‘Racial and gender disparities in business highlight a need for real change’

Over recent years, the spotlight has quite rightly fallen on racial and gender equality and stark disparities in society and business have been pushed to the forefront, highlighting a need for real change.

In particular, there has been a renewed interest in the composition of corporate boards brought on in part by the growing business case for diversity, legislative changes such as gender pay gap reporting, and wider labour market shifts whereby women and minorities are now participating in record numbers.

The Hampton-Alexander Review (initiated to increase the representation of women in senior leadership positions and on boards of FTSE 350 companies) and the Parker Review (which recommended that each FTSE 100 board should have at least one director who identifies as a director of colour by 2021) have spurred positive progress.

The target for women on boards was met ahead of the deadline and 74 FTSE 100 companies had broader ethnicity and race representation on their boards before the official cut-off date.

As this indicates, targets have an important role to play in the attainment of a diverse workforce – particularly at senior levels. However, it is vital to look beyond ratios of gender and ethnicity – organisations should be looking at how to develop a truly diverse and inclusive workplace.

To truly begin to value and appreciate diversity by demographic, we must first learn to appreciate diversity in all its forms. It has been widely recognised that diversity of thinking is very important in improving effectiveness at board level, but how many of us truly appreciate the dissenting voice in a meeting or welcome the opinion of the devil’s advocate?

Individual differences, such as lived experience, neurodivergence and personality, are seen by directors as a significant source of diversity in the workplace and we should approach homogeny with caution. For example, in the case of a board of directors, if all board members are very risk-averse then there runs a high risk of stagnation and failure to innovate.

To build on this, people with different experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles will together be more able to consider issues in a rounded, holistic way and offer differing perspectives that might not be present in a less diverse workplace. This allows a greater ability to respond to the needs of a client base which itself is increasingly diverse.

TLT office. Credit: TLT

Valuing diversity in this way ensures we are creating an environment where our people genuinely feel able to bring their whole selves to work, and authentically be themselves in the workplace, will be happier, more productive and less likely to leave.

At TLT, we are constantly seeking opportunities to celebrate diversity and empower our people to be who they are – be it through sharing the lived experiences of colleagues, marking important inclusion dates and providing education and awareness on particular issues.

Part of our decision to appoint senior sponsors for race, gender, ethnicity, social mobility and neurodiversity is because we know the power that representation has for all communities in empowering others and, of course, playing a crucial role in who we attract.

Hiring strategies obviously have a crucial role to play when trying to make workplaces more diverse and inclusive. We understand that not everyone starts from the same place. Equity is important to ensure equality of outcomes, regardless of where people started from, and creating a level playing field is critical to ensure fair access for all.

Every profession has its own challenges and opportunities with diversity – we recognise this in the legal sector in particular – and understanding these nuances is vital to achieving success with diversity and inclusion-led recruitment strategies.

Having a good recruitment strategy alone is unlikely to create a diverse and inclusive workplace long-term. Your organisation needs to remain a place where every person can bring every part of themselves to work and feel valued, respected and uplifted.

Therefore, policy best-practice remains critical: at TLT we’ve launched new, inclusive policies (Menopause, Trans and Non-Binary) and enhanced existing policies in consultation with our affinity networks (Family Leave, Code of Conduct, Anti-Bullying and Harassment) with a commitment to providing resources, support and advice to colleagues across the firm.

Gender equality remains a key focus and with the Sarah Everard tragedy bringing the topic once again to the fore, TLT – like many other organisations – has worked with its Women’s Equality Network to provide additional resources, support and advice to its people.

Esther Smith. Photo courtesy of TLT.

Having engaged and active networks, such as those supporting members of LGBTQ+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, is key not only for providing a safe space for discussion, debate, education and support but equally importantly acts as a ‘critical friend’ to your organisation in driving inclusion in a truly meaningful way.

Encouraging and celebrating diversity can take many forms – from retaining and celebrating a regional accent, events and training, or just in creating a space to talk about the mental health and wellbeing impacts of racism, to providing a space where you can proudly express your sexual orientation or gender identity.

Aside from being the right thing to do, understanding the benefits of a diverse workplace and actively working to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace, is essential to breaking down barriers and inspiring change.

Bristol24/7 Presents: How can we make Bristol’s boardrooms more diverse?

Esther Smith, partner and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion at UK law firm TLT. They will be speaking at the Bristol24/7 panel event: How we can make Bristol’s boardrooms more diverse? You can sign up here and join us on Thursday November 18. The event is sponsored by TLT. 

Main photo: TLT

Read more: The experts bringing more diversity into Bristol’s workforce

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