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Employer Insights
27.10.26 (Updated)
How does a company prove it’s really committed to diversity?
Home›Blog›Employer Insights When you’re thinking about the most important part of a new job, money is probably the first thing on the agenda. And, rightly so, we all need to eat. Perhaps after that you might think about the commute and the working hours, or…
When you’re thinking about the most important part of a new job, money is probably the first thing on the agenda. And, rightly so, we all need to eat. Perhaps after that you might think about the commute and the working hours, or even the perks of the job (though they probably aren’t what you should be focusing on). But there is another key factor which appears harder for companies to get right – and one which is just as vital to employees.
Diversity has been on the agenda for a while now, and we’ve talked about it long enough to know that it’s not only the right thing to do, but also something which comes with massive benefits for businesses. We know it’s good for innovation and we know it’s good for profits – but it’s also a massive deal breaker for workers.
A survey of more than 1,000 people last year found that more than half would up sticks if their company didn’t take it seriously, while LinkedIn’s Global Recruitment Trends report also found it was the top priority for recruiters in 2018. But that doesn’t mean everything has sorted itself over night, with many top companies struggling to make real changes within their business. So, how does a company move past tokenism and lip-service?
‘It’s Very Easy To Pay Lip Service To Diversity’
It’s a question which has important implications across industries, however, it’s especially relevant in investment and finance. Just this year an Investment Week study found that the sector is 82 percent male, compared to a population average of 49 percent. What’s more, when you look at the seniority of the women who have made it, things get even worse. Just a quarter of female employees have been in the industry for 20 years or more, compared to some 42 percent of men. “It’s very easy to pay lip-service to diversity,” says Robyn Grew, the Chief Administrative Officer of Man Group. “However, to see real change, we need to take action across the industry.” It’s something the company have invested heavily in during the past few years, with Robyn pointing towards their Paving the Way initiative. “[It’s] our way of taking action,” she explains, “creating a pathway for diverse candidates to enter and succeed within our industry.” The project was born in 2018, the same year Man Group signed the Government’s Women in Finance Charter. Now with more than 350 signatories, the charter was introduced to help drive sustainable change within finance. Companies who sign on the dotted line aren’t just making a public statement though – they’re also expected to make real changes within their business.
