Ethnically diverse workers experience discrimination, also in more diverse workspaces

Employees from ethnic minorities often experience inequality and exclusion at work, also in workplaces where employers actively try to increase diversity. A diverse workforce is not enough to guarantee that employees feel accepted and treated equally, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) concluded in a study published on Tuesday, NOS reports.

The SCP surveyed workers on how they feel treated in the workplace and the career opportunities they receive. Employees from ethnic minorities often experience inequality and exclusion, even in workplaces where employers actively try to increase diversity. In fact, this problem is greater in organizations with a diverse workforce, the SCP said.

According to the SCP, this may be because “social norms are less clear” in organizations with a more diverse workforce, “causing employees to experience more uncertainty in their interactions.”

It is important “that employers realize that diversity does not automatically lead to inclusion, but requires adjustments within the organizations,” SCP researcher Lotte Vermeij said. Simply hiring diverse staff is not enough.

The SCP advised employers to not only pursue diversity in their recruitment policies, but also to actively combat exclusion and discrimination within their organizations. This will require employers to critically examine the “ways of doing and thinking that are considered normal within an organization.”