The TransFIRe EDI team have brought together a series of findings in a “State of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the UK Foundation Industries 2022” report.

It is becoming increasingly apparent and widely accepted that equity, diversity and inclusion are of paramount importance in the success of any organisation or project. Yet research by UKRI has found the foundation industries to face a specific set of EDI challenges1. As a new topic to the foundation industries, there are many gaps in research, and EDI practices do not appear to be well established.

The TransFIRe EDI survey set out to measure a baseline of the EDI capabilities of organisations in the foundation industries in 2022. All TransFIRe academic and industry partners were invited to participate in this survey, which consisted of 33 questions aligned to 7 major themes of common EDI interventions. The term “interventions” is used to mean any activities or programmes aimed to increase equity, diversity and inclusion, such as establishing policy, training, tracking data, and ensuring equitable and inclusive processes.

The response rate to the survey was low, at around 20%, and unlike the distribution of organisations comprising these industries, the participating organisations were predominantly large, with over 250 employees. The profile of organisations that have responded, and pattern of their responses, suggests this sample is likely to represent the organisations with greatest EDI engagement and capabilities, rather than a baseline across all organisations. Despite not meeting the original aim, the results from the survey nevertheless provide new insight into the EDI landscape of the foundation industries, and highlight organisations that are demonstrating strong leadership in this area.

Key findings are:

  • The participating organisations have implemented an average of 58% of the interventions asked about by the survey. The responses show there are foundation industry organisations that have made significant commitment and demonstrate a number of good practices towards improving EDI in their business.
  • 85% of participating organisations have an EDI policy, and all take a zero tolerance approach to harassment and bullying.
  • Over 50% of organisations report their leaders to have understanding of the EDI business case, to have received EDI training, and to sponsor EDI topics.
  • Interventions towards ensuring an equitable employee experience, from candidacy, through workspace support and talent development processes, have the highest implementation rates.
  • Comments indicate that some interventions are only seen as suitable for larger organisations, and not possible in smaller businesses due to low numbers of people. This is particularly important to address as the foundation industries comprise 98% of organisations that are micro, small or medium sized.
  • The commitment that organisations demonstrate publicly towards EDI appears to lag the internal capabilities. There may be opportunities for organisations to increase impact of their EDI work by greater sharing of information.

The EDI would like to pass on their thanks to all the companies and individuals that participated in this survey.  Your feedback is much appreciated.

To read a full copy of the report and its findings, please download the document here:
State of Equity Diversity and Inclusion in the UK Foundation Industries 2022

 

1 ERC Research Report: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the UK Foundation Industries. Published 18th June 2021. https://www.enterpriseresearch.ac.uk/publications/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-in-uk- foundation-industries/