Race equality in the workplace

Hear the panellists’ reactions to the killing of George Floyd on 25 May 2020, the shockwaves this sent across the world and the profound impact that this had on people of colour. The panel agreed there was an urgent need for change and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter provided a powerful moment we must take advantage of. There has been little change in Britain, with the Colour of Power report in 2020, showing only 52 out of the 1099 most powerful roles in the country are filled by non-white individuals, and much more to do in the legal sector. Listen to the panel talk about their work and the tips they have for law firms:

• Support the Black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues in your firm many of whom have been profoundly affected by recent events
• Reflect on the diversity of your firm at all levels and set your own strategy to address the recruitment, progression and retention of Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff
• Speak out like Segun Osuntokun, in his letter in The Lawyer and make your commitment public
• Be anti-racist by recognising micro aggressions and proactively challenging them.

Both organisations support inclusive recruitment in law firms and are positive about the commitment that many law firms are showing in recruiting the best candidates from the widest pool. There have been improvements in graduate recruitment for Black, Asian and minority ethnic students and students from less privileged backgrounds, but the stay gap highlighted by Rare’s recent report highlights the further work law firms need to do to retain their staff. One way to do this is to tackle racism - Chris and Raph are frank about the existence of racism in the legal sector, including micro aggressions such as getting people’s names wrong, and commenting on accents or Black women’s hair. As well as stamping this out, they share other tips for law firms serious about making a difference:

• Collect and analyse diversity data to track where you are – so you can identify where you want to be
• Set targets, identify actions to achieve them and measure your success
• Look at your recruitment and use other ways to get better at hiring diversity – dealing with unconscious bias, and using contextual recruitment data
• Sign up to the Race Fairness Commitment introduced by Rare
• Call out racism and challenge the culture that your firm has, both inside and outside the office.

Reflecting on the pace of change over the 10 years since the Equality Act 2010, the panellists looked at the lesson of the past, and what we can learn for the future in dealing with race inequalities. Observations included:

• There has been progress but there is more to do and lots of steps that firms, including small firms can take to make sure their recruitment is inclusive, and they monitor retention and progression
• We should not lose the narrative from the Macpherson’s findings around institutional discrimination, because race discrimination is not just about individual behaviours
• Organisations should use equality impact assessment to make sure their policies and processes do not have unintended consequences for certain groups
• Firms need to use their data to implement strategic changes and not rely on ad hoc or piecemeal initiatives which won’t address the core issues.

Hear the panel discuss why the role of senior Allies is important and how they can amplify the voices of Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff across the firm and use their influence to get things done. Hear about the practical ways to make a difference including:

• Listen to and involve all your staff in open discussions about race - lawyers and business support staff
• Use your data and be clear about what you are doing to promote diversity, the work you are doing to recruit diverse staff and the path to partnership
• Don’t be put off by the enormity of the task, take little steps
• Harness the skills and interest of staff in your firm to promote diversity and inclusion, even if you do not have the resources to recruit someone to lead on EDI
• Celebrate your role models.