The number of people who have experienced discrimination in the workplace is high. According to a survey, it makes a difference how diverse the management team is.
According to a Europe-wide survey, one in three employees has experienced discrimination at work. This is shown by an analysis by the consulting and auditing company EY.
Accordingly, 31 percent of the men and 36 percent of the women surveyed said they had already been discriminated against at work. However, according to EY, only slightly less than half of them (49 percent) reported the incidents to superiors or other contacts. Men (54 percent) took the step slightly more often than women (46 percent).
But the situation is not the same in every company: Especially when the management level is, according to the employees, diverse and inclusive, there are fewer experiences with discrimination (29 percent). With a management team that was not very diverse or not diverse at all, around 36 percent of those surveyed experienced discrimination, it goes on to say.
According to EY, 1,800 employees in nine European countries were surveyed for the study. Specifically, there were 200 each from Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Austria and the Netherlands. According to EY, half of the respondents are senior managers and half are non-managerial employees. The survey took place online in September and October 2023.
“Gap between management and employees”
According to the analysis, managers rated their company significantly more positively when it comes to diversity, equality and inclusion. 63 percent of managers say their company has a culture of trust and transparency. Only 44 percent of non-managerial employees agreed with this.
“The fact that the assessments of the different levels of employees in this country and in Europe differ so clearly and in so many categories when it comes to diversity, equality and inclusion clearly speaks for a gap between management and employees,” said Ev Bangemann, Member of the EY management board. The high number of people who have already felt discriminated against must be a wake-up call for employers “to promote a real cultural change in the company that includes all employees.”
Source: Stern
