HR body the CIPD’s Inclusion at Work 2022 report, in partnership with recruiter Reed, which surveyed more than 2,000 UK senior decision-makers, found that 36 per cent of organisations aren’t planning to focus on any specific I&D areas over the next five years, while a quarter said such activities are entirely or mostly reactive, for example, in response to societal events like the Black Lives Matter protests or mandatory reporting requirements.
However, 48 per cent reported having either a stand-alone strategy or action plan on I&D or integrating it into their wider people strategy, and the most common areas that employers have focused on in the past five years are mental health (29 per cent), race/ethnicity (23 per cent) and gender (21 per cent).
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Hide AdJill Miller, senior diversity and inclusion policy adviser at the CIPD, said: “While there’s been greater attention and gradual progress on inclusion and diversity in recent years, there’s clearly still a long way to go to create truly inclusive and fair workplaces for all. We urge employers to be proactive and have a clear strategy or action plan in place, tailored to the organisation and workforce needs. There are simple actions that employers can take to improve inclusion, regardless of organisation size or budget. For instance, a focus on inclusive recruitment, people management, development and leadership behaviour can really help create fairer workplaces with equality of opportunity.”

