Research from software provider Ciphr suggests that many workplaces are a potential hotbed of discriminatory behaviour, with peoples’ age, appearance and gender often being used against them in work settings.
The company surveyed 4,000 UK adults and found that over two in five (45 per cent) feel that they have experienced unfair discrimination while at work or when job hunting. Of those, nearly two-fifths (38 per cent) say they have been discriminated against at work. And a similar number (39 per cent) believe they’ve been turned down for a job they were qualified to do, due to discrimination of some kind during the recruitment process.
The findings show that workplace discrimination appears more common for people at the beginning of their working careers and for people from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities).
Over three-quarters (76 per cent) of survey respondents from Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, and two-thirds (65 per cent) of those from Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, say they have suffered discrimination at work or faced hiring discrimination (compared to the survey average of 45 per cent).
Gen Z and younger millennials are also significantly more likely to perceive and call out workplace discrimination, and other types of bias or unequal treatment that may have become accepted or even normalised over time, than their Gen X and Boomer counterparts. Two in three (65 per cent) 18- to 34-year-olds say they have experienced discriminatory attitudes and behaviours at work or as a job applicant, compared to around two-fifths (45 per cent) of people aged 35 to 54 years, and less than a third (31 per cent) of those over 55.
Ciphr’s workplace discrimination study also sheds more light on the most prevalent types of discrimination that most people come up against.
On average, nearly one in five (19 per cent) adults living in the UK have faced ageism at some point in their careers; either at their current workplace, a previous workplace, or a prospective one. Among those who reported experiencing age discrimination, nearly one in six (17 per cent) men and one in seven (14 per cent) women believe they’ve been treated unfavourably by recruiters based on their age.
The next most common types of workplace discrimination that people reported experiencing were appearance discrimination (cited by one in eight, or 13 per cent, of those surveyed), and gender discrimination (12 per cent).
“Any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying, intimidation, and intolerance in the workplace is unacceptable and can have a huge negative impact on people’s lives,” says Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr. “It can take a considerable toll on their mental and physical health, and their self-esteem, and be incredibly stressful to cope with. It can also derail careers, with unfair dismissals or people not being given equal opportunities to progress and be paid fairly.”
Ciphr’s head of diversity, Ann Allcock, says: “In the context of current global conversations about, and shifts in commitment to DEIB in some quarters, Ciphr’s findings shine a timely light on the continuing reality of discrimination and underline why we need to double down on our efforts to fully understand what drives that discrimination, and exactly what form it takes. And make it a priority to eliminate it.
“Employers simply can’t afford to continue taking the hit from the negative consequences of discrimination, in terms of impact on employee engagement, productivity and wasted talent. They need to fully use their people data and focus their efforts on tailored actions and training to both prevent discrimination and address it robustly where it does occur.”
