Workplace discrimination not handled well by employers, say social workers – Community Care

 

Report on Workplace Discrimination in Social Work and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

A recent poll indicates a significant disconnect between stated employer policies on equality and the experiences of social workers. This report analyzes these findings, highlighting the failure to address workplace discrimination and its direct conflict with the achievement of key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key Findings: Employer Inaction on Discrimination

Despite widespread evidence of systemic disparities, a poll of 556 social work practitioners reveals a profound lack of confidence in employers’ ability to manage discrimination effectively. These findings undermine progress towards creating inclusive and equitable work environments as mandated by the SDGs.

Poll Results Analysis

• 47% of respondents reported that employers handle discrimination badly, citing a lack of accountability and organizational learning from incidents.
• 35% acknowledged the existence of good policies but stated they were poorly implemented, indicating a critical gap between policy and practice.
• Only 18% believed that senior leadership was actively prioritizing the fight against discrimination.

This failure to ensure fair treatment directly contravenes SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, which calls for safe and secure working environments for all workers, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, which targets the elimination of discriminatory practices.

Systemic Disparities and Institutional Failures

The sentiment captured in the poll is substantiated by consistent data showing adverse outcomes for marginalized groups within the social care sector. These institutional shortcomings represent a significant barrier to achieving justice and equality.

Evidence of Pervasive Inequality

• Racial Disparity: The Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard confirms that staff from minority ethnic backgrounds experience worse outcomes than their white colleagues in recruitment, pay, career progression, and disciplinary actions. This is a clear violation of the principles of SDG 10.
• Intersectional Discrimination: Significant disparities have been identified across age, sex, and race in relation to fitness to practise cases, pointing to systemic biases that impact diverse groups. This highlights a failure to address SDG 5: Gender Equality alongside racial equality.
• Lack of Inclusivity: Concerns persist regarding the broader lack of inclusion for social workers based on various protected characteristics, challenging the core mission of SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which advocates for effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Strategic Interventions for Systemic Change

In response to these challenges, new frameworks are being developed to foster accountability and drive meaningful change, aligning professional practice with global sustainability and equality targets.

The “Shades of Bias” Initiative

A new tool, “Shades of Bias,” has been launched by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) England to provide a structured approach for addressing bias. This model promotes the institutional accountability required by SDG 16 by focusing on a clear, action-oriented process:

1. Reveal: Documenting and bringing instances of bias to light.
2. Reflect: Analyzing the dynamics of the incident and its impact on individuals and the organization.
3. Repair: Implementing corrective measures through organizational learning and ensuring accountability for those responsible.

This initiative recognizes that achieving SDG 10 and SDG 8 depends on both systemic reform and the commitment of individuals to reflect, learn, and actively challenge discrimination.

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• The article connects to this goal by mentioning that there are “disparities across age, sex and race in relation to fitness to practise cases,” directly highlighting inequality based on sex within the social work profession.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• This goal is central to the article, which focuses on discrimination within the workplace. It discusses how minority ethnic staff face “consistently worse outcomes” in “recruitment, pay, progression and being subject to disciplinary processes,” all of which are fundamental aspects of decent work.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire piece is about the failure to address workplace discrimination and the resulting inequalities faced by social workers based on their “protected characteristics,” specifically “race,” “age,” and “sex.” The article highlights the need to reduce these inequalities of outcome and opportunity.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article addresses this goal by focusing on the failure of institutions (employers) to be effective and accountable. The findings that employers are “failing to address discrimination,” that there is “no accountability for, or learning from, discrimination,” and that good policies are “poorly implemented” all point to a weakness in institutional justice and governance.

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The article’s focus on discrimination based on “sex” in the workplace directly relates to this target.
• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership. The mention of disparities in “progression” for staff points to a lack of equal opportunity, which this target aims to rectify.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article’s evidence of minority groups faring worse in “recruitment, pay, [and] progression” shows a direct challenge to achieving this target.
• Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. A workplace where 47% of respondents feel discrimination is handled “badly” and without “accountability” is not a safe or secure environment, making this target highly relevant.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, etc. The article’s concern over the “lack of inclusion of social workers based on their protected characteristics” aligns perfectly with this target.
• Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory practices. The article explicitly discusses inequalities of outcome (“consistently worse outcomes”) and the failure to tackle discriminatory practices, even when “good policies” exist.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The finding that employers show “no accountability for, or learning from, discrimination” demonstrates a failure to meet this target.
• Target 16.B: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development. The article highlights a critical gap where “good policies existed but said they were being poorly implemented,” which is a failure of enforcement as described in this target.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Implied Indicator: Data on disparities in professional outcomes based on sex. The article points to the existence of “disparities across… sex… in relation to fitness to practise cases,” which can be used as a metric to track progress.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Mentioned Indicator: Disparities in employment outcomes. The “Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard” is cited as providing data on how minority groups fare in “recruitment, pay, progression,” which are direct indicators for Target 8.5.
• Mentioned Indicator: Perception of workplace safety and rights protection. The Community Care poll results, where “47% said employers were handling discrimination badly,” serve as a direct indicator of the perceived security of the working environment (Target 8.8).

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Mentioned Indicator: Data on inequality of outcome. The “Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard” is an explicit tool mentioned in the article that measures inequalities based on race across indicators like “pay, progression and being subject to disciplinary processes.”
• Implied Indicator: Proportion of people reporting discrimination. The poll asking practitioners how employers handle discrimination serves as a proxy for the official SDG indicator 10.3.1 (“Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed”).

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Mentioned Indicator: Perception of institutional accountability and effectiveness. The poll results provide clear metrics: “no accountability for, or learning from, discrimination” and “35% agreed that good policies existed but said they were being poorly implemented.” These measure the effectiveness and accountability of the employing institutions.
• Mentioned Indicator: Level of priority given to non-discrimination by leadership. The finding that “Only 18% said senior leaders were prioritising tackling discrimination” is a direct indicator of institutional commitment to enforcing non-discriminatory policies.

Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators Identified in the Article
SDG 5: Gender Equality	5.1: End all forms of discrimination. 5.5: Ensure equal opportunities for leadership.	Data on “disparities across… sex… in relation to fitness to practise cases.” Data on disparities in “progression” for staff based on sex.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth	8.5: Achieve decent work and equal pay. 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe working environments.	Data from the “Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard” on disparities in “recruitment, pay, [and] progression.” Poll results on how employers handle discrimination (47% “badly”).
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities	10.2: Promote social and economic inclusion. 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome.	Metrics from the “Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard” showing “consistently worse outcomes” for minority groups. Poll results on perceptions of discrimination, reflecting a lack of inclusion and equal opportunity.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions	16.6: Develop effective, accountable institutions. 16.B: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory policies.	Poll results showing “no accountability for, or learning from, discrimination.” Poll results showing good policies are “poorly implemented” (35%). Poll results showing only 18% believe senior leaders are prioritizing the issue.

Source: communitycare.co.uk