A staggering 74 percent of UK employees find it important to work in an organisation that values diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), according to a new study by GoodHabitz.
This compares to the European average of 67 percent.
The findings also indicate that in the UK, 71 percent of employees feel that people in their organisation are treated equally.
This is also reflected in the gender pay gap, with 69 percent of respondents feeling that gender has no bearing on the salary of an employee.
European countries
These statistics are lower in most European countries – 64 percent of employees feel they are treated equally.
However, countries such as Poland (53%), France (55%) and Austria (57%) are lagging behind.
Tim Segers, UK Director of GoodHabitz explained: “We were very interested to see that across many of the DE&I challenges that companies experience, the UK’s efforts in addressing them were more visible compared to most other European countries.
“For example, almost three in four UK employees say it’s important to work in an organisation that values diversity and inclusion, which is 7 percent higher than other European employees. It’s great to see that UK employers are trying to match the demand by striving to improve diversity and inclusion. Indeed, 68 percent of UK employees have noticed their companies’ efforts, which is 7 percent higher than our European counterparts”.
Segers continued: “Creating an environment where employees can openly talk about their cultural differences should be one of the top priorities when setting a DE&I strategy, and UK employers are leading the way (70% vs Europe’s 63%).
DE&I strategies
The research also shows that managers are instrumental in supporting and advocating DE&I strategies.
Here, again, UK managers (77%) showed they are accepting of a mixture of cultural and ethnic backgrounds compared to 66 percent of European ones.
“When focusing on DE&I, it’s important to create a bias-free working environment. This can be achieved through a variety of channels. For instance, helping employees develop and learn the right soft skills to support a DE&I strategy and approach is essential.
“In fact, in the UK over 66 percent of employees agree that online courses help them develop soft skills. Only when employees become aware of the various layers of cultures, mental programming and cultural characteristics can they build a diversity mindset,” concluded Segers.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
