Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionLatest NewsRace discriminationEthnicityUnconscious bias

Network of ‘allies’ needed to address racial prejudice at work

by Ashleigh Webber 24 Aug 2020
by Ashleigh Webber 24 Aug 2020 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

‘Big conversations’ are needed to develop effective ‘allyship’ and agree actions to address racism and racial prejudice in organisations, according to a major report on the experiences of black employees.

The Black Lives Matter movement

Global businesses embrace Black Lives Matter movement

Leaders must avoid cliches if black careers matter 

Black jobs matter: does the law curb positive action? 

Workplaces should develop a network of allies who are willing to educate themselves on the issues of anti-racism and privilege and collaborate on solutions that will help their organisations be more inclusive of their black colleagues, Business in the Community’s Black Voices report says.

Allies need to approach conversations about black colleagues’ experiences at work with “curiosity rather than scepticism” and should not be offended if they are challenged.

The report sets out three priority areas for the business response to the Black Lives Matter movement: leadership, allyship and connecting to employees and communities.

Under the leadership pillar, it calls on senior leaders to actively sponsor black talent in their workplaces. According to the results of BITC’s Race at Work survey, 31% of black employees wanted a sponsor compared with 12% of their white colleagues.

David Lammy, Labour’s justice secretary and author of the Lammy Review, says in the report: “To make a real change, we need leaders of integrity, allies willing to show their support and sponsors in our businesses who can challenge the status quo. We need the job of those in power to be breaking down barriers for those who come next.”

The report also urges the government to implement mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for organisations with more than 250 employees to highlight the pay disparities between ethnic groups.

It notes that around 66% of black respondents to a YouGov survey on education and qualifications had a degree, masters or PhD – and for the black African ethnic group alone this stood at 91% – but this had not resulted in their career progression, promotion and representation at the top of business.

It therefore reiterated the call for employers to set targets to increase representation of black people at senior levels, something that was recommended in the independent race in the workplace review that was led by Baroness McGregor-Smith in 2017.

Other recommendations for businesses put forward in the BITC report include:

  • demonstrating their commitment to diverse supply chains by asking suppliers show how they are including black enterprise and service providers within their own supply chains
  • signing the Race at Work Charter, which has been signed by more than 400 employers – around 100 of which signed up within six weeks of the Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests earlier this year
  • encouraging employees to participate in the 2021 Race at Work survey.

CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese said the report offers some practical steps that will “make a difference” to the experiences of black employees.

We back the call for the introduction of mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting, which is something the CIPD has also been advocating. And as a signatory of the Race at Work Charter, we will be highlighting its value to members and providing further detailed guidance ourselves on how to boost racial equality and combat discrimination and injustice,” he said.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“The report’s recommendations, such as the need for employers to set targets to increase the representation of black people at senior levels, the importance of allyship and the need for senior leaders to sponsor talented black employees, provide a template for meaningful change.”

D&I opportunities currently on PT Jobs

More D&I jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Occupational health on the coronavirus frontline – ‘I have been working as a “test and trace” caseworker’
next post
Test employees for illegal drug use, urges Tory mayor candidate

You may also like

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Culture, ‘micro-incivilities’ and invisible talent

14 May 2025

Why fighting the DEI backlash is about PR...

9 May 2025

So what does the election of a new...

9 May 2025

Rethinking talent: Who was never considered in the...

7 May 2025

Reform UK councils’ staff face WFH ban

6 May 2025

Lincolnshire doctor awarded £250k in race discrimination case

2 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+