Research has found that 45 percent of UK adults have experienced workplace discrimination.
A survey of 4,000 UK adults revealed that discrimination at work or when job hunting, with biases focusing on age, appearance and gender, is relatively widespread.
Among people reporting discrimination, 38 percent said they have been discriminated against at work, while 39 percent said they’ve been turned down for a job they were qualified to do because of recruiter bias, according to the survey commissioned by HR software provider Ciphr.
Discrimination was found to be more common for people starting work and for people from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities).
More than three-quarters (76 percent) of respondents from black, black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, and 65 percent of people from Asian or Asian British ethnic backgrounds said they have suffered discriminatory experiences at work or during the hiring process.
Younger workers call it out
Interestingly, generation Z and younger millennials were more likely to perceive and call out workplace discrimination and bias, which may have become normalised over time, than their older generation X and baby boomer colleagues.
Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of 18-34 year olds report experiencing discriminatory attitudes and behaviours at work or as a job applicant. Among older workers, this dropped to 45 percent among people aged 35-54 years, and 31 percent for people over 55.
Nearly a fifth (19 percent) of respondents said they have faced ageism at some point in their careers. Of the people reporting this, 17 percent of men and 14 percent of women said they have experienced this age bias from recruiters.
Appearance related discrimination was highlighted as a problem by 13 percent of respondents, while gender bias was cited by 12 percent.
Women were more affected by gender bias when looking to secure a new job. One in 10 women, compared with around one in 20 men, said they feel that they’ve been rejected for roles because of their gender. The rate is higher for non-binary people, with 27 percent reporting this issue when job hunting.
Sandwich carers
Parents and carers also reported being treated unfairly because of their responsibilities outside of work. In this group, 11 percent reported feeling discriminated against. This percentage is much higher for ‘sandwich carers’ (people looking after children as well as older or disabled relatives), with 30 percent reporting the problem.
Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, said: “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. 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.
“The results from Ciphr’s survey are a stark reminder that there’s still much work to be done to tackle ageism, racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, religious bigotry, and the many other harmful types of discrimination experienced in UK workplaces, and around the world, today.”
