Employee experience in the UK 2023

What do UK employees think of their organisation’s diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) efforts?

The majority of the 1,000 people surveyed think that their employer takes diversity and inclusion seriously, and that people of all cultures, identities and backgrounds are respected at their organisation. Other survey findings, however, are much less positive – with a significant number of employees feeling a lack of sense of belonging and employee voice at work – highlighting that there is still much to be done to ensure real inclusion in the workplace.

• One in four (25%) employees don't think that they have a voice in their organisation (this includes 29% of non-managers and 23% of junior and middle managers)
• One in six (18%) feel they don't belong at work most or all of the time (that rises to 33% of under-24s)
• One in six (18%) don’t agree that their organisation’s policies are implemented consistently
• One in seven (14%) don’t think that their leaders lead inclusively
• One in seven (14%) don’t agree that discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour is appropriately addressed at their organisation
• While three-quarters (77%) think their organisation takes diversity and inclusion seriously, just two-thirds (63%) think their organisation prioritises DE&I training

Belonging means feeling valued, accepted and connected with and by colleagues, teams and the wider organisation. Our sense of belonging can fluctuate, depending on our experiences of inclusive practices, actions and behaviours at work. In the survey, respondents were asked to describe their current personal sense of belonging at their organisation. The answers varied widely depending on the individual’s career stage and seniority of role.

Just over half (53%) of the employees surveyed said they feel a sense of belonging most or all the time, and around a quarter (24%) only occasionally feel that they belong.

Nearly a fifth (18%) of all respondents (21% of men and 15% of women) rarely or never feel like they belong at work, while one in 20 (5%) aren’t sure if they belong or not.

That means that over five million employees in the UK could be feeling a lack of sense of belonging at work right now.

Previous research has shown that younger workers are more likely to perceive and call out bias at work, which may have become accepted and normalised over time. This could explain why this age group appears far more critical of their organisations’ DEI&B initiatives than their older colleagues.

A third (33%) of 18- to 24-year-olds feel a lack of sense of belonging at work most or all the time. This compares to 19% of employees aged 25- to 34-years-old, 16% of those aged 35- to 44-years-old, and 14% of those over-45.

As expected, remote workers are more likely to feel that they don’t belong at work compared to their office-based counterparts. One in five (22%) remote employees, compared to 18% of hybrid employees and 17% of workplace-based employees, feel a lack of sense of belonging at work most or all the time.

In general, employees tend to feel more of a sense of belonging with their colleagues and teams than their employer.

Of the 1,000 employees surveyed, 71% agreed or strongly agreed that they feel like they belong (feel valued, accepted and connected) with their team. This decreased to 61% when asked the same question about their organisation.

Female employees are more likely than male employees, on average, to feel a sense of belonging with their team (74% of women, compared to 68% of men).

Based solely on this research, white employees appear to be far more critical of their organisation’s inclusivity than employees from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

The majority (81%) of ethnic minority employees polled think that their organisation has a welcoming and inclusive work culture, and that their leaders lead inclusively (76%). Significantly fewer white employees agreed with either statement (70% and 60% respectively).

Over half (58%) of ethnic minority employees feel a sense of belonging at work most or all the time, compared to 52% of white employees.

Nearly one in seven (15%) ethnic minority respondents rarely or never feel like they belong at work, and a further 8% aren’t sure if they belong or not.

Ciphr’s research shows that there is a direct link between feeling a sense of belonging at work and a good employee experience. Workers who feel connected to their organisation are, unsurprisingly, more likely to stay at that organisation – and be happier and more engaged while they work there.

People who feel a sense of belonging are more likely to:

• Enjoy their job/have job satisfaction (82% of surveyed employees agree)
• Feel engaged/motivated at work (80%)
• Feel loyal to their organisation (78%)

People who don’t feel a sense of belonging are less likely to:

• Enjoy their job/have job satisfaction (27% of surveyed employees agree)
• Feel engaged/motivated at work (29%)
• Feel loyal to their organisation (28%)

Feeling trusted and supported at work, knowing that your voice is heard and valued and being involved in decision-making are all important factors in how an individual defines their sense of belonging.

• 65% of employees who feel trusted and supported by their manager feel like they belong at work most or all the time
• 70% of employees who work at organisations that listen to and encourage employee feedback feel a sense of belonging at work

There are numerous similarities in how male and female employees view their employer’s equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) efforts, with most people generally feeling positive about their organisation's working culture.

Most male and female employees agree that:

• They feel they can be themselves at work (76% of women and 71% of men)
• Their line manager treats all team members fairly and with respect (71% of women and 69% of men)
• Their organisation takes diversity and inclusion seriously (78% of women and 75% of men)
  People of all cultures, identities and backgrounds are respected at their organisation (82% of women and 78% of men)
• Discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour is appropriately addressed at their organisation (70% of women and 71% of men)
• Their organisation has a welcoming and inclusive work culture (71% of women and 71% of men)

Many surveyed employees were more negative, however, about their organisation's policies, DEI training priorities and leadership. Female employees were also less likely than male employees to think that they have a voice in their organisation (50% vs 57%).

There are more generations in the workforce today than ever, and we found that each group of workers has a slightly different perspective on their employer’s commitment to delivering diversity and inclusion.

The results of Ciphr’s survey suggest that age, career experience and seniority all affect people’s sense of belonging at work and how they feel about different aspects of their job and organisation.

For example, younger workers at the start of their careers – aged 18- to 24-years-old – are far more negative about DEI&B at their organisation, than those that have been in the UK’s workforce for a longer time.

Some key stats include:

• 33% of 18- to 24-year-olds feel like they don’t belong at work most or all the time (the employee average is 18%)
• 26% of 18- to 34-year-olds feel that they don’t have a voice in their organisation
• 20% of 35- to 44-year-olds don’t think that their organisation’s policies are implemented consistently
• 80% of 45- to 54-year-olds think discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour is appropriately addressed at their organisation (the employee average is 70%)
• 59% of over 55s think that their organisation prioritises DE&I training (the employee average is 63%)

Around two-thirds (63%) of Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees feel that they have a voice in their organisation and that employer listens to and encourages employee feedback.

While this result is higher than the survey average (53%), that still leaves a significant number of people who feel the opposite way, with nearly one in five (19%) ethnic minority employees reporting that they don’t feel like they have a voice in their organisation.

Ciphr’s research revealed a significant disconnect between how people in leadership and senior management view DEI&B in their organisation, compared to their employees.

Survey questions that polarised employees and leaders the most examined peoples' views on inclusive leadership, their sense of belonging, how comfortable they feel bringing their authentic selves to work and whether they think their voice is valued in their organisation.

Some of the largest differences in opinion are:

• Over three-quarters (77%) of those in leadership and senior management positions believe that they lead inclusively, but just three-fifths (60%) of non-management staff and two-thirds (65%) of middle managers agree with them
• Less than half (49%) of employees in non-management positions think they have a voice in their organisations, compared to nearly two-fifths (58%) of middle managers and three-quarters (74%) of senior managers
• One in five (19%) non-managers feel like they don’t belong at work most or all the time, compared to one in nine (11%) senior managers
• 14% of non-managers don’t feel able to be themselves at work, compared to just 4% of bosses

Ciphr’s researchers also analysed the results by organisation size. They found that workers at large companies are less likely to agree that their employer encourages, listens and acts on feedback from employees than those at smaller organisations. 29% of employees at organisations with over 1,001 employees feel that they don’t have a voice in their organisation, compared to 25% of those at organisations with 251-500 employees and 21% of those with less than 250 employees.

Larger organisations are, however, more likely to prioritise and provide DE&I training to their workforces than smaller organisations. Two-thirds (66%) of people working at organisations with over 1,001 employees think that their employer prioritises DE&I training, compared to two-fifths (60%) of workers at organisations with 500 employees or less.

It’s not just the policies and actions of employers that influence their employee’s sense of belonging – the industry they work in is likely to have a big impact too.

The majority (69%) of surveyed construction workers, for example, feel they belong at work most or all the time, as do 63% of those in health and social care and 60% of finance and insurance professionals. Yet less than half of employees working in government and public administration (44%), transportation and warehousing (41%) and legal services (33%) feel that same sense of belonging.

Around a third of employees working in transportation, warehousing, shipping and distribution, legal services and retail and wholesaling feel like they don’t have a voice in their organisation (36%, 33% and 30% respectively).

One in five people working in government and public administration and hospitality and foodservice don't think that discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour is appropriately addressed at their organisation (21% and 18% respectively).

Workers in construction, finance and insurance and health and social care are more likely to say that their employer prioritises DE&I training than those in transportation, warehousing, shipping and distribution, manufacturing, hospitality and retail (71% vs 56%, on average).

The charts below highlight how survey respondents employed in different industries feel about their organisations’ DEI&B efforts.

Ciphr conducted the survey from 12-15 June 2023 of 1,000 employed UK adults (over the age of 18 years old) working at organisations with at least 26 employees. The survey is unweighted, and as such is only a snapshot of the working-age population.

Survey sample: 7% of respondents are 18- to 24-year-olds, 31% are 25- to 34-year-olds, 35% are 35- to 44-year-olds, 16% are 45- to 54-year-olds and 11% are over 55 years old. 86% are white and 14% are Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees.

Nearly half (48%) of survey respondents are employed by organisations with 1,001+ employees, a fifth (21%) have 251 to 1,000 employees and nearly a third (31%) have 26 to 250 employees.

8% work in senior management roles at their organisation (and hold the following job roles: owner or partner, CEO/president/chairperson, chief financial officer, director, C-level executive or senior management), 20% work in middle management positions and 72% work in non-managerial roles. (103 respondents 'preferred not to say'.)

All statistics have been rounded to the nearest integer or one decimal place. Totals may not sum due to rounding.