Bates Wells signs up to Race at Work Charter

We’re showing our commitment to racial equality by signing up to the Race at Work Charter.

We are pleased to announce we are now a signatory of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. The Charter is an initiative designed to improve outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) employees in the UK, delivered by BitC in partnership with the government.

The Charter is composed of five calls to action for leaders and organisations across all sectors.  Signing up means taking practical steps to ensure our workplace is tackling barriers that ethnic minority people face in recruitment and progression and that their organisations are representative of British society today. We will be reporting our progress back to the organisation in the coming months.

The 2018 Race at Work Scorecard report by BITC showed that there is still a need for concerted and consistent action from employers across the UK to improve outcomes for BAME employees. The report showed:

• There has been an increase in the number of workers from BAME background who report that they have witnessed or experienced racist harassment or bullying from customers or service users.
• Despite being ambitious, over half of BAME employees still believe they will have to leave their current organisation to progress their career.
• The proportion of managers who report that they have a performance objective to promote equality at work has fallen from 41% in 2015 to 32% in 2018.
• Most significantly, employees have not reported any increase in the number of leaders demonstrating commitment and taking action since 2015.

  Sandra Kerr CBE, race equality director at Business in the Community, said:

“We would like to thank Bates Wells for setting out their commitment to being an inclusive and responsible employer. By signing up to the charter they are showing that they aspire to have one of the most inclusive workplaces in the country. Together we can break down barriers in the workplace, raise the aspirations and achievements of talented individuals, and deliver an enormous boost to the long-term economic position of the UK.