One of the founding principles of my organisation when it was
established in 1904 was that the profession should be open to all.
In 117 years, that commitment has not wavered and, in fact,
diversity and inclusion are still topics at the heart of all of our
working lives, especially now that the global pandemic has
reinforced inequalities in our society.
With that very much in mind, we surveyed the accountancy and
finance profession globally and in Scotland to gauge where there
was progress and what issues remain. The good headline news
from our report
Leading Inclusion was that the majority of the
125 Scottish respondents - 66 per cent - said their workplace was
harassment or discrimination free, with 23 per cent saying
'partially' and seven per cent saying 'no'. Just four per cent said
they didn't know.
Asked if everyone in their organisation had an equal opportunity
to succeed, 60 per cent in Scotland said 'yes', with a third saying
it was not equal and an emphatic five percent saying 'no'.
Other results for Scotland revealed:
- 75 per cent said the profession was open to all - making it
easy to join the profession - compared with 78 per cent of their
colleagues in England.
- And looking at inclusivity once someone has entered the
profession, 66 per cent in Scotland believe the profession is
inclusive.
- 70 per cent in Scotland see a strong link between diversity and
inclusion policies to organisational success, compared to just 63
per cent in England.
- When asked if the profession has a diversity issue that needs
to be addressed, 31 per cent in Scotland said 'yes' and 57 per cent
understand the steps that could be taken in the workplace to
promote diversity and inclusion.
- 58 per cent in Scotland said they felt comfortable being
themselves at work, compared to 65 per cent in England.
The report concluded that there is no basis for complacency,
with 59 per cent of Scottish respondents saying the profession
should do more to promote diversity and inclusion amongst its
membership.
My personal reflections on the results of the survey are that
it's good to see that three quarters of Scottish respondents
believe the profession is open to all. Diversity brings different
views and opinions, and prevents group think. But we need to be
mindful of there still being a diversity issue to be addressed -
and it's through reports like this that we can get a debate going
and initiate change to lead inclusion.
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