New research suggests that many workplaces are rife with discriminatory behaviour, with factors such as age discrimination, gender bias, and appearance discrimination frequently affecting almost half of the UK’s employees or job seekers.
The survey on workplace discrimination conducted by HR software provider Ciphr among 4,000 UK adults found that more than two in five (45%) workers believe they have experienced unfair treatment at work or discrimination in hiring practices. Of those surveyed, nearly two-fifths (38%) reported facing employment discrimination at work. A similar proportion (39%) believe they were denied a job they were qualified for due to bias in recruitment.
DISCRIMINATION AT WORK
The findings reveal that workplace inequality is more prevalent among individuals at the beginning of their careers, and employees from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities). More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents from Black, Black British, Caribbean, or African ethnic groups, and two-thirds (65%) of those from Asian or Asian British backgrounds, reported experiencing workplace racism or hiring discrimination, compared to the survey average of 45%.
Younger employees (Gen Z and Millennials) are significantly more likely to recognise and challenge employment bias than their Gen X and Boomer counterparts. In fact, 65% of workers aged 18 to 34 said they experienced discriminatory hiring practices or workplace bias. This drops to 45% for employees aged 35 to 54 and just 31% for those over 55.
MOST PREVALENT FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION
On average, nearly one in five (19%) adults living in the UK have faced ageism at some point in their careers; either at their current workplace, a previous workplace, or a prospective one. Among those who reported experiencing age discrimination, nearly one in six (17%) men and one in seven (14%) women believe they’ve been treated unfavourably by recruiters based on their age.
The next most common types of workplace discrimination that people reported experiencing were appearance discrimination (cited by one in eight, or 13%, of those surveyed), and gender discrimination (12%).
Gender discrimination does impact noticeably more women than men, however – especially when it comes to getting a new job. One in ten (10%) surveyed women, compared to around one in 20 (5.2%) surveyed men, feel that they’ve lost out on some roles they’ve applied for because of their sex or gender. This rate is even higher for non-binary people, with over one in four (27%) affected by gender bias when job hunting.
OTHER COMMON FORMS OF WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION
Parent or carer discrimination – receiving unfair or prejudicial treatment on the job, or as a job applicant, because of one’s parenting or caring responsibilities – is also widespread. According to Ciphr’s data, around one in nine (11%) people, on average, feel that they’ve been discriminated against in this way. But that rate triples for so-called ‘sandwich carers’ – those who are caring for a dependent child or children as well as older or disabled relatives – with nearly a third (30%) of people in this group feeling that they’ve faced discrimination because of their family responsibilities.
The fifth most common form of workplace discrimination, cited by one in 11 (9.3%) UK adults, is race or ethnicity discrimination. For people from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), race or ethnicity discrimination is the most likely form of discrimination that they have faced at work or when seeking work (as reported by 34% of ethnic minority survey respondents).
Nearly two-fifths (39%) of Black, Black British, Caribbean or African people, and nearly a third (31%) of Asian or Asian British people, say they have experienced some form of negative racism or discrimination based on their ethnicity in their careers (this compares to 5.2% of white people).
Other forms of workplace discrimination, experienced by around one in 13 people living in the UK, include accent discrimination and disability discrimination (8.8% and 8.2% respectively). Check out the most prevalent types of employment bias affecting UK workers in the table below.
| Type of Discrimination | Percentage of UK Adults Affected |
| Age Discrimination | 19% |
| Appearance Discrimination | 13% |
| Gender Discrimination | 12% |
| Parenting / Carer Discrimination | 11% |
| Race or Ethnicity Discrimination | 9.3% |
| Accent Discrimination | 8.8% |
| Disability Discrimination | 8.2% |
| Religion or Belief Discrimination | 6.1% |
| Sexual Orientation Discrimination | 5.8% |
| Non-Parent Discrimination | 5.3% |
| Criminal Record Discrimination | 2.8% |
INDUSTRIES WITH HIGHEST DISCRIMINATION RATES
The report also found that some industries report higher discrimination rates than others. The highest levels of job discrimination were reported in:
- Information research and analysis: 79%
- Hospitality and events management: 75%
- Business, consulting, and management: 66%
- Media and internet: 62%
- Creative arts and design: 61%
Surprisingly, 53% of HR and recruitment professionals – the very people responsible for diversity and inclusion policies – reported facing bias in hiring or workplace discrimination themselves. While ageism in the workplace is the most common form of employment bias, some sectors experience other types of workplace prejudice more frequently. For example:
- 20% of hospitality and event management professionals reported appearance discrimination in the workplace.
- 19% of insurance and pensions workers and 9.1% of publishing and journalism professionals said they were treated unfairly due to their regional accents.
- 16% of energy and utilities professionals reported race or ethnicity discrimination at work.
IMPACT OF WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION
Claire Williams, Chief People and Operations Officer at Ciphr, warned that unfair hiring practices and workplace bias have serious consequences: “Any form of employment discrimination, harassment, bullying, or intolerance at work is unacceptable. It negatively affects mental health, career growth and overall wellbeing. It can lead to unfair dismissals, lower wages and limited career opportunities for many workers.”
Adding to her comments, Ciphr’s Head of Diversity Ann Allcock said: “Companies that fail to address hiring bias and workplace discrimination risk legal action, talent loss and reputational damage. They need to proactively use people analytics to track discriminatory hiring trends and enforce equal opportunity policies.”
TACKLING WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION
With 45% of UK employees reporting some form of workplace inequality, the report urges employers to take immediate action to prevent workplace discrimination lawsuits and foster a more inclusive company culture. Employers must take proactive measures to tackle workplace discrimination and ensure workplace diversity and inclusion. Beyond compliance with UK equality laws, fostering a fair and inclusive workplace leads to higher employee satisfaction, improved productivity and a stronger brand reputation.
By identifying hiring bias, eliminating discriminatory practices, and enforcing equal opportunity policies, employers can build a more equitable and diverse workforce, which will benefit both employees and companies in the long run.
To better combat workplace discrimination, and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, employers should:
- Implement mandatory diversity training: Educate employees on anti-discrimination laws, unconscious bias, and workplace harassment prevention.
- Conduct workplace surveys: Assess employees’ real experiences to identify and address unconscious bias at work.
- Use diversity hiring metrics: Track workforce demographics and identify patterns of hiring discrimination.
- Develop strong anti-discrimination policies: Ensure employees know how to report discrimination at work.
- Promote a culture of accountability: Set clear expectations for workplace behaviour to prevent employment discrimination lawsuits.
Click here to read the full report.
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