How can HR tackle racial inequity at the top?

With recent research showing half of senior black women have resigned because of racism, Yetunde Hofmann explains what organisations can do to stamp out bias

It was announced recently that nearly all FTSE 100 companies have met the ‘One by 2021’ target set by the Parker Review to ensure they have at least one director from an ethnic minority background. In 2017, when the target was set, only 51 per cent of FTSE 100 companies had an ethnic minority director. Now 89 of the 100 companies do. It’s fantastic to see meaningful progress on this issue.

But this doesn’t mean the job is done. The evidence tells us that Black women are the least likely of any group to be among the UK’s top earners and half of senior black women say they have resigned from a position due to racism. Discrimination increases the higher up the career ladder they get. Last month a survey by Black Women in Leadership Network (BWIL) found that 68 per cent of Black women report experiencing racial bias at work. But, among Black women occupying senior management positions, this figure is as high as 84 per cent.

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