Call for 10,000 employees to take part in largest ever race at work survey in the UK

Business in the Community has launched the largest ever workplace survey of race at work in the UK. The charity wants to hear from 10,000 ethnic minority and white employees to understand their experiences of race at work in the UK.

In the UK today, ethnic minorities are under-represented at every level of work. 13% of the population is from an ethnic minority background, but only 1 in 16 top management positions are held by an ethnic minority person. Ethnic minorities are also less likely to succeed in recruitment and less likely to be rated as top performers compared to white peers*. The race at work survey aims to gain better understanding of the issues around this under-representation of ethnic minorities in work, and is asking ethnic minority and white employees aged 16-64+ and currently in employment in the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) to share their experiences through the survey.

Sandra Kerr OBE, race equality director, Business in the Community said: “The reality is that the UK has a diverse population. By 2051, 1 in 5 of the population will be from an ethnic minority background. Evidence gathered to date shows that underlying cultures and processes may contribute to ethnic minorities not being treated equally in work. We want to hear the reality of race at work for today’s employees. The collective voice of 10,000 people sharing their experiences will mean we can move away from debate, straight into action.”

The survey is open from Monday 27 July 2015 until Sunday 13 September 2015 at www.raceatwork.org.uk, and is sponsored by BT, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Nationwide and Sainsbury’s.The findings of Business in the Community’s race at work survey will be released in November 2015.