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Advertising leaders think they’re doing a great job with diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I).
Their staff disagree. They would like to see real change rather than just talking about it, via emails from remote head offices.
The Advertising Council of Australia’s second Create Space Census recorded a lower sense of belonging within agencies and an increase in negative behaviour such as being spoken over or ignored in meetings.
The staff said this behaviour often came from the same senior leaders who believe DE&I is on track.
“It feels like it’s just global intangible email updates and policies that don’t manifest in our office,” said one staff member, identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
A woman in her mid to early 40s said she’d like to “actually see change as opposed to talking about it.
“Would love the whole management team to be on board and speak positively about why it is needed.”
The census ran in November 2023, two years after the first. Almost 2,500 people responded to the anonymous survey which used Kantar’s Inclusion Index to benchmark performance.
A key finding was that the industry’s overall Inclusion Index Score dropped to 56 from 62.
In the survey, 35% noticed significant changes that have positively impacted DE&I at work in the last two years.
But in C-suite respondents, those seeing significant changes jumped to 64%.
It drops for everyone outside executive leadership, as well as among females, LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming people, and people aged under 35.
“This reveals a critical perception gap between executive leadership and the majority of employees who haven't noticed major changes to DE&I,” according to the Create Space Census report.
“We also see it’s most likely to be those aged over 45, heterosexuals and male-identifying respondents who note positive changes.
“This suggests leaders are either struggling to effectively communicate progress to the wider business, or inclusive leadership is being undermined by non-inclusive teams and managers.”
The report says leaders who grew up in a "work hard, play hard" culture, characterised by long hours and a focus on social activities, could consider adapting their standards as employees’ expectations of work evolve.
“This may involve reevaluating the organisation's culture, policies, and practices to create a more supportive and balanced work environment,” the report says.
The 6 point fall in the overall Inclusion Index Score was driven by a drop in both people’s sense of belonging and an increase in the presence of negative behaviour.
The fall is across all age groups but is most pronounced among those under 34, and even lower among 25 to 44-year-olds, and lower still for women.
“Pick a top 3 list, make it known widely to the company and double down on achieving it,” said one women respondent.
“Currently, there seems to be a long list of 'what we're doing' presented every now and then, but it's so broad that the impact is weakened.”
The report recommends combating cynicism by examining organisational culture as either an enabler or a barrier to inclusion.
“This involves understanding why and when people get promoted, what is celebrated, what is tolerated, the leadership paradigms we endorse, as well as how we incentivise people to behave a certain way,” says the report.
“Consciously modelling and rewarding everyday inclusive behaviours, while also inviting feedback, is essential to translate strategy into impact.
“This approach will also help remedy the disconnect between senior leaders and underrepresented audiences.”
One respondent, a woman aged 25 to 34, said she would like to see a greater understanding of where “we are falling short.
“I think there is a lot of focus on what we do well … but not enough conversation or interest happening in what needs interest happening in what needs to be done to improve from there.”
Senior leaders, the respondents said, were often the source of negative behaviours.
Levels of reporting discrimination or negative behaviour to human resources or to managers are still low.
"This sits at the core of driving change - we can’t fix what is not seen, examined or measured," the report says.
The level of reporting or escalation varies according to the type of behaviour, but generally, most discrimination or negative behaviour goes unreported.
Of those who experienced sexual harassment at work in the last 12 months, only 34% reported it. This is 7 percentage points higher than in 2021.
One in four did not raise negative behaviour due to:
- Senior leadership being the source - 26%, up from 18%.
- The fear of negative repercussions on their career - 25%, up from 15%
- Believing issues are not addressed properly - 24%, up from 16%
"This needs attention as not only do people need to feel comfortable in raising these issues within their companies, but also be willing to stand up for their colleagues when they observe these behaviours taking place," the report said.
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