Creating socially diverse workforces requires investment – but the business benefits are clear, experts say
Raw Text
Delegates of the Generation UK event were told that businesses have a direct role to play in boosting mobility across the UK
by Juliette Rowsell 29 September 2023
Share article on Twitter
Share article on Facebook
Share article on LinkedIn
Businesses must work harder and be willing to offer support to candidates who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds if they are serious about diversity, according to panellists at a debate.
That was one of the key messages at an event organised by Generation UK t o coincide with the launch of its social impact report , which provides skills bootcamps to people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
It comes as figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies found in September that social mobility for people born in low socioeconomic households is at its lowest rate in over 50 years in the UK, which Michael Houlihan, CEO of Generation UK, said was “sobering”.
Alice Bentinck, co-founder at Entrepreneur First & Code First: Girls, said firms must be willing to invest if they are serious about this issue, but said it should not be seen as a burden.
“You cannot expect the same amount of effort into hiring a diverse candidate as hiring a non-diverse candidate. It does take more time, it does cost more but there is a really strong business reason to,” she said.
Renee Hunt, CTO at Compare the Market, said organisations need to work harder and look more broadly to find and attract diverse talent.
“If you're going to look in the same place as you're recruiting college graduates, you probably won't achieve some of the goals you want around diversity and life experience,” she said.
Making roles more accessible also requires organisations to rethink what they are asking from candidates in job adverts. Requiring degrees from candidates can be an instant roadblock to accessibility, Hunt said, and added that firms should look beyond education and qualifications to attract diverse talent.
“We still often will do interviews with people in management or leadership positions who look for university degrees that automatically leave out people from a certain class, which is insane.”
She explained how the director or engineering at Compare the Market has no degree - “and there’s not a lot of organisations where that would even be possible”.
Hunt said this may mean that firms have to be willing to give more support and train candidates once they get the position, but this should be seen as an opportunity to enhance the wider business.
She explained: “It will take some investment internally. If you bring people in and you just expect them to slot in without some support, you won't get the value that you could have got.”
But she added: “Don't be afraid. That support actually makes some of my other engineers better.”
Eunice Olumide, model and DEI consultant, said it is not simply about hiring diverse candidates, but ensuring they are represented across organisations.
“It's incredibly important that diversity is not just in one place. It has to be at all levels within the organisation, particularly at board level and at the decision making level,” she said. “The most important thing is having people in your company who actually understand that background.”
She said, without this, diverse issues will get ignored and creativity and innovation risks being overlooked as people throughout the organisation do not understand the people and cultures they look to represent.
Developing skills bootcamps and government-funded training courses to people from diverse backgrounds to get people into employment or upskill their careers, can increase accessibility and drive social mobility, Houlihan said.
“Social mobility in the UK is bad,” he told delegates. “It’s very hard for people to climb the ladder.”
This is an issue that workplaces must also be conscious of, as he said research showed that economic shocks widen the socio-economic gaps and noted economic shocks are becoming more frequent.
Despite this, he praised the Department for Education’s Skills Bootcamp initiative, which pledged £1.5bn to skills courses across the UK over six years, which he said is “innovative and bold” and “doesn’t get enough credit”.
Related Articles
Why it may be time for HR leaders to redesign services to ‘reach more men’
27 September 2023 by Steven Downes
Wizdom Powell has a heart for men’s mental health and self expression. And, as Steven Downes reports, she believes people professionals need to ‘listen and change’ to meet their needs
The rise of the ‘new collar worker’: a skills-first approach to filling workforce gaps
24 August 2023 by James McLaughlin
James McLaughlin says competencies can trump a traditional degree – but some employers are still including ‘prohibitive’ qualifications in job adverts
Inclusive learning starts with L&D professionals investing in their own development, experts say
26 May 2023 by Elizabeth Howlett
Participants at the CIPD Northern Ireland Conference offer advice on how to foster inclusivity through personal development
National living wage rise to at least £11 provides ‘nice balance’ between firms’ affordability and employee need, say experts
£37k awarded to office manager who was told: ‘Everybody gets menopause – just get on with it’
Identifying the causes of workload stress and tackling different management styles – what we learned from the CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work report
Number of people over 50 working part time hits record high of 3.6 million, ONS statistics reveal
Truck driver who was sacked then reinstated amid fuel-skimming claims told to pay ex-employer £21k after pursuing ‘perplexing’ bid for compensation
Single Line Text
Delegates of the Generation UK event were told that businesses have a direct role to play in boosting mobility across the UK. by Juliette Rowsell 29 September 2023. Share article on Twitter. Share article on Facebook. Share article on LinkedIn. Businesses must work harder and be willing to offer support to candidates who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds if they are serious about diversity, according to panellists at a debate. That was one of the key messages at an event organised by Generation UK t o coincide with the launch of its social impact report , which provides skills bootcamps to people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. It comes as figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies found in September that social mobility for people born in low socioeconomic households is at its lowest rate in over 50 years in the UK, which Michael Houlihan, CEO of Generation UK, said was “sobering”. Alice Bentinck, co-founder at Entrepreneur First & Code First: Girls, said firms must be willing to invest if they are serious about this issue, but said it should not be seen as a burden. “You cannot expect the same amount of effort into hiring a diverse candidate as hiring a non-diverse candidate. It does take more time, it does cost more but there is a really strong business reason to,” she said. Renee Hunt, CTO at Compare the Market, said organisations need to work harder and look more broadly to find and attract diverse talent. “If you're going to look in the same place as you're recruiting college graduates, you probably won't achieve some of the goals you want around diversity and life experience,” she said. Making roles more accessible also requires organisations to rethink what they are asking from candidates in job adverts. Requiring degrees from candidates can be an instant roadblock to accessibility, Hunt said, and added that firms should look beyond education and qualifications to attract diverse talent. “We still often will do interviews with people in management or leadership positions who look for university degrees that automatically leave out people from a certain class, which is insane.” She explained how the director or engineering at Compare the Market has no degree - “and there’s not a lot of organisations where that would even be possible”. Hunt said this may mean that firms have to be willing to give more support and train candidates once they get the position, but this should be seen as an opportunity to enhance the wider business. She explained: “It will take some investment internally. If you bring people in and you just expect them to slot in without some support, you won't get the value that you could have got.” But she added: “Don't be afraid. That support actually makes some of my other engineers better.” Eunice Olumide, model and DEI consultant, said it is not simply about hiring diverse candidates, but ensuring they are represented across organisations. “It's incredibly important that diversity is not just in one place. It has to be at all levels within the organisation, particularly at board level and at the decision making level,” she said. “The most important thing is having people in your company who actually understand that background.” She said, without this, diverse issues will get ignored and creativity and innovation risks being overlooked as people throughout the organisation do not understand the people and cultures they look to represent. Developing skills bootcamps and government-funded training courses to people from diverse backgrounds to get people into employment or upskill their careers, can increase accessibility and drive social mobility, Houlihan said. “Social mobility in the UK is bad,” he told delegates. “It’s very hard for people to climb the ladder.” This is an issue that workplaces must also be conscious of, as he said research showed that economic shocks widen the socio-economic gaps and noted economic shocks are becoming more frequent. Despite this, he praised the Department for Education’s Skills Bootcamp initiative, which pledged £1.5bn to skills courses across the UK over six years, which he said is “innovative and bold” and “doesn’t get enough credit”. Related Articles. Why it may be time for HR leaders to redesign services to ‘reach more men’ 27 September 2023 by Steven Downes. Wizdom Powell has a heart for men’s mental health and self expression. And, as Steven Downes reports, she believes people professionals need to ‘listen and change’ to meet their needs. The rise of the ‘new collar worker’: a skills-first approach to filling workforce gaps. 24 August 2023 by James McLaughlin. James McLaughlin says competencies can trump a traditional degree – but some employers are still including ‘prohibitive’ qualifications in job adverts. Inclusive learning starts with L&D professionals investing in their own development, experts say. 26 May 2023 by Elizabeth Howlett. Participants at the CIPD Northern Ireland Conference offer advice on how to foster inclusivity through personal development. More on this Topic. National living wage rise to at least £11 provides ‘nice balance’ between firms’ affordability and employee need, say experts. £37k awarded to office manager who was told: ‘Everybody gets menopause – just get on with it’ Identifying the causes of workload stress and tackling different management styles – what we learned from the CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work report. Number of people over 50 working part time hits record high of 3.6 million, ONS statistics reveal. Truck driver who was sacked then reinstated amid fuel-skimming claims told to pay ex-employer £21k after pursuing ‘perplexing’ bid for compensation.