executive of Barrington Hibbert Associates, told City A.M.: “The UK’s position as a leading global financial centre is under threat — more so now than ever before.
“The financial services sector contributes 8.3 per cent of the UK’s total economic output, providing over one million jobs. And yet, a vast amount of economic potential is untapped by a culture that is failing to harness the skills of black people in the industry.
“Real, impactful, diversity, equity and inclusion in this sector is no longer just a ‘nice thing’ to have — it is imperative if the UK wants to regain and retain its position as a financial world leader.”