CIPD & BITC offer new guidance to improve race inclusion at work

The CIPD and Business in the Community (BITC) have launched a new guide to help employers improve race inclusion at work.

The new practical guidance is for signatories of the Race at Work Charter. The BITC’s charter, set up in 2018 in collaboration with the UK Government, aims to tackle ethnic disparities in the workplace and signals an organisation’s intent to foster race inclusion. 

This latest resource is just one of many that the CIPD has produced in the last year; as part of its ongoing efforts to tackle racism and racial inequality at work. It has also been calling on the Government to make ethnicity pay reporting mandatory; arguing that any starting point for action needs to be informed by data.  

BITC RACE AT WORK CHARTER

“The CIPD was one of the first organisations to sign up to BITC’s Race at Work Charter. We recognise its value in making workplaces more inclusive and diverse at every level. We hope this new guide will be a useful supplement for signatories and help them to drive through change with confidence and at pace,” stated Peter Cheese, Chief Executive of the CIPD; the professional body for HR and people development. 

“We would also urge employers who have not yet signed up to the charter to do so. The pandemic and economic downturn has further highlighted the inequalities faced by ethnic minorities; and employers should play a key role in levelling the playing field,” added Cheese.    

THE FIVE COMMITMENTS

BITC’s Race at Work Charter comprises five commitments. They include:

• Appoint an executive sponsor for race.
• Capture ethnicity data and publicise progress. 
• Commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying.
• Make clear that supporting equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all leaders and managers. 
• Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression. 

SUPPORT FOR RACE INCLUSION

The Meeting the BITC Race at Work Charter: an employer’s guide provides recommendations on how to meet the Charter’s commitments. It also signposts further resources which support race inclusion.

“This guidance shows how signatories can stamp out racial inequality in the workplace by prioritising leadership, advocacy, allyship, transparency and accountability,” stated Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Director at BITC. “The 630 signatories to the Race at Work Charter – covering over 5.5 million employees – are proof that more employers are getting serious about equality at work. I hope that this guidance helps them make that ambition a reality; and that the CIPD’s support inspires even more employers to take action and sign up to the charter.”