According to recent research by Badenoch & Clark one in five employees have taken action to hide their age, disability, social background or sexuality in the workplace or when applying for a job. Inspiring Inclusion in the Workplace surveyed 2,000 British people and found that:
* Nearly 40% had experienced some form of bias when applying for a job
* Nearly a quarter (22%) feel their company does not embrace diversity and inclusion at any level and
* 11% said that their company does not a diversity policy
The report suggests three improvements that respondents want their organisations to make – the provision of diversity and inclusion training (21%), more social events (18%), and more consistent diversity and inclusion communication (12%).
The authors of the research commented that employers “still have a long way to go”. Commenting on the research James Nazroo, Professor of Sociology at University of Manchester and Director of the ESRC’s Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity, said that the report highlights ongoing problems in making workplaces truly inclusive. “This not only affects career progression, but also profoundly the health and wellbeing of employees.”
