Race at Work 2018: The Scorecard Report
Race at Work 2018: The Scorecard Report was published one year after The McGregor-Smith Review: Race in the workplace. It looks at how UK employers are performing against the recommendations outlined in the review. The Race at Work 2018: The Scorecard Report was sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with research conducted by YouGov. The findings led Business in the Community (BITC) to create the Race at Work Charter.
The results highlight British black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the workplace are ambitious, but there is a lack of opportunity and a strong desire for opportunities that is not being fulfilled. This is a waste of talent, energy, enthusiasm and expertise. The UK workplace remains uncomfortable talking about race. Employers need to create more opportunities to enable employees to do so. Race at Work 2018: The Scorecard Report highlights a need for inclusive leaders to demonstrate positive sponsorship behaviours in the workplace, engaging in mutual mentoring and ensuring fair assessment at appraisal.
The Race at Work Charter contains five calls to action*:
- Appoint an executive sponsor for race.
- Capture ethnicity data and publicise progress.
- Commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying.
- Making equality in the workplace the responsibility of all leaders and managers.
- Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression.
rACE AT WORK CHARTER
Headlines from Race at Work 2018: The Scorecard Report
Changing the culture
A quarter of BAME employees (25 per cent) witnessed or experienced racist harassment or bullying from managers in the last two years.
The proportion of white employees who report experiencing or witnessing racist harassment or bullying from managers has fallen since the Race at Work survey 2015. Witnessing or experiencing harassment from managers has fallen most for those from an Asian background (25 per cent down from 29 per cent), with other ethnicities seeing no change.
Since 2015 there has been an increase in the proportion of people from a BAME background who report they have witnessed or experienced racist harassment or bullying from customers or service users (up to 19 per cent from 16 per cent). People of a mixed ethnicity experienced the largest increase in harassment or bullying from customers (up 7 per cent).
Supporting progression
Progression remains important to BAME employees with 70 per cent saying career progression is important to them, compared to only 42 per cent of White British employees. However, over half of BAME employees (52 per cent), believe that they will have to leave their current organisation to progress in their career, in contrast with 38 per cent of White British employees.
Measuring success
In 2015, 48 per cent of BAME managers had a performance objective to promote equality and diversity. Only 32 per cent of white managers had the same performance objective. Worryingly the proportion of managers who report that they have a performance objective to promote equality at work has fallen from 41 per cent in 2015, to 32 per cent in 2018. This figure has fallen almost equally for those from a White British (26 per cent down from 32 per cent) and BAME background (38 per cent down from 48 per cent).
There has been little development in the number of people comfortable talking about race, with 38 per cent answering that they are compared to 37 per cent in 2015.
* In October 2021 two additional commitments were added to the Race at Work Charter: Support race inclusion allies in the workplace and; Include Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse-led enterprise owners in supply chains. Find out more about the Race at Work Charter.
LEARN MORE
Business in the Community is creating a
skilled and inclusive workforce for today and tomorrow.