Less than a third (30%) of private sector employee respondents do not know if they are paid or rewarded equally in relation to their colleagues, compared to 17% of public sector employee respondents, according to research by professional services organisation Badenoch and Clark.
Its Inspiring inclusion in the workplace report, which surveyed 2,000 UK employees also found that 20% of male respondents and 25% of female respondents admit to being unaware whether they are paid equally at their organisation.
The research also found:
- 22% of respondents believe their organisation does not embrace diversity or inclusion at any level, and 54% of respondents think their employer could do more to cultivate an inclusive workplace culture.
- 47% of private sector respondents believe that men and women are paid and rewarded equally in their organisation, compared to 60% of public sector respondents.
- 65% of respondents with a mental disability think their organisation does not offer an inclusive environment or that there is more that their employer could do to create an inclusive environment. This compares to 45% of respondents with a physical disability.
- 60% of respondents with a mental health disability have taken pains to hide their condition at work.
- 29% of respondents have never read their organisation’s diversity and inclusion policy, and 11% state that their organisation does not have a diversity and inclusion policy.
- 48% of respondents with a disability have either left a job or not applied for a new job or promotion due to workplace bias.
- 21% of respondents believe their employer could foster a more inclusive culture by offering diversity and inclusion training, 18% believe more social events would help, followed by more consistent diversity and inclusion communications (12%).
Nicola Linkleter, president of professional staffing at Badenoch and Clark, said: “While it’s great to see that employees are, in some cases, positive about the level of diversity and inclusivity in UK organisations, there is still a long way to go. Each [employee] that has experienced bias is one too many, and employees will only ever flourish if they feel they can truly be themselves at work.
“Businesses need to commit to living and breathing diversity and inclusion throughout the entire employee lifecycle and in everything they do; every strategy, every hire, every decision. Ultimately, they should become inclusive by instinct.”
