FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE: WHAT WORKS
TARGETED RECRUITMENT AND PROGRESSION INITIATIVES Generic inclusion efforts rarely change outcomes. Instead, organisations must intentionally design opportunities for ethnically minoritised staff to enter, grow, and lead. Examples include: Sponsorship programmes, not just mentorship, focused on advocacy and access to high-stakes assignments. Bias-resistant recruitment practices, such as skills-based assessments, blind shortlisting, inclusive panels, and inclusive selection. Transparent pay bands and promotion criteria to reduce subjectivity and close loopholes in advancement decisions. Bernadette Thompson noted that “too many are development-programme junkies, over- trained, but under-promoted.” Development must translate into real career mobility.
INCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE AND PAY PRACTICES
The design of organisational systems, how people are recruited, evaluated, and rewarded, can either reinforce inequity or dismantle it. Effective organisations: Conduct audits of performance evaluations and pay decisions to uncover bias. Eliminate negotiation-based pay practices that disadvantage minoritised staff. Align rewards and recognition with transparent, equitable frameworks. Pay equity must be seen not as an “EDI issue” but a core operational priority, evaluated with the same rigour as finance, risk, or compliance.
EMPLOYEE NETWORKS AND SAFE REPORTING MECHANISMS
Meaningful employee voice is critical in both identifying problems and co-designing solutions. Successful organisations: Co-create action plans with staff networks, particularly those representing racially minoritised groups. Fund and empower networks to go beyond social events to shape policy and accountability. Establish confidential and trusted channels for employees to raise concerns about equity, inclusion, or bias. Networks must not be viewed as peripheral but as strategic partners in building belonging and transforming culture.
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