Compulsory reports will help UK compete globally, say inclusion campaigners
The Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (ENEI) has called on government to set mandatory targets on diversity in employment, which are proportionate for larger employers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The body said introducing mandatory company reporting on diversity and inclusion would provide the transparency required to support the UK’s ongoing global competitiveness.
Calls to promote improved diversity came as ENEI launched its manifesto today, at a reception at the House of Lords, which sets out the body’s ongoing agenda for change in UK workplaces by boosting inclusivity.
In its manifesto, ENEI also urges the government to reposition parental, maternity and paternity leave as ‘family leave’ and extend the provision to include people with caring responsibilities. This would help to tackle inequality faced by working parents and those who cared for other relatives. In addition, the document outlines proposals for expanding the tax-free childcare scheme to include social care costs.
Trevor Phillips, deputy chair of the National Equality Standard board and former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “The current data we have on diversity and inclusion underlines the need for bold, ambitious and immediate plans to drive through change in our workplaces and society. The ENEI manifesto sets out a focused and compelling agenda. Many businesses and organisations are ready to change - but government needs to lead from the front, rather than wait for others to act.”
Denise Keating, chief executive of ENEI, added: “We’re launching this manifesto on equality and inclusion because our members believe there should be a re-energised approach which holds government, organisations and individuals accountable for progress.
“Many employers are working hard to make their workplaces inclusive; but increasingly we feel that more needs to come from the government to create the right environment for change to happen.”
Last month, Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, called on employers to reveal the social background of their employees to tackle the problem of elitism in the senior echelons of UK PLC. Milburn said that HR could make a real difference by promoting greater use of a “contextual evaluation” of applicants, including giving job seekers with good grades from poorer performing schools more leeway in the application process.
Data from the commission showed that 71 per cent of judges come from fee-paying schools and one in seven come from only five private schools – Eton, Westminster, Radley, Charterhouse and St Pauls.