Issues faced by businesses in developing Black and minority
ethnic talent and skills:
ECU response to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s call for
evidence
What are the impacts of having an ethnically diverse workforce? (open question)
The workforce itself
Talent management
All organisations want to employ the best people to do the best job. Currently that cannot be happening
in the UK as Black and minority ethnic individuals are not being employed and promoted at the same
rates as their white counterparts (ECU (2011) The experience of Black and minority ethnic staff in higher
education. Online: http://www.ecu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/external/experience-of-bme-staff-in-hefinal-report.pdf). In overlooking talented BME individuals, we are not always hiring and promoting the
best people.
Furthermore, ECU research (ECU (2015) Academic flight: how to encourage black and minority ethnic
academics to stay in UK higher education. Online: http://www.ecu.ac.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/03/ECU_Academic-flight-from-UK-education_RR.pdf) confirms previously
anecdotal evidence that BME staff are more likely to consider moving overseas to progress their careers
than their white counterparts, at least in part because of racial inequalities faced in the UK.
Janet Beer, ECU Chair and Vice-chancellor, University of Liverpool highlights:
‘We have invested in the development of talent but our competitors overseas are benefitting from
UK-grown, UK-educated and UK-funded British talent. It is our responsibility to ensure we retain
but also attract back UK BME staff.’
Quality of output
Having a diverse workforce ensures that people from different backgrounds and with different ideas and
views are able to contribute. Having a greater range of contributions leads to better decision making and
better outputs. Consultancy firm McKinsey demonstrate that through this report:
http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters
From a higher education perspective, research is a central part of the sector’s work and financial
viability. We need researchers to have a broad diversity of backgrounds and opinions, otherwise their
research will be limited. That is not to say that diversifying the team necessarily leads to consideration of
equality and diversity, but it broadens the possibility of different perspectives. It also reminds other team
members that not everyone looks like them, or has the same background as them.
Service users
We know that a diverse workforce appeals to an organisation’s service users. In the case of higher
education, their students.
The higher education workforce should reflect the profile of its student body, however, while 22.5% of
first year, UK undergraduates are from a black and minority ethnic background, only 6.1% of the UK
academic workforce identify as BME (ECU (2015) Equality in higher education: statistical report 2015.
Online: http://www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/using-data-and-evidence/statistics-report/). A diverse
workforce contributes to:
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Sense of belonging
Sense of belonging plays a significant role in student continuation rates and success. In addition to
acting as role models and providing career inspiration (ie BME students seeing BME academics and
feeling like they could also be in that position), it may help to relieve any potential isolation. If a BME
student is being taught by an all-white workforce, the impact will be greater on them than on their
white counterparts. In addition to feeling isolated, any time they are spending dealing with that
isolation is time away from their studies.
Our students are potentially our politicians, lawyers, CEOs, scientists and professors of the future. If
BME students are not progressing in their courses or being awarded the top degree classifications at
the same rate as their white counterparts, they are already at a disadvantage before even trying to
enter the workforce.
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Conscious and unconscious bias
We know from ECU research into unconscious bias (ECU (2013) Unconscious bias and higher
education. Online: http://www.ecu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/unconscious-bias-andhigher-education.pdf) that imagery and contact have a powerful impact on stereotypes and our
biases (both conscious and unconscious). If we only ever see minority ethnic people in stereotypical
roles, it impacts on our perceptions, and contributes to ineffective decisions being made, based on
stereotypes rather than fact. This has a negative impact on everyone, regardless of their ethnicity.
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Curriculum and pedagogy
Finally, while it can’t be assumed that BME academics will automatically consider race and ethnicity
in their curriculum, pedagogy and research, they may have different ideas, views and interests to
their white counterparts. This opens up a different knowledge base to all students, including BME
students.
Can you provide any evidence to suggest that ethnic diversity has changed outcomes for
businesses?
Yes
No
If yes, please describe this evidence. (open question)
Due to a lack of progress to date in diversifying the higher education workforce, there is limited empirical
evidence on the impact of having diverse teams. While this reduces the number of specific examples we
are able to provide below, it perhaps emphasises the need to address career barriers for BME
individuals.
From the research that we do have:
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Funding and collaboration
Participants in ECU research (ECU (2013) Improving the experiences of international staff in UK higher
education. Online: http://www.ecu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/external/improving-the-experiencesof-international-staff-in-UK-higher-education-research-report.pdf) highlighted that they have
different networks and contacts to their white British counterparts which was useful for research
collaboration and also access to research grant funding. Having overseas contacts and European
collaborators is likely to be increasingly useful as the UK looks to leave the EU.
Access to different networks and contacts was also highlighted in ECU’s research on academic flight
(referenced above) which focussed on UK BME academics.
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Interacting with service users
We know that nearly a quarter of UK students are from a BME background (22.5% of first year
undergraduates). Many BME student respondents to ECU’s consultation on creating a race equality
charter mark mentioned the need to diversify the higher education workforce which is
complemented by messages from the National Union of Students.
Universities with more diverse workforces will find it easier to represent their diversity at open days,
in their prospectus, in marketing materials and imagery on their website and campuses. This in turn
will assist in student recruitment.
Evidence suggests that BME individuals have difficulty accessing jobs that match their
skills and are not progressing as far as their white counterparts. What factors do you
think might be causing this?
Lack of qualifications or formal skills
Issues with recognition of qualifications
Language skills
Lack of social or professional networks
Discrimination
Unconscious bias
Lack of role models
Differences in motivations or ambitions
None of the above
Other:
Sense of belonging, lack of access to informal networking, mentoring and sponsorship, lack of emphasis
in the workplace on good quality line management and support.
If you are representing a trade union, industry or employer body, in your experience, do
organisations currently collect data on ethnicity?
Yes
No
Not applicable
If yes, which of the following data on ethnicity do organisations collect? Please select all
that apply.
Number of employees by ethnicity
Average pay by ethnicity
Salary bands by ethnicity
Position within the business by ethnicity
Gender by ethnicity
Age by ethnicity
Other
Grievances and disciplinaries, outcomes of performance reviews, turnover, recruitment data (including
shortlisting data), promotions data, staff and student survey data, flexible working requests.
From your experience, are you aware of any barriers to collecting further data by
ethnicity? Please select all that apply.
Not applicable
HR system cannot capture ethnicity data
Non-disclosure of ethnicity data by employees
Legal considerations
Collecting ethnicity data is against company policy
Do not see the value in collecting ethnicity data
Cost
None
Which of the following policies or practices that support BME progression are you
aware of?
Mentoring
Reverse mentoring
Talent/fast track programme
Discrimination training
Unconscious bias training
BME networks
Targeted internships/recruitment
Outreach programmes
Diversity and inclusion champions
Name-blind recruitment
none of the above
From your experience, which policies or practices do you judge to have worked best in
improving the progression of BME employees? (Open question)
All of the above have the capacity to contribute to change if they are developed and implemented
appropriately, with involvement from BME staff. ECU ran a two year project with universities (2010/112012/13) to investigate how to create systemic change in race equality, and many of the above initiatives
featured in the project.
However, the project found that having piecemeal actions and initiatives may lead to some
improvements, but a more holistic approach is necessary to tackle long term racial inequalities ingrained
within policies and processes. If there are barriers to career progression for BME employees, they are
likely to be systematic of the culture of the organisation and there are likely to be racial inequalities in
other areas also.
Furthermore, interventions need long-term commitment and resource to succeed and have an impact.
They require senior management buy-in, but also stability and succession planning: if a manager or
leader leaves, will the initiative continue to be supported by their successor.
Race equality charter approach
For this reason, ECU has developed a charter mark which aims to improve the representation,
progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students.
The Race Equality Charter requires applicants to demonstrate their candid understanding of racial
inequalities within their cultures, processes and procedures along with senior management commitment
to tackling and resourcing change.
ECU’s Race Equality Charter is a progressive award, starting with charter membership, followed by
Bronze awards and then Silver. Award holders must re-apply for their award every three years,
demonstrating progress and completion of actions in order to be successful. The Charter is evidencebased so actions need to be developed and implemented for a reason, and then monitored and
evaluated to ensure progress and impact.
The Race Equality Charter was launched in January 2016 and currently has 23 members and eight Bronze
award holders.
Race equality charter specifics
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Members establish a self-assessment team (SAT) to audit the institution. This ensures that the work
does not fall to one individual, but rather there is collective responsibility. The SAT will usually be
chaired by a senior manager with the authority to commit to actions, and include representation
from across the university.
The SAT should then have:
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Conducted a survey of minority ethnic staff and students to gain insight into the culture of the
institution.
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Interrogated qualitative and quantitative data on the experiences and outcomes for minority ethnic
staff and students.
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Consulted with minority ethnic staff and students on existing issues and the development of actions
and initiatives, this includes running focus groups and interviews.
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Completed a REC application form which presents the results of all of the above with in-depth
analyses and commentary providing the reader with a clear sense of the institution’s race-specific
issues, aims and priorities.
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Created a comprehensive, evidence-based action plan, with SMART actions. Actions should be owned
by people who have adequate influence and seniority to complete them. Accountability should be
built into existing institutional reporting mechanisms.
From you experience, which policies or practices do you judge to have been less
effective in improving the progression of BME employees? (open question)
As mentioned above, the best approaches tend to be holistic, and most importantly, aimed at tackling
deep-rooted cultural and institutional racial inequalities. Initiatives which take a deficit model approach
are not going to lead to culture change: it is the culture of the organisation that needs to change, not
BME individuals.
ECU’s Race Equality Charter is founded on five guiding principles, which are useful in framing an
approach to developing solutions:
1. Racial inequalities are a significant issue within higher education. Racial inequalities are not
necessarily overt, isolated incidents. Racism is an everyday facet of UK society and racial
inequalities manifest themselves in everyday situations, processes and behaviours.
2. UK higher education cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of the
whole population and until individuals from all ethnic backgrounds can benefit equally from the
opportunities it affords.
3. In developing solutions to racial inequalities, it is important that they are aimed at achieving longterm institutional culture change, avoiding a deficit model where solutions are aimed at changing
the individual.
4. Black and minority ethnic staff and students are not a homogenous group. People from different
ethnic backgrounds have different experiences of and outcomes from/within higher education,
and that complexity needs to be considered in analysing data and developing actions.
5. All individuals have multiple identities, and the intersection of those identities should be
considered wherever possible.
What is the role of business in supporting the progression of BME employees in work?
(open question)
Being honest and taking responsibility for the extent of the problem is important. The higher education
sector is beginning to discuss race equality and is beginning to take responsibility for challenging racial
inequalities. All employers need to ensure that any individual can contribute and thrive within their
organisation, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
What is the role of Government in supporting the progression of BME employees in
work? (open question)
Accountability. Government has a role in both being accountable for progressing race equality in society
as a whole, but also in holding different sectors and organisations to account for their role in bringing
about progress.
At the time of submitting this consultation response, the Equality and Human Rights Commission had
published a stark report outlining racial inequalities across society, including higher education (EHRC
(2016) Healing a divided Britain. Online: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/race-report-healingdivided-britain). This report comes 51 years after the original Race Relations Act 1965. We cannot be
having the same conversations again in another 51 years, we have to change.