BusinessLDN, London’s leading business campaign group, and Journi, an equity, diversity and inclusion organisation, today give their backing to the new Government’s plans to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for firms with 250 staff or more.
It came as they called for a campaign to raise employer awareness of the change and announced the launch of a new inclusive leadership training programme designed for chief people officers, HR directors and wider business leaders.
As part of the King’s Speech, the Government committed to publishing a draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill which will introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for all but small employers.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics from 2022 show that Black, African, Caribbean or Black British employees earned, on average, £13.53 hourly pay while white employees earned £14.35 – a gap that has been consistent since 2012. The McGregor-Smith Review found that closing this gap could deliver a £24bn boost to the UK economy annually.
BusinessLDN and Journi’s new Inclusive Leaders Programme is designed to help the capital’s employers improve the impact of their diversity and inclusion efforts through sharing best practice and interactive training sessions. The initiative will support BusinessLDN members to develop data-led approaches to improving all aspects of inclusion measures within workplaces.
Muniya Barua, Deputy Chief Executive of BusinessLDN, said: “London is home to the most diverse workforce in the country but far too many people struggle to climb the corporate ladder due to barriers resulting from their background.
“Firms that can lead the way on diversity and inclusion have a competitive edge on their rivals, which is why we are delighted to be joining forces with Journi to help the capital’s businesses enable more Londoners to fulfil their potential.
“We stand ready to work with the Government to implement its pledge to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for larger firms, as is already the case on gender. Boosting employer awareness of this change will be key to success.”
Sharla-Jaye Duncan, Chief Executive Officer of Journi, said: “We are thrilled to partner with BusinessLDN to deliver the Inclusive Leaders Programme, a transformative initiative designed to empower leaders with the tools and insights necessary to drive meaningful change in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
“The sessions will address the unique challenges faced by today’s leaders. From measuring inclusion and diversity accurately to refining interventions for maximum impact, we will provide insights that drive real progress.
“This initiative is a significant step towards creating workplaces where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best.”
The Inclusive Leaders Programme will give participants access to a community of 20,000 diverse professionals and allies committed to making their organisations more inclusive. Aimed primarily at HR and EDI leaders, the programme will help measure impact in this area through benchmark scoring and industry comparisons.
A preview event on 7 November will give BusinessLDN members the opportunity to find out more about the programme and why they should sign up to it. This will be followed by four interactive sessions for participants on 30 January, 27 February, 27 March, and 24 April 2025.
For further information about the Inclusive Leaders Programme, or to sign up, visit https://www.ourjourni.com/programmes/businessldn.