How employers can champion Black employees by creating a supportive and inclusive workforce
This Black History Month is the ideal time for employers to re-evaluate their DE&I strategies to create and maintain a fair, and equitable workplace - but the work doesn’t stop as October ends. Our research explores the hurdles Black employees face along each step of employment and highlights the elements contributing to inequity at work.
Explore our key insights below and discover top tips on how employers can champion Black employees throughout their careers, while creating an inclusive workforce for everyone.
Totaljobs conducted a survey in May 2022 that gathered insights from 2,000 UK workers. This key research gave us an in-depth look at the disparities between people of underrepresented ethnicities, with a specific focus on Black and South Asian women against white workers across the UK.
The importance of championing Black employees
The residual impact of Covid-19 and the cost of living has exacerbated historic racial inequalities in the UK.
According to the ONS, almost half (47%) of Black, African, Caribbean, and Black British adults reported that it was difficult to afford their rent or mortgage payments compared to 35% of all adults. Further, 13% of the same demographic say they ran out of food in the last two weeks and had not been able to afford more (compared to just 5% of all adults). This suggests Black people are navigating challenges at a higher rate compared to the national average.
There are a number of societal and systematic factors why Black people face a greater impact than other demographics. Unconscious bias, historical injustices, workplace disparities, pay discrepancies, and unequal opportunities play a large part – which we’ll address throughout this article.
It’s vital employers are breaking barriers so their employees can thrive within and outside of the workplace.
Understand the challenges
It’s important for employers to acknowledge the systematic impact their Black employees may be facing daily – both inside and outside of the workplace environment. Addressing unconscious bias is a positive starting point in understanding and correcting some of these challenges.
Unconscious bias describes the associations we hold outside of our own conscious awareness (e.g. prejudice or stereotypes). This affects everyone, but means you may have assumptions about an individual or group that can be harmful. Unfortunately, unconscious bias can impact a person’s opportunities throughout their career – starting at the application stage in some cases. In fact, 34% of Black workers believe the progression of their application was halted because of their ethnicity, compared to 6% of white workers.
To achieve a fair an inclusive workforce employers should acknowledge historical injustices and unveil systematic barriers.
Celebrate Black History Month
Although its crucial to uplift and support your Black employees throughout the year, celebrating Black History Month signals an employer cares about its people. It also gives businesses a key opportunity to commemorate the culture, heritage, struggles and inspirational people from across the African diaspora that have contributed and continue to contribute to society.
This month shouldn’t just be about celebration though, employers can use this time to examine their DE&I strategy and overall workplace culture and practices to ensure momentum remains throughout the year – not just Black History Month.
Strategies for empowering your workforce
There are a myriad of strategies for nurturing Black employee’s success, including and beyond Black History Month.
Explore our recommendations below to find out how you can work towards addressing these barriers and create an equal thriving workforce, plus champion Black employees throughout their career:
1. Create a policy against discrimination
Shockingly, 45% of non-white women said racism at work affected their ability to do their job or the desire to stay in their role. As a result many move into self-employment, and are doing so to protect their mental health, gain needed flexibility, and to escape the continuous workplace bias and discrimination. This signals the harm that underrepresented ethnicities face at work, but also the impact this unfair treatment can have on businesses – employers may be risking their valued workforce if discrimination and equity is not taken seriously.
When it comes to discrimination, 79% of Black workers have faced some form of discrimination at work (compared to 62% of all workers). Two fifths (41%) of Black workers would like to see their employers have a clearly documented and consistently applied performance and disciplinary consequences for discrimination. Employers should create a clear, concise, and transparent policy protecting its employees of discrimination, ensuring there are clear lines of reporting, fixed equitable outcomes and an explicit HR process.
2. Conduct unbiased interviews
Over three quarters (77%) of Black workers have been made to feel uncomfortable, patronised, or intimidated during an interview due to their ethnicity (compared to 31% of white workers). Ensuring there are clear, fair, unbiased interview practices put in place will minimise prejudice during those early stages, and allow for the interviewee to feel authentic, comfortable, and welcomed regardless of their background.
Businesses can introduce measures to mitigate biases and discrimination during the entire recruitment process, starting from your job ad.
3. Foster an inclusive culture
Microaggressions are subtle comments, attitudes or behaviours made to another person that can slip under the radar. Nevertheless, the impact can be dire.
Unfortunately, our research found that 77% of Black workers experience microaggressions at work, the most common were:
- Colleagues saying they are ‘surprisingly well-spoken or intelligent’ (22%)
- Being subject to stereotypes of their ethnicity or gender (19%)
- Hearing jokes or banter hinted at their ethnic background (17%)
- Managers denying or overlooking them for a promotion (16%)
- Experiencing their success being attributed to tokenism (15%)
Only a third of UK workers (36%) have spoken up when they have seen discrimination of a minoritised ethnic group at work – despite 67% considering themselves as an ‘ally’. This speaks to a disconnected work culture and lack of awareness.
Commit to ongoing education and development to create an environment where microaggressions are challenged and accountability is valued. Fostering an inclusive work culture sets a tone throughout the organisation and discourages discriminatory behaviour.
4. Ensure fair routes to career progression
Provide the right environment that celebrates the ambition, resilience, and determination of Black employees throughout their career, and listen to what people want, instead of looking for an easy fix.
Elements Black workers said they would like to see implemented throughout their place of work:
- Career counselling (36%)
- Clear commitments to D&I at all levels of the business, with associated targets (35%)
- The creation of safe spaces or networks to give people with shared or similar lived experiences a sense of community (32%)
- Transparent progression routes or pathways to promotion (32%)
- Transparent salary bands (31%)
5. Involve senior leadership
Only 16% of Black workers in managerial positions feel supported by other members of their managerial or leadership team. This signals that organisations aren’t approaching an inclusive culture across the entire business.
Involving senior leadership by driving equity can ensure change is being made at the top. This can make getting buy-in from the key decision makers easier and ensures accountability is present at all stages of your organisation.
6. Partner with charities and experts
Being an honest, accountable employer means accepting that you may not know all the answers. For employers that are struggling to implement inclusive strategies, policies and practices, partner with charities and experts in this field such as:
7. Give back to your community
Giving back to your community can come in a variety of forms and can be key opportunity for employees to potentially connect with less fortunate people. Businesses can collaborate with schools, charities, local councils, and other organisations – contributing to a fairer society and potentially setting up pipelines for future talent.
Offering volunteer days in addition to annual leave allows your staff to give back to their surrounding communities, without sacrificing their free time or pay, and adds to a considerate culture. Some charities, schools and governments may also host events for Black History Month that you can participate in or collaborate with.
8. Lean on internal networks
Workplace networks or Employee resource groups (ERG’s) are employee led groups that strive to increase the standing of underrepresented people in an organisation.
32% of Black workers want the creation of safe spaces or networks to give people with shared lived experiences a sense of community. Further, 62% of Black workers believe such groups can help make change within business and make the workplace more inclusive.
Internal networks should be set up and sustained by the people within those specific communities, however employers should encourage celebrations, conversation and advocacy for policy that will benefit that community and ultimately the entire workforce.
Demonstrating commitment to lasting change
Understand that advocating and uplifting Black employees shouldn’t end with Black History Month.
Implementing these recommendations give employers an opportunity to increase engagement and retention, maintain an inclusive work culture, and create an attractive and sought after work environment for new potential employees.
At Totaljobs – part of The Stepstone Group – we are committed to elevating individuals from all backgrounds.
We radically include and celebrate the difference in every culture which fosters an ideal work environment. We are proud to be promoting our Black employee’s heritages during the occasion of the Black History Month, but the work doesn’t stop after October.
Our research points to the ongoing and vital need for organisations to uplift Black employees throughout their careers, diligently reviewing and removing the workplace blockers that stand in the way of growth and embedding strategies for greater diversity and inclusion in the needs and experiences of this community.
Ola Olatunji, Employee Relations Specialist at The Stepstone GroupBlack History Month provides a great opportunity to listen and reflect on what progress has been made in this space, but more importantly, to refocus on the crucial work still to be done.
To find out more about our research, and for more detailed recommendations on how you can champion your Black employees this Black History Month and every other month read the full report.