UK employers fail to apply zero tolerance approach to discrimination

More than half (56%) of UK employers do not have a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination within the workplace, according to a new study.

Research from law firm Winckworth Sherwood found that two in five (39%) employers have no form of diversity and inclusion strategy and 20% are not taking any steps to improve equality, diversity and inclusion at all.

The firm claims the insight highlights the fact that, despite recent high-profile efforts by many sectors, more needs to be done to help bolster employment equality, diversity and inclusion in the UK.

The findings are also supported from an employee perspective, with almost half (47%) of those surveyed believing their employer could do more to improve diversity and inclusion, and one in four employees believe their organisations are affected by some kind of bias.

Flexible working is the top improvement demanded by employees according to the research.

The findings form part of a larger report released by Winckworth Sherwood focusing on equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

The survey, which is part of the report, was conducted by YouGov involving more than 1,000 employees and 600 HR decision makers between March – April 2022 across a range of sectors, from the finance, legal and accounting professions, to real estate, healthcare and education.

Report co-author Louise Lawrence, partner in the employment team at Winckworth Sherwood, said: “For all the encouraging advancements made by employers in recent years to combat discrimination and promote greater inclusion, diversity and equality in the workplace, there is clearly more that needs to be done.

“Our research findings serve as important reminder that initiatives launched to address issues such as diversity and inclusion represent a continual process of improvement rather than short-term fixes and employers need to consider the post-pandemic challenges that lie ahead.”

Harriet Calver, senior associate at Winckworth Sherwood and co-author, said: “We have seen employees’ attitudes to work and work-life balance change dramatically during the past two years and our report clearly shows that there is a need for a large proportion of employers to adapt to this change.

“Amidst the ‘great resignation’, employees are likely to remain more loyal to their employers if they feel they are valued and their voices heard.  We look forward to continuing our work with clients across multiple sectors to help them attract, retain and diversify their talent pool.”