Employer-led diversity and inclusion initiatives doubled during lockdown

New research has found that twice as many professionals have reported being aware of their employer’s D&I initiatives compared to 2019. Employer-led D&I initiatives have seen a large increase during lockdown, according to research conducted by recruiters Robert Walters. In 2020, almost two-thirds of professionals (64 per cent) stated that they are aware of their employer’s diversity & inclusion initiatives, compared to the year before. Active participation in diversity & inclusion initiatives has also grown by +10 per cent in lockdown – with over a third of professionals now participating in employer-led working groups. A significant reason for this increase was the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests. Almost a fifth of workers (15 per cent), who had never previously been involved with D&I initiatives, stated that they were planning to after the social protests. Over three-fifths (61 per cent) felt that their organisation celebrates people’s differences. According to the study, this has led to a rise in the number of women who feel comfortable in negotiating their salary (+10 per cent) and a higher rate of pay satisfaction amongst Black women (+10 per cent). Despite this, the research also highlighted that several groups were at risk of being negatively impacted by