ANALYSIS | Diversity and inclusion
& INCLUSION: Are we doing
DIVERSITY enough?
Is the KBB industry failing on diversity and inclusion? Is it a moral obligation or can it actually help your business? We look at what a more diverse and inclusive workforce could mean to this sector and whether it can be achieved. Francesca Seden reports…
he cover of the May issue of kbbreview caused quite a stir on social media. Under the headline ‘A view from the top’, nine prominent KBB brand leaders are pictured. All are male and eight are white. The image garnered a range of responses, from disappointment at the lack of diversity, to defensiveness
T
For context, it is important to point out that the article the cover was
32
associated with was a review of the ISH bathroom fair. It had nothing to do with diversity and did not intentionally leave anyone out. It just so happened that at the trade show, they were the business leaders that were available for kbbreview to talk to. And that isn’t really surprising, given that, out of hundreds of KBB brands, there is a relatively small number of female managing directors and CEOs. The story is similar for those from black, Asian and minority backgrounds.
In the trades industry, including
installation, plumbing, electrical engineering and construction, the picture is worse. In 2022, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that over the past decade the percentage of women taking up skilled trades and holding senior management positions within construction firms barely changed.
Of all skilled trades professionals working in the UK construction sector –
such as joiners, bricklayers,
electricians, plumbers, and carpenters – just 1% were women. And that represents just a 0.7 per cent increase during the past decade. More recently, a report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and The MBS Group, published in the summer of 2023, revealed that although a very encouraging 93% of retailers have implemented a strategy to improve diversity and inclusion, there is still a “long road ahead”, with 66% of retailers having no specific
• November 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
