This Isn’t Working 'Kemi's' DEI Report: Exciting Or Embarrasing For Employers?
UNFLATTERING BUT POSITIVE – AND ESSENTIAL READING FOR EVERY HR PROFESSIONAL IN THE UK That’s Julie and Tanya's verdict on the new Inclusion at Work Panel report, released last week by the Department of Business and Trade. Have you read it yet? If not, why not?
In Episode 4 of *This Isn’t Working* Julie Scanlon and Tanya de Grunwald take a deep dive into what many people quickly started calling ‘Kemi’s diversity report’.
(It was commissioned and launched by the UK's Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and Women and Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch, as part of the government’s Inclusive Britain drive).
Like many, Julie and Tanya had their own preconceptions – but they are happy to say that the report does not seem to be obviously biased or politically motivated. And it’s well worth a read (plus it’s only 40 pages, and quite the ‘page-turner’ in Julie’s view!)
It is challenging – and even unflattering – in places, asking why public, private and third sector organisations are spending large sums of money on people and initiatives which bring questionable results and may even, in places, create division and legal risk (eek).
And Julie and Tanya were astonished to learn that the UK has nearly TWICE as many diversity, equity and inclusion professionals (per 10,000 employees) as any other country! (Something cultural? Any theories?)
However, the report is *not* ‘anti-DEI’. In fact, it lays out a clear vision to help DEI professionals to be more impactful and effective in the work that they do.
What surprised Julie and Tanya? How do we think the report has landed? And what are Julie’s top five take-aways for all HR professionals? (NB. This report is *not* just for DEI people! And external partners should read it too). Finally, Julie and Tanya predict what will happen next, as the DEI industry finds itself at a crossroads:
* Will DEI professionals read the report, acknowledge the feedback (however harsh) and strive to move to more evidence-based ways of working? Or...
* Will they dismiss it as ‘right wing’ and keep doing what they’re doing, despite calls to course-correct that get louder every day? And/or...
* Might DEI leads not have a choice as to whether they engage with this report - if HR directors use it to push them to produce better impact assessments from now on, as organisations look to save costs in 2024/5?
Share your thoughts!
LINKS:
Inclusion at Work Panel - government report https://www.gov.uk/government/publica...
Nels Abbey in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...
Simon Fanshawe in the Sunday Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tw...
Carl Borg-Neal v Lloyds Banking Group https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
RAF positive discrimination https://news.sky.com/story/royal-air-...