Every person should be able to fulfill their potential at work, regardless of their background, identity, or circumstance. But we know that isn’t the case currently. Black and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals in the UK & US are both less likely to get in and get on in the workplace compared with their white counterparts. One in eight of the working-age population is from a BME background, yet they occupy only one in sixteen of top management positions.
Around 14% of the UK working-age population come from a black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background, and by 2030, it is expected that the proportion will be closer to 20%. Without action to develop inclusive workplace cultures where people with a diverse range of identities and backgrounds feel able to perform at their best and progress in their organization, we face an underutilization of talent through not enabling everyone to achieve their potential
‘The latest ONS statistics show that, at 62.7%, the BME employment rate is 13 points below the white employment rate. It is lower still when you look specifically at the Pakistani or Bangladeshi populations. Worse still, the biggest discrepancies exist in youth unemployment. White unemployment among 16 to 24 years-olds is 13%. Asian youth unemployment is 24% and black youth unemployment is higher still, at 27.5%.’ ‘Getting on’ in work also remains far from a level playing field. A considerable amount of recent research shines a light on the intolerable inequalities that prevent employees from a BAME background from progressing at work to the top of organizations.
A report by Green Park Interim & Executive Search:
‘The Green Park Leadership 10,000’ analyzed the diversity of the 10,000 most senior staff in FTSE 100 companies by gender, ethnicity, and cultural background. This showed that:
- The top leaders of the FTSE are almost exclusively white and male.
- Two of every three FTSE 100 companies have no BAME representation at Chairman, Chief Executive or Chief Financial Officer level.
Its ‘top 100’ positions are defined as senior management reporting to CEO and board-level directors. At these levels, FTSE 100 companies are doing a little better than the Civil Service. 5.1% of FTSE’s top 20 leaders and 6.2% of FTSE’s top 100 leaders are from an ethnic minority background.
A government report estimates that, if BAME talent was fully optimized across all career levels, theUK economy could generate an additional £24 billion a year. The potential value and contribution of BAME talent is clear, yet many companies struggle to retain and promote minority professionals from entry-level and middle management positions to senior executive roles, despite diversity being a stated strategic priority.
Although no one believes there is institutional racism, unconscious bias (and conscious in some instances) is still seen as prevalent and reflects the experience of many BAME staff. Discriminatory behaviors and remarks from some line managers and peers are the experiences of many BAME staff. They do not always feel able to challenge such behaviors for fear of being labeled troublemakers or ‘over-sensitive’. 47% of BAME respondents who took part in the ‘Removing Barriers to Success’ survey said they had personally experienced discrimination, bullying, harassment, or victimization at work in the last 12 months.
It’s clear from the survey results that different minority ethnic groups are facing different barriers to progression and it is important to be aware of the danger of assuming one solution will remove progression barriers for all minority groups. And with the complexity of intersectionality (each of us having multiple and overlapping social identities), we must not forget that the workforce is made up of individuals.
Again, the line manager plays a key role here, understanding the needs of each team member and providing the appropriate development support. In the recent survey, just 41% of BAME and 40% of white British employees said their manager understands their career aspirations. Similarly, around two-fifths of each group say their manager helps them identify their strengths and talents.
In summary, we know from past research that there is still a long way to go until we can claim that equal access to progression opportunities exists regardless of ethnic background. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will add to the current body of knowledge about where the barriers to progression for different groups lie that need removing and how organizations can level the playing field to enable talented people to reach their potential at work.
The TUC report highlights authenticity at the workplace, BME employee experiences of:
- Verbal abuse
- Racist literature
- Name-calling, taunting, and mimicking accents
- Being refused references
- Lack of information on training
- Arbitrary policies
- Unfair/excess monitoring
- Being consistently overlooked or downgraded.
- A recent study also reveals that BME respondents suffer a greater frequency of personalized bullying than their White counterparts who experience higher levels of work-related and social bullying.
It even highlights significant differences between BME and White respondents in their experiences of negative behavior, with BME employees reporting higher levels of being ignored, repeated reminders, and persistent criticism.
Most of the BME employees experience racist abuse from customers, colleagues, and managers which is common in catering. Racial stereotyping is sometimes openly practiced particularly in the service sector where some employers balance out the numbers of White and BME employees, particularly in front-line positions, and justify such actions by claiming that they best serve customers’ needs.
When comparing the risk factors of bullying for different BME groups, Studies found widespread use of a leadership style referred to as Non-Contingent Punishment (NCP), in other words, the leader makes use of punishment which is not considered to be associated with or equitable to the behavior of the target.
