Bristol firms are being asked to encourage their staff to take part in the UK’s largest ever survey of race at work to help find out why ethnic minorities are under-represented at all levels in the workplace.
Commissioned by responsible business network Business in the Community, the survey aims to provide a better understanding of the issues behind this shocking under-representation.
Just one in 16 top management positions are held by an ethnic minority person. Ethnic minorities are also less likely to succeed in recruitment and less likely to be rated as top performers compared to white peers. 
While Bristol has a highly diverse population, the city’s workplaces on the whole do not reflect this. Also very few influential or high-profile private and public sector posts in the city are occupied by people from ethnic minority backgrounds – a situation that many believe is holding Bristol back.
Both BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) and white employees are being asked to share their personal experiences across areas such as recruitment, progression and engagement in the survey.
This will inform guidance to employers committed to fair and equal workplaces that reflect the communities and customers they serve.
While more than 10,000 responses have already been received, only around 1,300 were from the South West, making it particularly important that employees in Bristol take part.
Business in the Community race equality director Sandra Kerr OBE, pictured, said: “As a city where 16% of the resident population and 15,983 of primary and secondary pupils are from an ethnic minority background, it is particularly important that the people of Bristol have their say about race at work.
“The reality is that future workforce of the area will reflect the diversity of its population. Evidence gathered to date shows that underlying cultures and processes may contribute to ethnic minorities not being treated equally in work. We want to hear the reality of race at work for today’s employees in Bristol. We need as many people currently in work in Bristol to go online to www.raceatwork.org.uk and be part of this change.”
The race at work survey is being undertaken in partnership with YouGov and is sponsored by BT, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Nationwide and Sainsbury’s. It is open for responses until Sunday September 13. The findings will be shared in November 2015.
