Research from Ciphr finds that unfair treatment is more common among early-career workers and people from ethnic minority groups.
By Maggie Mancini
New research suggests that many workplaces are a potential hotbed of discriminatory behaviour, with peoples’ age, appearance, and gender often being used against them in work settings. A survey of 4,000 U.K. adults, commissioned by HR software provider Ciphr, finds that over two in five (45%) feel that they have experienced unfair discrimination while at work or when job hunting.
Of those, 38% say they have been discriminated against at work. And a similar number (39%) believe they’ve been turned down for a job they were qualified to do, due to discrimination of some kind during the recruitment process.
The findings show that workplace discrimination appears more common for people at the beginning of their working careers and for people from ethnic minorities. Over three-quarters (76%) of survey respondents from Black, Black British, Caribbean, or African ethnic groups, and two-thirds (65%) of those from Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, say they have suffered discrimination at work or faced hiring discrimination—compared to the survey average of 45%.
Gen Z and younger millennials are also significantly more likely to perceive and call out workplace discrimination, and other types of bias or unequal treatment that may have become accepted or even normalised over time, than their Gen X and babyboomer counterparts. Two in three (65%) 18- to 34-year-olds say they have experienced discriminatory attitudes and behaviours at work or as a job applicant, compared to around two-fifths (45%) of people ages 35 to 54 years, and less than a third (31%) of those over 55.
Ciphr’s workplace discrimination study also sheds more light on the most prevalent types of discrimination that most people come up against. On average, nearly one in five (19%) adults living in the U.K. have faced ageism at some point in their careers; either at their current workplace, a previous workplace, or a prospective one. Among those who reported experiencing age discrimination, nearly one in six (17%) men and one in seven (14%) women believe they’ve been treated unfavourably by recruiters based on their age.
The next most common types of workplace discrimination that people reported experiencing were appearance discrimination (13%) and gender discrimination (12%).
Gender discrimination does impact noticeably more women than men, however—especially when it comes to getting a new job. One in 10 (10%) surveyed women, compared to around one in 20 (5.2%) men feel they’ve lost out on some roles they’ve applied for because of their sex or gender. This rate is even higher for non-binary people, with over one in four (27%) affected by gender bias when job hunting.
Parent or carer discrimination—receiving unfair or prejudicial treatment on the job, or as an applicant, because of parenting or caregiving responsibilities—is also widespread. Based on Ciphr’s data, 11% of people, on average, feel that they’ve been discriminated against in this way. But that rate triples for so-called “sandwich carers” who are caring for a dependent child or children as well as older or disabled relatives, with nearly a third (30%) of people in this group feeling that they’ve faced discrimination because of their family responsibilities.
The fifth most common form of workplace discrimination encountered by all respondents, cited by one in 11 (9.3%) U.K. adults, is race or ethnicity discrimination. For people from ethnic minorities, race or ethnicity discrimination is the most likely form of discrimination that they have faced at work or when seeking work (as reported by 34% of ethnic minority survey respondents).
Two-thirds (or 2,630) of the people participating in Ciphr’s workplace discrimination survey are currently employed or self-employed. Analysis of the results for these workers specifically, based on their reported experiences, reveals which industries have the highest rates of discrimination.
Ciphr’s findings suggest that some types of work or workplaces can be more discriminatory than others. It’s important to note that while organisations can be held accountable, under ‘vicarious liability’, for the discriminatory or unfavourable actions of their employees, individuals are ultimately responsible for how they conduct themselves and everything they say.
The people among the most likely to report feeling discriminated against at their current or previous place of work, or by a prospective employer, include those working in hospitality and event management (75% of surveyed workers in these jobs), business, consulting and management (66%), the media (62%), and creative arts and design (61%).
Notably, over half (53%) of the recruiters and HR professionals surveyed—people who are often seen as standard bearers for good policies and initiatives designed to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB)—have been on the receiving end of unfair or discriminatory treatment themselves.
Age discrimination is by far the most common form of workplace discrimination experienced by workers across most industries in the UK, but there are some exceptions. For example, one in five (20%) hospitality and events management professionals feel they have been discriminated against at work, or had their job application rejected, because of their physical appearance. One in six (17%) people working in the legal sector reported the same.
One fifth (19%) of insurance and pensions workers, and one in 11 (9.1%) people in publishing and journalism, say their accents have been a target of workplace discrimination. And one in six (16%) energy and utilities professionals have faced race or ethnicity discrimination.
