In the face of Brexit, the UK advertising and marketing communications industry recognises how crucial it is to have a diverse pool of employees — after all, cultural richness is what helps make our industry among the most creatively-awarded in the world. Considering the potentially major disruptions that Brexit may soon bring, the UK must now adapt to ensure this critical supply of talent is in no way restricted by focusing on the importance of attracting and retaining diverse homegrown talent. Highlighting the existing problems, as well as the essential role advertising must take on to invest in a more diverse domestic workforce, an esteemed panel of industry experts discussed at length how to address the challenges to come on stage at
Advertising Week Europe 2019.
The world’s best talent comes to the UK — we need to retain them
There’s a lot of concern about the impact that Brexit may have on the advertising industry, as well as marketing and creative communications in general, according to
Advertising Association’s Chief Executive, Stephen Woodford. The biggest and brightest talent from all over the globe comes to our country to enjoy the abundance of work opportunities, but that may very well change this year. “It’s why the UK in particular does so well in terms of creativity and exports. That could change with Brexit because there will be a potentially more restrictive immigration policy, so people will be unable to get jobs in the way they have before. The pushback to that is that we have to do a better job at developing more diverse talent particularly around ethnicity and different backgrounds. We’re going to have to do a much better job at scaling those up and doubling it again and again to make a difference in terms of numbers.”
Given the sensitivity around measuring people’s backgrounds, how do we ask the question ‘are you disadvantaged?’
Most people who have a relatively modest background wouldn’t necessarily claim they are at a disadvantage, so how do we get a sense of scale in regards to this tricky yet crucial issue? “One way is to get a benchmark for those personal questions by getting the employer to ask, but this kind of measurement can make people feel even further marginalised,” offered Alex Goat, CEO of Livity. “It’s absolutely challenging but it’s necessary to be able to measure the input of talent,” agreed Su-Mei Thompson, Chief Executive of Media Trust. “I think we should also be measuring what is working and what isn’t, though. Many people know that Stormzy has now decided to fund two black students every year to go to Cambridge, but research shows that if you want to get a job, York and Bristol are much better. So it’s definitely important to get measurement right.”
Media Trust is one of only two non-for-profits funded by the London Mayor – why is it of such high importance?
“One in six jobs in London is within the creative sectors, yet there is a skills gap,” Thompson said. “Every sector now is regarding creativity as a key element. Just think about the power of the media and the creative sector — we have that power to shape society’s attitudes. Statistics show that the people behind the cameras are black, Asian and disabled people, but when you see them on TV, they are speaking to a scrip that was written by someone who has never lived their reality. The mayor is funding a program called Creativity Works which takes 100 mostly BAME young people and puts them through a 10 week boot camp to give them skills to join the media sector. Many don’t have a family role model or didn’t do well in school, so this is a pathway for them to have the chance to break into the media. There is a lack of representation of these young people and this program can help external and internal diversity.” Alex Goat added that such initiatives are essential for businesses to stay ahead of the game, “We are missing a trick, otherwise. For me, getting the representation right is as critical as hiring people with hard skills.”
How do we make diversity and inclusion an industry reality?
“There are challenges when it comes to access to our industry,” Goat pointed out. “There is a lot of young talent that wants entrepreneurial opportunities and our agencies are missing out on that type of talent. A start-up may never result in anything, sure, but then again, they just might. We have to make sure that organisations have a purpose strong enough that makes young people want to join us. We don’t want to lose them. For us, we’re looking at
harnessing creativity from young talent who don’t want to necessarily work in a full-time job. I think reverse-mentoring is also something that every organisation should do with the talent that’s coming in.” Turning words into actions is the first step to becoming a business that truly focuses on diversity and inclusion, according to Karen Fraser, Director of Credos and Head of Strategy at Advertising Association. “Review your recruitment materials and make sure that they are definitely attracting a wide group of people. Review the induction programme and tailor it accordingly. And lastly, make use of the most democratic of recruitment platforms, LinkedIn.”