Panel 3: Ethnicity Reporting: Setting Effective Targets & Practices

 

“While data never lies, it may not necessarily tell the whole story. Utilising qualitative data alongside hard numbers is crucial for a comprehensive understanding.”

 

Hosted by Leila McKenzie-Delis, the third panel featured insights from Bob Athwal, Culture & Belonging Director at Skyscanner, Fiona Barron, Senior ER/IR Strategy at Royal Mail and Adonica Black, Global Director DEI at LexisNexis. The panel explored several key aspects.

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The panel started with data from McGregor Smith review suggesting that if we include black, Asian, mixed race groups in our UK workforce, the UK’s economy can be boosted by around 24 billion pounds, showcasing the commercial benefit of increasing racial representation.

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The panel included the importance of setting impactful diversity goals specifically focused on race and ethnicity; ethnicity data can drive meaningful changes within an organisation's broader diversity initiatives. It also addressed the challenges related to transparent data collection and its pivotal role in analysing and mitigating the ethnicity pay gap. The discussion included innovative strategies to address racial and ethnicity-related disparities within organisations, as well as insights into tools and methodologies for ethical and sensitive ethnicity data collection. The panel also explored the importance of accountability and transparency, and gaining the trust of ethnic minority groups, to share personal data. The importance of building trust with employees to obtain data and make a positive impact was discussed – trust is crucial for employees to volunteer data willingly. They also touched on other ways of collecting qualitative data through employee resource groups and focus groups as well as the pure hard data.

 

Overall, the panel provided valuable insights into effective ethnicity reporting practices, addressing challenges, and utilising data to create a more inclusive and equitable future.

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Click here to see the full video recording available to our Members