More than a third of retailers still have an all-white board and more than half have no ethnic diversity on their executive committee, a report has found.
Although progress has been made in gender diversity, a report from the British Retail Consortium and talent management consultancy The MBS Group found that there is still work to be done in areas including social mobility, ethnic diversity and disability inclusion.
The percentage of board-level positions held by women across the retail sector has increased from 32.6% in 2021 to 42.3% in 2024, while the percentage of ethnic minority leaders has tripled from 4.5% to 12%. However, 35% of companies still have an all-white board.
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Employee sentiment around inclusion was low, particularly around recognition and overall feelings of happiness. The sense of feeling included was lower among people who chose ‘other’ or ‘prefer not to say’ when the survey asked about sexual orientation, as well as those from a black, African and Caribbean background.
Only 11% of respondents could identify a disabled role model within their organisation.
However, employers in the sector are making some progress towards inclusion. Almost all (98%) have a coordinated EDI strategy in place, and 67% include social mobility in this compared with just 20% who did so in 2021.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “I am proud to see the strides retailers have made in just three short years to improve diversity – especially at a time when D&I could easily have been relegated to the sidelines in the face of a turbulent economic backdrop. It is clear that initiatives, such as our D&I Charter are vitally important in helping retailers learn from each other and drive forward change.
“But, inclusion is the nut the industry still needs to crack. The progress made on diversity will only be meaningful and effective when it happens in tandem with a workforce where every employee feels happy and included. There needs to be greater focus on initiatives to change workplace culture to ensure we see this shift on inclusion. Only then will we complete our mission in creating a truly diverse and inclusive industry.”
Elliott Goldstein, managing partner at The MBS Group, said: “To ensure lasting change, retailers must continue to drive forward initiatives to ensure diversity across all characteristics, and commit to building work environments that are truly inclusive – particularly with the backdrop of today’s challenging trading environment.”
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