Despite the backlash in the US against programs for diversity, equity, and inclusion, UK companies are protecting DEI budgets, and embedding DEI into their core business.
Culture Amp, a platform for employee experience, published a survey this week that found most UK companies viewed DEI programs as an investment and sought to integrate systemic changes into their operations during a period when DEI budgets were under pressure.
In the survey of over 1,000 UK-based organisations, three quarters (74%) of companies had DEI programmes. One quarter (26%) of these companies had increased funding in comparison to the previous year. A third (33%) also had a DEI program with a budget that remained stable.
By 41% to 28 %, more people disagreed than agreed with the statement “My employer is too woke”. Employees over 55 are less likely than those under 45 to think their employer is woke. Most employees aged 25-34 believed their company was woke.
Four out of ten companies added diversity questions to their recruitment processes, while over one-third (36%) added diversity questions to engagement questionnaires to capture diversity demographics.
A small minority (13%) of respondents felt that their organization invested too much money and time in DEI programs.
Recent studies provide a mixed picture on attitudes towards DEI. Channel 4 Research found nearly half (45%) of Gen Z men believed “we have gone too far in promoting equality for women that we are discriminating men”. And 44% thought that women’s rights had been advanced enough.
According to a study conducted by Occupational Assessment, a small group of senior executives felt that US policy changes would influence UK spending and thinking in the DEI area. Nearly four out of ten respondents (37%) agreed with the rollback or at least certain measures on the other side of the Atlantic.
In this group, 32% of respondents felt that certain aspects of DEI policy needed to be changed. A further 5% of respondents said that DEI policies had gone too far at British workplaces.
The Occupational Health Assessment Report found that most UK employers (53%) continue to support equality policies. Over one-fifth of employers (22%) would like to see DEI programs strengthened, while 31% said that current DEI programs are “about right”.
Culture Amp’s vice president of equitable operations, Aubrey Blanche Sarellano, stated that the firm’s research had revealed “that a large majority of UK businesses are still committed” to creating workplaces in which people are treated with fairness and respect.
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