One in three HR leaders face opposition to inclusion schemes, study finds

More than a third of HR decision-makers in the UK said they have faced pushback against equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives over the past year, according to new research. The new YouGov poll, carried out for the national employment charity Working Chance, surveyed 565 HR decision-makers and found that resistance towards EDI was on the rise. The findings raised concerns about the impact on people with convictions, who often rely on inclusive hiring practices to access work. Working Chance, which supports women with convictions into employment, warned that scaling back inclusive hiring risked entrenching social exclusion and undermining efforts to reduce reoffending. Evidence consistently shows that stable employment is one of the most effective ways of preventing people from returning to the criminal justice system, the charity said. Last December, a Guardian analysis found the UK’s biggest businesses were rolling back their public support for Pride celebrations . It followed another Guardian investigation showing that only a third of recommendations from major reports commissioned to tackle systemic racism over the past 40 years had been implemented . “If this trend continues, then access to work is likely to become increasingly difficult for people who already face significant barriers to employment, including those with criminal convictions,” Natasha Finlayson, the chief executive of Working Chance, said. …