UK Firms Take Action: Setting Ethnic Diversity Goals for a More Inclusive Workplace

In the last few years, worldwide organisations have become more increasingly concerned about inclusivity and diversity. They realise that it is important to have a varied workforce and their business can reap many advantages from it. To make work environments that are more inclusive in the UK, several firms have set ethnic diversity goals among other measures. This goal will be discussed in this article and how they influence the UK business environment.

The Need for Ethnic Diversity Goals

United Kingdom is home to people from various parts of the world; hence it has a long history of diversity. Nonetheless, inclusion and racial equality have been one of significant challenges for this country too. For many years, there has been limited access to education, employment, and other opportunities by people from ethnic minority communities leading to underrepresentation in most sectors, especially at the top management level.

The need for these concerns to be addressed has however increased in recent times. Businesses know that having a diverse workforce positively affects their performance and helps them maintain ethical standards when promoting social justice. Consequently, many British companies introduced ethnic diversity goals among other efforts aimed at producing an all-inclusive working environment.

The Benefits of Ethnic Diversity in the Workplace

There are several arguments supporting diverse businesses. Different studies show that diverse teams are usually innovative and better at handling tough problems. People with different backgrounds provide different perspectives, experiences and ideas on one table hence enhancing innovativeness. Moreover, ethical practices concerning employees’ rights may also boost an organisation’s image attracting workers, customers, or investors.

Setting Ethnic Diversity Goals

One of the ways of creating a workplace that is more inclusive involves setting ethnic diversity goals such as those indicated above. By measuring performance against specific targets, corporations can monitor their progress toward real transformation processes. Additionally, companies may establish recruitment benchmarks for BAME individuals or consider promoting them into management positions.

Other ways include training on unconscious bias or implementing policies ensuring fair treatment of all employees. It should be noted that it must be genuine and long-lasting, not just ticking the boxes. For this reason, these firms should also consult their stakeholders and employees from diverse origins to make certain that they are all-inclusive within the communities.

Examples of UK Firms Setting Ethnic Diversity Goals

Some British business organisations have taken steps to enhance inclusivity in the workplace such as setting ethnic diversity goals among others. This includes ensuring that by 2025 PwC has increased its black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) partners to 10%. Similarly, Deloitte aims at increasing its BAME partners to 10% by 2021 and doubling the number of BAME directors up to 2020.

In addition, many firms have also signed up to the Race at Work Charter established by the UK government in 2018. The charter commits signatories to taking practical steps to address barriers faced by ethnic minority employees in the workplace. These companies include Amazon, KPMG, and Tesco.

Conclusion

In conclusion, setting ethnic diversity goals is a key step towards creating a more inclusive workplace. Businesses that proactively encourage diversity and inclusion tend to attract talented employees who stay longer with them hence enhancing their bottom line while helping them contribute to an equal society. Despite this progress made by these businesses however much is yet needed to address racial inequality issues in Britain today though these organizations efforts are quite encouraging.