ABDO SURVEY – EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY ANTONIA CHITTY
ABDO takes action on discrimination and harassment or many of us, the optical industry is a happy and safe environment to work in – but this is not always the case. A recent survey of ABDO members showed that a significant number face discrimination and harassment at work. Read on to find out more about the results of this survey, how ABDO is taking action, and what you can do too. Global awareness of racial discrimination reached a new peak in May 2020 after the death of 46-year-old black man George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. After discussion between ABDO board members and staff, it was decided that action was important – but beyond that, it was vital to discover the extent of discrimination and harassment within the optical industry.
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UNROOTING THE PROBLEM After liaising with the Equality and Human Rights Commission and investigating best practice, it was decided that the survey would seek to establish the problems ABDO members face in the realms of harassment and discrimination across all protected characteristics (see Box 1 for definitions). The survey found that harassment and discrimination was present to an unacceptable level within the industry. Key concerns included: • 21 per cent of respondents did not know whether their company had discrimination or harassment policies, and 12 per cent reported that their companies did not have such policies • 47 per cent of women who responded reported prejudice on grounds of gender ‘sometimes’, ‘a lot of the time’ or ‘almost all of the time’ • 32 per cent of respondents reported
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DISPENSING OPTICS DECEMBER 2020
All members should feel safe and supported prejudice on grounds of age ‘sometimes’, ‘a lot of the time’ or ‘almost all of the time’ • 24 per cent of respondents reported prejudice on grounds of race ‘sometimes’, ‘a lot of the time’ or ‘almost all of the time’ Looking at individual comments, it was also clear that the majority who had experienced discrimination or harassment were not confident about raising their concerns, either because of lack of belief that the process would improve things, or because they would have had to raise concerns with the person causing the problem. Only around 10 per cent of respondents made a report, which seemed to be down to a number of factors: 51 per cent of those who had experienced discrimination or harassment identified their employer or manager as the source, which obviously affects the employee’s confidence in reporting anything. Further comments indicated that respondents feared lack of action or, worse, that they would be penalised for complaining. Of those who did raise an issue, only nine per cent felt that the correct action was taken, while 28 per
cent felt that the issue was not dealt with correctly. Comments from survey respondents included: • “Not reported, it would not have been taken seriously” • “If you complain about anything they make your working life very difficult” • “I was racially abused by a ‘patient/ customer’ but my employer at the time issued a letter to me implying the racial abuse was my fault for not ignoring it” • “It was reported to police, an incident number given and a statement taken but it was never followed up” For those living with discrimination or harassment, we need to remember the negative effect of being on the receiving end of prejudiced behaviour throughout your working life. Although those who have experienced discrimination or harassment might be considered more likely to respond to this sort of survey, it is still shocking to see that more than a third – 35 per cent – of respondents reported prejudice on grounds of gender, with a corresponding 32 per cent reporting age prejudice and 24 per cent race prejudice. Given that this past year has included an unprecedented degree of disruption, with many members being furloughed for months, this report may also underrepresent the degree of harassment or discrimination experienced in a typical year. The findings also suggest that there is a lack of awareness among some managers and business owners about what constitutes discrimination and harassment,
Box 1: Facts Harassment is any form of unwanted and unwelcome behaviour which may range from mildly unpleasant remarks to physical violence. Discrimination is when you are treated differently (e.g. less favourably) because of your gender, race or disability. Protected characteristics as listed in the Equality Act: age, disability, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.
