A new study found that more than half (42%) of employers have an DE&I resource dedicated to diversity, equality, and inclusion.
Hays research shows that half of companies have a dedicated team for DE&I. A third of these organisations (34%) also have a DE&I Manager, and a similar percentage (31%) has a chief diversity officer or head of DE&I within their business.
The annual DE&I Report of the recruitment firm also revealed that 15% have a junior DE&I resource in place and 10% have an external support system, such as a consultancy or agency.
The study was conducted in partnership with Fairer Consulting and included more than 5,700 UK professionals and employers from a wide range of organisations. It also included responses from organisations that are “very large”, with over 1,000 employees.
The study found that large organizations are more likely than smaller organisations to have a DE&I resource. Nearly two thirds (64%) had one compared to only 42% for large firms, 29% for medium businesses and 22% for small organisations.
Public sector has more DE&I resources than private sector (53% versus 34%).
The education sector (52%) as well as London-based organizations (47%) are the most likely to have DE&I resources.
Seven in ten (71%) professionals think that ED&I is linked to positive employee wellbeing.
Nearly half of the employers polled (44%) said that they combine their DE&I and wellbeing resources. Just under a quarter (23%) have always done this, while another one in five (21%) has made the decision to combine the two in the last 24 months.
Only 8% of organizations plan to combine resources for ED&I and wellbeing in the future. 44% do not intend to, and nearly half (48%) remain uncertain.
Employees believe that DE&I can positively impact on five key factors: company culture (69%), recruitment including attraction and selection (39%), employee morale (36%), reputation of the company (29%) as well as retention (29%).
Dan Robertson is the managing director of Fairer Consulting. He said that despite recent reports suggesting organisations are cutting back on their DE&I budgets and initiatives, many organizations continue to recognize the importance of DE&I. They also have a DE&I resource.
The more organizations that have a DE&I team, the better. But there’s still plenty of room for improvement.”
Robertson believes there needs to be more communication and transparency about who is responsible for DE&I within an organization and what their plans are to improve the commitment of the organisation in the future. He believes that employers who fail to act “risk losing out on talent attraction, retention, employee morale, satisfaction at work, and company culture” if they don’t.
Robertson said, “Achieving DE&I in the workplace is a journey, not a destination. It requires reflections on what’s working well and what could be improved.”
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