Retire or Fire? - The Fate of the Diversity Hire!

June Sarpong

Over the last couple of years, more and more companies are implementing diversity hire schemes, with an increase in headlines claiming “the first [insert demographic] to….” on front-page news. 

The death of George Floyd in 2020 spurred a global social justice movement; Black Lives Matter, which highlighted the historical and ongoing structural inequalities for anyone who isn’t a straight, white, cis-gendered man or woman. The workforce being a prime example. The issue stands that the way we’re “supposed to” work and the stories we primarily see in film and TV is from the perspectives and experiences of only 2 types of people. Therefore, structures are built around supporting the abilities of some thus blocking the nuances of others. Because of this, companies globally started to invest millions into diversity and inclusion initiatives, such as hiring Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs). However, many companies are simply conforming to ‘what’s popular’ without understanding the need to hire diversely - consequently causing more harm than good.

However, the issue at hand is far more deeply ingrained than we thought. A recent Forbes article shows that “an alarming number of corporate CDOs stay less than two years” due to the lack of respect, regard and appreciation for their position. Looking at positions that are either diversity roles or held at an executive level by a Black person, we see that June Sarpong (Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC), Tabitha Jackson (Festival Director at the Sundance Institute) and Deborah Williams (Diversity Manager at the BFI) – lasted no longer than three years. 

Tabitha Jackson

June Sarpong stepped down from her role a few days after the release of Variety’s investigation into the BBC’s Staff Exodus, where at least 15 women of colour left due to feeling “exhausted from fighting a broken system”. They uncovered the heartbreaking truths of how these women were treated in comparison to their white colleagues - some even seeking therapy.

These women were not alone, as the BBC Annual Report reveals 23.9% of BAME or minority staff lasted less than a year in comparison to their white counterparts, 78.1% of which lasted longer than a decade. 

Interestingly, the BBC recently reported that “global layoffs [are] making it harder for people of colour”, as companies target employees “with less tenure and seniority” in order to avoid discrimination. This inadvertently targets minorities, due to the only recent diversity hire movement. Diversity schemes are also being cut as they’re not considered revenue-generating. However, as research shows “increased diversity in staff leads to increased innovation, resiliency and profitability” which is supported by McKinsey & Company’s 2020 report showing that “companies in the top 25% of social and gender diversity are more likely to have stronger financial returns”. 

Deborah Williams

June Sarpong spoke to Variety about her experience at the BBC stating there was “a lot of scrutiny” around her role as Director of Creative Diversity, as she received “a barrage of racist tirades and abuse” during her three years. However, she spoke proudly of her work securing the £100 million diversity and inclusion initiative which is said to be the “biggest financial investment to on-air inclusion in the industry”. In regards to the BBC’s Staff Exodus, she says “change doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time…if we’re going to effectively represent all of our audience, then we need to make sure that we are in the room, even sometimes when it’s difficult to be in that room”.

Hiring diversely is a step forward in the right direction - but it is just one step. The next needs to be opening up the conversation with a group of diverse people and being willing to listen and learn in order to make the necessary internal, and external, changes.