Bank's diversity drive could alter supplier culture

A report from Personnel Today highlights a move by one of the UK's biggest companies to request diversity information from its suppliers, which could set a trend for employers across the country.

Barclays is planning to call on its legal advisers to provide diversity statistics on their gender and ethnic make-up, as part of its corporate social responsibility policy in the UK.

The bank will require law firms, including Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance, to supply details of their workforce demographics to ensure diversity levels are "an acceptable standard".

Barclays is thought to be one of the first private sector companies in the UK to request diversity statistics, although it is increasingly common in the public sector.

Amanda Jones, head of diversity at the Co-operative Group, which operates its own ethical trading policy, said the move would have a knock-on effect for other private sector organisations.
"It's a positive step, but each firm will have to follow suit in its own way," she said.

Dianah Worman, diversity adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, described the initiative as a "bold move", but said the statistics should not be used in isolation or be over-simplified. "There are a number of ways in which we need to move forward to diversity and this is just one of them," she said.

Read the full story on Personnel Today