A recent report by Savanta’s Diversity & Inclusion team, based on interviews with 1,500 UK employees, found that 42% of black employees have resigned from a job due to a lack of workplace diversity and inclusion, compared with just 26% of white employees. Exploring experiences in the workplace, the report also found that 28% of black staff and 32% of Asian employees feel discriminated against by their employer. 

When it comes to embracing the Black Lives Matter movement, three in 10 employees said their employer had made them aware that their organisation supported the movement, however the same amount also said their employer had taken no measures to address the BLM movement. 

This report comes hot on the heels of Business in the Community’s Race at Work survey, which found that ethnically diverse candidates feel they are being unfairly treated by recruitment agencies. Only three in 10 BAME employees said they were treated fairly by recruitment agencies, compared to five in 10 white staff. 

A recent analysis of ONS figures by the Trade Union Congress also found the unemployment rate for BAME workers rose at three times the speed of the unemployment rate for white workers between the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. 

These stats come as a stark reminder that employers must take action to address inequalities, embrace diversity and nurture a sense of belonging to retain their staff and create a culture of inclusion that benefits all employees.

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