Anti-Racism Strategy: Where to start?

In this blog, we explain why it is important for organisations to have a strong anti-racism strategy and shares tips on how organisations can get started on creating one. Delving into the practical aspects, Joseph stresses the critical role of recruitment in nurturing diverse talent and the need for authentic integration of anti-racism values in order to foster a diverse and thriving workplace.

Racism is widespread and evident at structural and systemic levels in society and organisations and is maintained by prejudice and discrimination. The powerful Black Lives Matter movement highlighted the impact of racism and has created a positive impetus for many companies to say and do more to tackle it. However, there is more to be done.

Following an official visit in 2023, the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent made a statement on the prevalence of racism and discrimination in the UK. And emphasised that businesses have their part to play in driving structural and systemic change in the workplace. For example, in the UK there is a 24.5% ethnicity pay gap, and dramatic under-representation of Black people in positions of power and authority across all sectors.

“Racism continues to be prevalent in our societies. We must raise our voices against all expressions of racism and instances of racist behaviour. We urgently need to dismantle racist structures and reform racist institutions.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres (May 2020)

Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic groups experience differential and often unfavourable access, treatment and outcomes across education, the criminal justice system, housing, and all employment sectors. Yet, organisations have an ethical responsibility to take action and tackle racism and in many countries, including the UK, there is a legal responsibility, too. So, how can companies become not only inclusive, but actively take an anti-racist approach?

QUICK LINKS

• Why is an anti-racism strategy important?
• How to develop an anti-racism strategy
• Get started with these anti-racism strategy tips

Why is an anti-racism strategy important?

Beyond the moral and legal obligation, embracing an anti-racist approach is also good for business. There is a great personal and professional cost for those on the receiving end of racism. Wise companies also understand the business benefits of tackling ingrained issues of inequality, from achieving a more productive workforce to expanding the customer base. In fact, according to the McGregor-Smith review, if Black, Asian, or minority ethnic talent is fully utilised, the UK economy could receive a £24 billion boost a year, which is more than £450 million a week.

Nurturing diverse talent 

It’s critical that every organisation gets its recruitment right. Managers often fall into common unconscious bias traps, hiring candidates who look like them and others at the top, who are mostly white, male, and non-disabled for example, rather than the best applicants.

“Black or Asian staff have to send over 60% more job applications than white British applicants before they receive a response.”

GEMM Project, 2018

The minoritised workforce loses out personally because they are not selected, and companies miss out because they aren’t hiring the best talent – a lose/lose situation. If staff look up and don’t see people who look like them at the top of the organisation, they may decide that they need to take their skills elsewhere to gain the promotions they seek, and the company then has an ‘unwanted leaver’ which costs them in many ways.

“Replacing an employee is estimated to cost between six- and nine-months’ worth of their salary.”

Oxford Economics, 2014

This domino effect where diverse talent is lost is all too common. But why would people stay in a company that doesn’t do the work needed to make sure good recruitment decisions are made, rather than those that maintain the status quo? Employee turnover isn’t only expensive, it also contributes to lower productivity and potentially reputational damage, so it’s clear why these can be big issues for organisations.

REMOVE BIAS FROM YOUR RECRUITMENT PROCESSES→

Encouraging greater innovation

Recruitment is not the only function that is well served by a proactive anti-racist approach. A more diverse workforce, at all levels, is linked to greater innovation and creativity. Developing innovative products and services that are informed by an anti-racism strategy, for instance, will lead to a diversification of the customer base of a company, leading to increased profit. A good anti-racism strategy should be all-encompassing, touching on every part of the business — from employees and customers to products, procurement and supply chain management.

“Companies with higher-than-average diversity had 19% higher innovation revenues.”

Harvard Business Review

How to develop an anti-racism strategy

Since an anti-racism strategy has to take an entire company into account, one of the best places to start is by considering the whole business strategy and values. Then, there needs to be an analysis of how the strategy and culture are being impacted by racial inequalities, and how individuals and groups are being adversely affected e.g. by not gaining a promotion when they are the best candidate, being disproportionately disciplined, racially harassed or having their ideas passed over and their white colleagues taking credit for it.

A thorough diagnostic of all policies and processes, leadership and management practices and styles, and organisational culture is needed so that leaders can actually see where discrimination and prejudice are playing out – consciously or unconsciously. After all, when people are on the receiving end of racism, whether people are ‘intentional’ or unintentional the impact still hurts the individual far greater that an organisation can begin to understand. For the individuals being told they are not good enough or that they are not the right fit for senior leadership even when they are more qualified than the successful candidates, it is a shattering blow. Companies need a forensic approach so that they have the data and understanding to take corrective action.

If it is a tick-box exercise, it is not worth doing. When employees can see that it is merely a performative effort, it can have an even more adverse effect on the organisation and their reputation. It’s crucial to want to create an anti-racism strategy that builds trust and is linked to the organisation’s values, mission and vision.

Developing anti-racist practices gets to the very core of a business: values. To be positively anti-racist, you need a strong, clear strategy that recognises not only that racism exists but what, precisely, you are going to do to tackle the inequalities that arise from racism.

Get started with these anti-racism strategy tips

If you’re not sure where to start, here are five tips that will help you get going.

1. Examine your organisational strategy and culture

Some organisations and people are nervous or reluctant to approach a conversation about racism, let alone devise an anti-racism strategy. If that is the case, it is important to reflect on why that is. Is it a fear of getting it wrong? Creating a backlash? Or a recognition that there hasn’t been enough education about the need for such a strategy? Whatever the cause, there will be a clear way through. Creating an honest balance sheet of the current state is critical to working out where to start.

Critically examine organisational culture at a systemic level: analyse every policy and process, the way talent is managed, how performance is measured and rewarded, and how people are recruited and selected. Leave no stone unturned – this is a surefire way to understand how institutional advantage and disadvantage play out in your organisation.

Consider whether this audit is best done internally or by external experts, as sometimes an outside viewer may see your company more objectively. It’s absolutely vital that the audit involves representation from Black, Asian, and other minoritised ethnic groups. This commitment demonstrates the organisation’s dedication to thoroughness in obtaining accurate results by considering a wide range of viewpoints and experiences. By ensuring diverse representation, the organisation not only reflects a commitment to inclusivity but also acknowledges the importance of varied perspectives in obtaining the most comprehensive and effective outcomes.

AUDIT YOUR ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE AND STRATEGY AT A SYSTEMIC LEVEL→

2. Listen to your workforce and act

An organisation needs to build enough trust to be able to properly analyse the current state. Achieving this level of rapport is only possible by making your minoritised workers feel like they are listened to. Be inclusive. Talk to people about their analysis and experiences. Consider creating affinity groups, and how the company can support them to help create a more inclusive culture. White people need to understand what is expected of them to tackle organisational racism too, so some companies look at case studies of racial harassment for example to assess what learning and development is needed to ensure they have the understanding and skills to be anti-racist.

Open, honest and sometimes difficult conversations will enable the creation of an anti-racism strategy that takes account of the current state of awareness and action, and the patterns of representation at senior levels, ethnic pay gap reporting, unwanted churn, customer base, and procurement.

Be aware that conversations and sharing their lived experiences of racism can be difficult for Black people or people of colour, and it is important to ensure that meaningful action follows the listening stage. It’s also fundamental for organisations to understand that Black people and people of colour have gone through racial trauma over the years and that this is always a very hurtful experience to have to live with repeatedly. Organisations need to take note of this and should provide support, as some of these experiences are not pleasant to re-live and talk about.

3. Consider your context and collaborate

While racism exists everywhere in our society — including the workplace — each industry, style of leadership, and even particular business suffers from it in different ways. A formulaic approach to an anti-racism strategy will work no better than a formulaic approach to developing a company strategy — in other words, not at all.

A successful anti-racism strategy will be designed in collaboration with staff and ERGs and take into account your organisation’s unique strengths and weaknesses and how these can be leveraged to address racism in the workplace appropriately and effectively.

4. Set targets

You’d never create a business strategy without clear targets and KPIs. Firstly, you wouldn’t be able to get it through the door. But more importantly, it simply would not be effective. The same goes for your anti-racism strategy. Giving generic statements and wishes will not achieve what you’d like it to or resonate with your staff or clients, no matter the level of good faith with which you’re coming into the process.

You should set specific, realistic and coherent goals that are fully measurable. It’s crucial to consider how you’re going to track your progress from the beginning. Think about anti-racism as any other business element and you’ll immediately see better results.

In 2022, Salesforce announced they were looking to make executives more accountable for diversity, equity and inclusion by introducing variable pay based on the performance of the company’s ESG initiatives. This is a strong way to ensure senior leaders take accountability for DEI targets and also demonstrates the company’s commitment to creating an inclusive workplace.

5. Understand the process is ongoing

An anti-racism strategy requires high-level attention, appropriate resources, and some difficult conversations that people need to be equipped to manage well. It’s not going to happen in a day and what’s more, even once implemented, the process will need to be maintained and constantly adjusted to ensure continual progress is made. An effective anti-racism strategy is at least as challenging as a company strategy, and therefore can’t be completed in and among one or two people’s day jobs.

Acknowledge and recognise the time, energy and skill needed to devise a strong anti-racism strategy, and the fact that this process can be triggering and emotionally draining for people who have experienced racism. Make sure white people are educated about why you have and need an anti-racism strategy. The process of demonstrating respect and listening should be ongoing, with mechanisms that will allow you to hear how people on the receiving end of racism feel about what the company is doing.

Acknowledging what happens outside of the workplace is also important. Your staff members are likely to receive racism outside of the workplace too and it is important to understand how this also affects them and the impact it has on them. This will form part of their lived experiences and these stories should be embraced with understanding.

The strength of embedding anti-racism into your company values, narrative and strategy is clear and will resonate much stronger with both your staff and clients when done authentically. When an organisation is intentional about making change and an impact for the right reasons, it will not only help that organisation attract a wider pool of diverse candidates but also retain its valued existing employees.

“With 14% of the working age population coming from a Black or Minority Ethnic (BME) background, employers have got to take control and start making the most of talent, whatever their background. Employers must publish their aspirational targets, be transparent about their progress and be accountable for delivering them.”

The McGregor-Smith Review: Race in the Workplace

EW Group can help you achieve your anti-racism goals. We have over three decades of experience working with organisations on their diversity and inclusion, ensuring everyone is treated fairly and enabling businesses to thrive. Get in touch with us to learn more about how we do this.