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Understanding the obstacles faced by black and minority ethnic people in the workplace

 

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There are a number of resources that explain the barriers that BAME individuals face in the workplace. The main barriers are as follows: 

  • Individual expectations and aspirations; 
  • Access to training, education and skills relevant to job performance; 
  • Social capital such as social relations and network; 
  • Lack of access to professions and integration policies; 
  • Cultural preferences and other cultural barriers; 
  • Direct discrimination (positive or negative) by employers, or co-workers; 
  • Indirect discrimination. 

Why are we focussing on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic graduates? 

In this toolkit we refer to person’s ethnicity as a key factor in diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We define ethnicity as a multi-faceted quality that refers to the group to which people belong, and/or are perceived to belong, as a result of certain shared characteristics, including geographical and ancestral origins, but particularly cultural traditions and languages. In the context of this toolkit we measure ethnicity by the resulting impacts on a person’s employment opportunities, including the barriers to entry and progression in the workplace. 

  1. A team where everyone belongs is a more productive team

    Open and inclusive workplace cultures, where all staff feel valued, respected and recognised, enable employers to recruit and retain the talent they need. A happier workforce contributes to better productivity, which in turn could deliver £24 billion of benefits to the UK economy, 1.3% of UK GDP.

  2. Outperform your competitors

    People are your most valuable asset. Ethnic and cultural diversity, particularly within executive teams, enables better financial performance by attracting and retaining top talent, enhancing decision making and building wide customer insight.

  3. Unlock innovation and drive market growth

    Creativity is at the heart of business innovation, and innovation is the engine of growth. Diverse and inclusive teams are more likely to be creative than homogenous groups as they contribute a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and problem - solving techniques which are all imperative to targeting diverse and untapped customer markets.

  4. Secure untapped talent

    By 2030, 20% of the UK working age population will come from a BAME background. However, this ethnic balance is not reflected in the majority of workplaces, with many ethnic minorities concentrated in lower paying jobs and underrepresented in top management positions.

  5. The skills and knowledge gap

    National and local studies have shown repeatedly that organisations do not find graduates to be as work-ready as they would expect. The Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership’s ‘Skills for the future report’ identified that, the rate at which job roles and required skills are evolving, especially in the era of Covid-19, means that employers need find effective methods for upskilling and reskilling.

  6. Build the future workforce

    ‘You cannot be what you cannot see’.

    Visibility and diverse representation within the workforces integral for Generation Z – young people between the ages of 18-24 who have an expectation workplace will be diverse and inclusive, and who will assess employers’ credentials on this basis. It is not enough to talk a good game, when a majority of under-35s want to see that organisations promoting diversity are backing that up with leadership teams that include under-represented minorities.