5 Ways to Support People of Colour in Work

It’s no surprise that a racially inclusive workforce offers a wealth of unique experiences, insights, and cultural perspectives that enrich the employee experience and contribute significantly to organisational success. So much so, in fact, that Deloitte claims that an inclusive workforce not only makes better business decisions 87% of the time, but makes them twice as fast. Additionally, it’s said that a diverse workforce enhances both innovation and creativity by an impressive 20%.

However, even with these benefits, research shows that institutional racism in the workplace still very much exists, particularly when it comes to hiring and promotion opportunities for people of colour. To add, a recent report by the Resolution Foundation found that ethnic minorities are more likely to be insecure at work and twice as likely to be unemployed compared to their white counterparts. Given that about 1 in 8 people are from an ethnic minority background, this disparity is simply unacceptable.

In this blog we’ll explore 5 ways to support people of colour in the workplace.

1) Recognise that racial disparities exist and commit to changing them

These days, no employer wants to openly admit that racial disparities exist within their company as, let’s be honest, it’s not good enough. However, turning a blind eye is much worse. In fact, research has shown that many white people refuse the existence of racism against people of colour because of the assumption that racism is a deliberate activity that’s channelled by malice or hatred.

Unconscious racism occurs in the workplace every day, without any deliberate hurtful intent and it’s these cases that can cause the most harm if brushed aside. This not only solidifies the need for organisations to consciously identify their racial disparities but work to educate the variety of discriminatory tendencies that can occur.

The first step is to identify where racial disparities exist and then work backwards, with the goal of identifying what is causing them. When these root causes have then been discovered, organisations can then create a plan of action to tackle these issues head on.

Knowing what to look for is key when identifying internal racial disparities, the most common to look for include:

• Unequal opportunities: does everyone in your company have fair access to opportunities no matter their race or ethnicity?
  
  
• Microaggressions: indirect language can be some of the most offensive, listen out for jokes, slurs or offensive language used in all settings, especially relaxed.
  
  
• Segregation and isolation: have you noticed those of a similar racial background or ethnicity tend to appear in clusters of specific departments or roles?
  
  
• Pay disparities: is everyone in the workplace paid a fair and equal wage, regardless of their ethnicity? Pay scales should be regularly analysed and updated across all departments and roles.

While the above are the most common, additional disparities can exist even in the smallest of forms. Undertake appropriate research on your workforce and loop in the senior managers who lead teams, projects and departments. As a leader, don’t be afraid to ask your employees difficult and honest questions, it’s only then you are able to correctly identify where problems lie.

2) Elect an executive sponsor specifically to manage race equality

We all know that radical change in a business best starts at the top, as it’s when employees see their leaders modelling specific behaviours that they’re more likely to adopt them too.

In other words, a “practice what you preach” commitment to an inclusive and equal workplace is critical for driving change. Additional benefits of appointing an executive sponsor, include:

Having a direct point of contact ensuring there’s always clear lines of communication

• Visible leadership, showing race and ethnicity is being taken seriously company-wide
• Driving actionable change, like setting targets for minority representation
• More supported, empowered and engaged employees

3) Incorporate racial inclusion at the core of your organisation’s ethos

Racism must be addressed in a similar way that all work-critical activity would: with appropriate research, time and care. To be a racially equal workplace, employers need to incorporate anti-racism practices at the core of their business.

This includes:

Reinforcing their commitment to diversity and inclusion

Employers can support people of colour at work by embedding their commitment to racial inclusion in the company’s values, policies, and everyday practices. This is paramount when it comes to breaking down systemic racism, especially in the face of out-of-date policies and workplace processes.

A few key strategies to consider:

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Conducting regular equity audits, like analysing hiring, pay, promotions, and turnover data by race, helps companies identify and address disparities.
• Clear Anti-Discrimination Reporting Procedures: Providing clear repercussions for discriminatory behaviour reinforces a culture of accountability and respect.
• Leadership Accountability: setting measurable diversity goals, creating open and transparent dialogue and opportunities for feedback, and being held responsible for progress.

Addressing underrepresentation 

Underrepresentation exists when a group of individuals are inadequately represented. For example, while 1.7% of the UK population are black women, only 0.7% are IT professionals. This means these women are highly underrepresented in the IT sector. Additionally, research shows that black and Hispanic workers are underrepresented in STEM fields, with women more likely to not even attempt to embark on a career in STEM, even though they make up 72% of the UK workforce.

Unbelievably, research also confirms that the proportion of ethnic minority chairs in the FTSE 100 has only risen from 3% in 2013, to 5% in 2023, which over a period of ten years, is incredibly poor. These points not only solidly that it’s one thing knowing the direction that your business should be going in when it comes to anti-racism, but it’s another putting people of colour in a position to make these changes.

So, while research confirms that 96% of FTSE 100 companies now have at least one ethnic minority director, ethnic minority board representation still stands at 19%, which significantly highlights room for growth. Additionally, males occupy 75% of computer science positions and 62% of these professionals are white men. As mentioned previously, when it comes to your organisation, use your employee data to highlight where underrepresentation is occurring and make these areas your focus points.

Ongoing conversation and celebration of diversity

Encouraging research, education and open conversations about racism allows individuals to learn from others’ lived experiences which, in turn, builds allyship and brings racial injustices to the forefront.

There’s also many events, webinars and conferences that exist to champion ethnic minorities in the workplace across the UK – and worldwide. By encouraging the workforce to engage in these activities, employers can help their employees celebrate diversity and even discover innovative ideas and practices to bring back to the organisation.

A few UK-based events that are worth looking into, include:

• The Diversity and Inclusion in Business Conference
• Race at Work Online Summit
  
• The Diversity Conference
• The Northern Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the Workplace Conference

However, don’t be disheartened if your business doesn’t operate on a big enough scale to attend these events – there’s always room for impact, no matter the size of your business. For small-medium sized companies, look at events, exhibitions and conferences local to your area.

4) Conduct appropriate management training

It’s unrealistic to assume that HR or senior leaders should just know how to support employees, especially as the variety of factors that make us different (or the same) are endless and go far beyond race, like a person’s upbringing, mental health and life experiences. However, for people of colour to feel best supported in the workplace, their managers need to be best equipped.

There are several external diversity and inclusive training programmes available, providing businesses with the tools, skills and resources they require to best support their diverse workforce. These include:

• Equality & Diversity UK
• The Skills Centre
• Acas
• The EW Group

Additionally, both the CMI Level 7 Certificate and CMI Level 7 Diploma qualifications cover areas modules such as Leading Strategic Change and Organisational Design and Development.

Don’t forget, as an employer it’s vital to monitor your progress both before and after undertaking any training courses, this will give you a better understanding of achievements, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

5) Conduct transparent recruitment and onboarding practices

Research shows that Black and ethnic minority individuals are less likely to be hired, upskilled and promoted compared to their white counterparts. This disparity highlights the need for both HR and senior leadership to ensure their recruitment and career development plans are both accessible and inclusive of every ethnicity.

For example research conducted for the Race and Recruitment: Exposing the Barriers report revealed that only 57% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) applicants were invited for interviews via a recruitment agency, compared to 73% of white candidates who were white. While this will take into consideration the ethnicity of those who applied for the role, the gap is incredibly stark.

If you’re a candidate working with a recruitment consultant, or a business working with a recruitment agency, ask them about their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices when it comes to job descriptions, criteria and shortlisting.

To add, organisations, in general, should adopt transparent, consistent hiring processes that promote fairness and avoid bias. This might include:

• Blind resume reviews
• Diverse hiring panels, and
• Clearly defined criteria for promotions

Supporting People of Colour for the Long-Term

Supporting a racially and ethnically inclusive workforce is not only an essential priority, but a legal priority in today’s business environment. Companies that fail to embrace this level of diversity risk missing out on the benefits of varied perspectives, creativity, and innovation, putting their long-term success at a disadvantage. Additionally, organisations are legally obligated to prevent and address racial discrimination in the workplace, making it a priority.

By actively fostering an inclusive environment, organisations position themselves as forward-thinking leaders who attract top talent, enhance employee morale, and build stronger connections with customers and clients from varied backgrounds.

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