CMI calls on employers to build the pipeline of talented BAME employees
Rob Wall, Head of Policy
| Chartered Management Institute
Line managers play a pivotal role in changing behaviour and creating balanced workplaces, says Rob Wall, Head of Policy at CMI.
Alok Sharma is right to highlight the barriers that BAME men and women face in securing work. But we need also to recognise the obstacles they face once in work.
Only 6% of senior managers are BAME, despite BAME men and women making up 13% of the workforce. We need solutions that not only ensure equality of opportunity when applying for work, but also enable BAME people to progress when in work.
This is why CMI is calling on employers to build the pipeline of talented BAME men and women in their organisations, and take action to address pay and progression inequalities. Key to this is equipping line managers. Line managers play a pivotal role in changing behaviour and creating balanced workplaces. Their actions are decisive in the success or failure of efforts to create balance: good managers champion change, bad managers block change.
The latest CMI research reveals that around a quarter of line managers have never been trained on managing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Managers need to learn about the behaviours and practices that make a difference. They need to be empowered to call out bias and create change, while also being held to account for their impact.
