Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General has implored businesses to improve diversity and inclusion.
Speaking at a CBI event at Simmons & Simmons in London, Fairbairn said, “Progress towards inclusive workplaces must pick-up the pace.”
“And I’m not just talking about gender.”
“I’m talking about every kind of diversity – ethnicity, social background, sexual orientation, age.”
“We need to use what we know works and make it the norm in all our businesses.”
“Not as a footnote to other priorities, but as a top strategic priority for our country.”
“It is only going to become more important, as we head into a perfect storm of changes in demographics and technology that will make talent the number one worry for our firms.”
“For many it already is.”
“In part it’s a simple numbers game as labour supply in this country is tightening.”
“Whatever the impact of leaving the EU, there are likely to be fewer EU migrants coming to work in the UK than in the past. At the same time the UK’s domestic labour force is shrinking as the baby boomers retire, making it even harder for firms to find the right people.”
“It’d also in part a skills game as having the right skills for the future is firms’ leading source of competitive advantage.”
“Automation and digital technologies are a real chance to improve our productivity, currently the third lowest in the G7.”
“Government has a role, but this is mostly down to us.”
“We must speed things up.”
She continued, “At times of great change and we are most certainly in one priorities compete and things can go backwards.”
“It can be too easy to let things slip down a list, perhaps even to seek comfort in the familiar, people like you and not different from you.”
“We are seeing some early warning signs that should concern us.”
“The Davies Review did a great job increasing the share of board jobs going to women from one in seven to one in three.”
“But in the last year this has fallen back to one in four.”
“And while there were 18 women CEOs in the FTSE 350 in 2015, today we’ve slipped back to just 16.”
“I worry progress in other areas may reverse if economic headwinds grow.”
“In tougher times, a search for experience might well end up being a search in a traditional pool, closing the door on greater inclusion.”
“Only committed leadership can win against this and is why it matters so much.”
This isn’t the first time that Fairbairn has spoken out about equality and diversity in business. In 2015, she claimed that business culture of late night dinners, sporting events and boozy networking hinders women who want to get ahead.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she called for an end to the stereotypical business culture that ostracises or makes difficult for women – particularly mothers – to get ahead in their roles.
