To ask people of colour......

[DaintyFlower]

To ask people of colour what they would like their work place to do to promote equality and career progression for BAME?

I am trying to establish a BAME network in my workplace. It is a large organisation with a percentage of BAME population that is still lower than the general population. However, there are very very few BAME in management roles and pretty non existent in senior or exec roles.

Any experience, suggestions and advice on steps that can be taken to reduce this inequality will be appreciated.

Repeat your question in your workplace. Use formal and informal communication channels. Identify and communicate clearly why this is important for the organisation to achieve and what the business and social benefits are.

And review your expression ‘People of Colour’

Nothing. It’s insulting.

‘People of Colour’ is ok

Agree with the comment about reviewing the expression people of colour, However I don't think asking the question is insulting. How else can an organisation address an imbalance if they don't know the answer

BAME role models are important - maybe a professional mentoring scheme?

Also, agree that choice of phrase POC doesn’t sound right here (I perceive it as an American term used in socio-cultural contexts, but maybe incongruous within a UK professional setting).

There is a advisory service for the Equality Act 2010, you could ring them. I think 'people of colour ' is inaccurate because all people have colour as we aren't translucent. It reeks of white privilege for me. I also think that promoting equality in race means you have to ask people who have experienced inequality is the only option. What do people who have experienced inequality want? I'm autistic and feel inequality in society.

BAME role models are important - maybe a professional mentoring scheme?

I hear this argument all the time and I do find it insulting. Why do I need a black person to do something first before I think I can do it?

To address a few points;

I have only referred to it as POC on here to get my point across. I use the term BAME network/forum at work.

AnotherCuppa, What does a professional mentoring scheme do?

Also to add: it’s crucial that HR policies/recruiting managers genuinely engage with this (not just pay lip service to it). Otherwise initiatives will have limited impact.

Check if the % of BAME applications your company is receiving corresponds to the % in the population.
If not, why not ?
Wording of ads / where they are placed / company reputation / .....

Check if BAME applications have a lower % rate of being offered a job
If so, why ?

Check if qualifications & experience of BAME employees are comparable to other employees

Check if they are on comparable salaries to others with comparable qualifications & experience

Check if BAME employees make a lower % of applications for promotion
Check if they are more likely to be turned down

I'm mixed race British and my family use it - but we have US connections too !

A more senior staff member from a BAME background within the organisation (or externally) can meet up with / have ongoing dialogue with a more junior BAME staff member to help boost confidence and build their network.

Maybe put out a call for BAME staff at your workplace to meet and discuss, see what they suggest.

Anothercuppa, you raise some excellent points as these are issues that I am facing. I am from BAME background. The HR team seems interested but I am not sure how to ensure they engage rather than it becoming a tick box exercise and filed away.

Can I ask what the most accepted term is at the moment?

IsabellaLinton a mentoring scheme isn't about seing another black person doing something and therefore feeling you can it's about working with someone who may have experienced the same constraints you have and overcome them and discussing it openly. I've worked in a role which was male dominated and benefited greatly from having a female mentor who'd addressed and overcome an incredibly chauvinistic industry culture.

I suggested collecting that data to find out if it's your company that needs mentoring, not its employees

Ignore IsabellaLinton. She is labouring under the delusion that patriarchy is an illusion, and probably thinks racism or workplace discrimination is a figment of the imagination, too.

really? people of colour is ok? what bloody colour - green, blue? If people have a colour, surely everyone is a different colour, "white" people included

People of colour??? We are not in the 80s I wouldn’t use that’s phrase in the workplace.

BigChocFrenzy that's a good point.

Oh I missed the comment by IsabellaLinton - sunshineandreign has given a great response. It’s proven that role models of all background in education and professions - and society in general - are hugely important.

OP, to engage your HR team you need to get some others behind you to really get across why it’s important to address this -

BigChocFrenzy,

The data is available on all the questions you have raised above and there are shortcomings which the company wants to address.

The biggest issue is career progression for BAME. Despite data showing that they have 10 years plus experience with the company, there is very little promotion.

The employees have given their experiences of why their promotion application was rejected and the reasons for rejection always seem very airy fairy, especially when the BAME employees are finding that a white person with less experience, is getting the promotion. ‘Coincidentally’ the less experienced person always ‘interviews better on the day’

It was also highlighted that there is a culture of going for drinks after work and those that go, get promoted more often. This is an issue for the BAME group as it excludes a vast percentage of the group due to cultural/religious/childcare reasons.