64%
62%
DO WE FEEL WELCOME AT WORK? Perhaps the most obvious measure of an organisation that values EDI is the extent to which workers from diverse backgrounds feel welcomed and appreciated.
63%
60%
58%
59%
56%
55%
54%
52%
Within our survey, 59% of respondents said they felt free to be themselves at work
Leaders should be aware, for example, that more than one in five workers surveyed in this study do not feel supported in their career development – or inspired and motivated at work.
Elsewhere, there was broad support for the idea that UK workplace cultures are welcoming, with most of our survey agreeing with being able to express ideas, feeling respected at work and being allowed to perform at their best. While this is a positive finding, the proportion of workers disagreeing with these statements was also worrying.
50%
18-34
35-54
55+
Exhibit 8: Percentage of workers per age group who feel free to be themselves at work, by age group Source: Newton research.
Those from ethnic minority backgrounds appeared to be slightly less free than average to be themselves. But the figure of 55% for ethnic minorities may vary due to the margin of error, given the sample size of this group. Similarly, the proportion of people who feel treated the same as everyone else in the organisation is lower than average for LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority workers, but only slightly so, at 57% and 58%, compared to 62% across all groups surveyed. Finally, one group that emerged as feeling particularly overlooked at work was those who have mental disabilities and other impairments that are not visible. Among these, 48% said they were recognised fairly for their contributions, compared to an average of 54%, and only 39% agreed that everyone was paid fairly for the work they do, versus a mean across the total sample of 48%.
Perhaps surprisingly, a consistent finding in the research is that younger people generally feel more welcome in the workplace than their older peers, despite older workers presumably having more experience in work environments. With 63% of workers aged 18-34 feeling free to be themselves at work, as opposed to 59% of workers aged 35-54 and 55% of those aged 55 and over. At least two explanations could account for this. One is generational and assumes that older workers are more likely to separate work from life, and thus less able to manifest their true selves in a working environment. Another explanation is that the growing workplace complexity alluded to previously – not just in terms of external factors but also cultural ones – is harder for older workers to adjust to, making them feel less at home. Whatever the explanation, this finding is significant at a time when the UK government is working to bring early retirees back into the workforce.
Our research found:
0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
More than three fifths (62%) of 18-to-34-year-olds felt their cultural interests were accepted and encouraged in the workplace, compared to 54% among 35-to-54-year-olds and just 47% for those aged 55 and over. Younger workers were more likely (61%) to agree that their workplace reflects the values of employees, significantly higher than the scores for 35-to-54- year-olds (53%) and 55-year- old-plus employees (54%). Respondents in the 18-to-34- year-old age bracket were most likely to agree that feedback is communicated constructively (63% versus an average of 58%) and those over 55 were least likely to agree (54%).
I feel confident expressing my ideas
63%
14%
23%
I feel respected in my workplace
62%
14%
24%
I feel that I can perform at my best
60%
14%
26%
59%
18%
23%
I feel valued in my workplace
58%
15%
27%
I feel committed to my organisation
I feel my ideas are welcomed
58%
16%
26%
I feel my ideas are fairly acknowledged
57%
15%
28%
I feel confident in challenging opinions different to mine without fear of negative consequences
57%
18%
25%
I feel inspired and motivated at work
53%
21%
26%
I feel supported in my career development
51%
21%
28%
Agree Disagree Undecided
Exhibit 7: Answers to the question: ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?’ Source: Newton research.
14
15
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