Only a third (34 percent) of Britain’s top execs know what their company’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) policy is. Contributor Sheri Hughes, UK Diversity and Inclusion Director – Page Executive.

Despite the strategic importance of a comprehensive D&I policy for companies, more than a quarter of business leaders (26 percent) admit their company doesn’t even have a policy. In a survey of more than 300 board level execs, Page Executive looked at the views of those in Britain’s top roles on D&I as well as their knowledge of policies. 

Despite 81 percent of respondents stating it’s important to consider D&I in the workplace, one in five (22 percent) confessed to not knowing what Diversity and Inclusion means.  A further third stated they knew what Diversity and Inclusion meant but didn’t feel able to define it, demonstrating a lack of awareness at board level around the UK.

The importance of a good understanding of D&I is highlighted by the news that more Brits are leaving jobs because of negative work cultures. In a survey of 2,000 workers, employees revealed they are quitting because they don’t feel valued in the workplace (21 percent), thought their job negatively impacted their mental health (15 percent) or because they didn’t feel included (9 percent) demonstrating the importance of implementing a D&I policy.

Sheri Hughes, UK diversity and inclusion director at Page Executive said “The culture of an organisation should come from the top down, but our research shows a worrying number of CEOs and Managing Directors are clueless when it comes to knowing how to foster an inclusive atmosphere. Those in a position of authority in an organisation must start doing more to aid diversity and inclusion in the workplace or risk losing talented employees to competitors. Having a robust D&I policy in place is of vital importance to both attract and retain top candidates.”

To help employers understand how best to implement an effective inclusion policy and feel valued in the workplace, Page Executive has worked with Dan Robertson from VERCIDA Consulting, a global diversity and inclusion expert. Together they have created an Inclusivity Mapper, which allows businesses to see how they fare against others in their industry on topics from leadership to culture and get tailored advice on areas that need improvement.