Just under a third of black employees say discrimination is holding them back at work

Twenty-nine per cent of black employees say that discrimination has played a part in a lack of career progression to date, almost three times as many as white British employees, according to a new survey.

The survey of over 1,200 UK employees by the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, also found that significantly more BAME employees said career progression was an important part of their working life than those from a white British background (25% vs 10%).

When asked what would improve their career progression, BAME employees were much more likely than white British employees to say that seeing other people like them that have progressed in the organisation, and a greater diversity of people at senior levels in their organisation would help boost their career progression. Additionally, the survey found that a quarter of BAME respondents (23%) whose organisations don’t provide mentoring said they would find it useful in achieving their potential at work.

Around a third of those BAME and white British respondents (29% and 35%), who said their career progression to date has failed to meet their expectations, said they had experienced poor quality line management at key points in their career. The survey found that a significantly low level of line manager support for career development is an issue across the board, regardless of ethnicity.

Only around two-fifths of all respondents (43% BAME and 39% White British) say their line manager discusses their training and development needs with them. Just over half of employees across BAME and white British groups feel able to talk to their manager about their career aspirations (53% and 52%), and only around two-fifths of respondents across BAME and white British groups say their manager understands their career aspirations (41% and 40%).

The guide calls on policy-makers to provide practical support for race pay gap reporting. develop guidance for employer action to create more inclusive workplaces and advocate and support better quality people management practice. It also calls on employers to collect workforce data to identify the structural and cultural barriers which are maintaining workplace inequalities, to think beyond policies and to actively encourage employee voice.

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