The Softcat News Team
Softcat is delighted to announce it has signed up to the Race at Work Charter, an initiative designed to improve outcomes for black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) employees. As a people first business Softcat is fully committed to embracing diversity in its workplace and working with its people to achieve this.
The Race at Work Charter is designed to foster a public commitment to improving outcomes of BAME employees in the workplace. It consists of five principles to ensure organisations address the barriers to BAME recruitment and progression.
By signing up to the charter, Softcat is publicly committing to:
- Appointing an Executive Sponsor for race
- Capturing data and publicising progress
- Ensuring zero tolerance of harassment and bullying
- Making equality in the workplace the responsibility of all leaders and managers
- Taking action that supports ethnic minority career progression
Rebecca Monk, HR Director of Softcat, says of the initiative: “This is an important employee milestone for our business. By signing the Race at Work charter, Softcat is committing to raising awareness of this meaningful topic amongst our employees. Through our BAME network, we will work with our team to ensure equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all our people, as together, we can help make change. We are pleased that our internal motivations reflect the initiatives in the charter and look forward to addressing any barriers that people from BAME backgrounds face today.”
The charter builds on the work of the 2017 McGregor-Smith Review, ‘Race in the workplace’, a wake-up call for UK employers, which found that people from BAME backgrounds were still underemployed, underpromoted and under-represented at senior levels. So far more than 200 public, private and charitable organisations have signed up to the charter.
Sandra Kerr CBE, race equality director at Business in the Community, said: “We would like to thank Softcat for setting out their commitment to being an inclusive and responsible employer. By signing up to the charter they are showing that they aspire to have one of the most inclusive workplaces in the country. Together we can break down barriers in the workplace, raise the aspirations and achievements of talented individuals, and deliver an enormous boost to the long-term economic position of the UK.”