New research has revealed an unintended consequence of diversity and inclusion, as almost one in three (31 per cent) UK employees fear losing their job in a more diverse organisation.
This worry is significantly more prevalent amongst men, 35 per cent of whom are concerned about job security in a more inclusive organisation, as opposed to 26 per cent of women.
In fact, whilst this fear exists at a higher rate amongst male employees, it is highest among millennial males, almost half of whom fear losing their job over diversity and inclusion (45 per cent).
This comes as some companies announce greater strides towards creating a more diverse organisation. This includes KPMG which recently announced that within ten years, the company wants 29 per cent of its partners and directors to come from a working class background.
The report, released by Dynata, suggests that more needs to be done within the workplace in relation to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes, as almost one in four of those workers whose companies have a DEI programme feel this way.
Encouragingly, one in seven (70 per cent) UK employees whose company has a DEI programme said it was very or extremely beneficial to the organisation.
However, when exploring these figures, there appears to be fluctuation among cohorts in relation to awareness.
Young workers were much more likely than older ones to be familiar with initiatives promoting DEI, at 72 per cent for Gen Z and 67 per cent for Millennials, compared to 52 per cent for Gen X and 33 per cent for Baby Boomers.
Whilst female employees are less likely to fear their job security in relation to DEI, they are also more likely to be unfamiliar with DEI, with one in five (20 per cent) lacking knowledge on their DEI programme, as opposed to 16 per cent of men.
Ahead of Global Diversity Awareness Month (October 2021), the report also detailed how employees deal with microaggressions in the workplace, with two in five (41 per cent) reporting that colleagues often say hurtful things to them based on their differences without realising they are being hurtful.
The data also showed that microaggressions are more common for ethnic minorities in the UK (51 per cent) than those in the USA, Canada, and Australia, with these countries reporting microaggressions at a rate of below 50 per cent each.
Megan McElroy is a second year English Literature student at the University of Warwick. As Editorial Intern for HRreview, her interests include employment law and public policy. In relation to her degree, her favourite areas of study include Small Press Publishing and political poetry.
