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Diversity in the workplace

What can you do to create a diverse workforce? Our collection of best practice guides will show you how to promote and protect diversity.

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ICAEW resources

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How to be a family-friendly employer
  • Article
  • 11 Oct 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Making it easy for your staff to juggle family commitment alongside their jobs will reap rewards. In this National Work Life Week, we offer tips on meaningful family-friendly strategies that should be on your radar.
5 multi racial hands placed down on table
Prioritising mental health at work
  • Article
  • 10 Oct 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
On today’s World Mental Health Day, caba – the occupational charity for ICAEW members and their families – offers tips to help improve your well-being in the workplace.
Female on her laptop with earphones in
ICAEW student numbers buck sector-wide lull
  • Article
  • 04 Oct 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Comprehensive sector analysis shows that the ACA qualification continues to be a popular choice for those starting their careers.
5 multi racial hands placed down on table
ICAEW reaffirms commitment to gender balance
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
The number of women in senior roles at ICAEW continues to increase, as the institute delivers on its pledge for a gender balance across financial services.
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Employers face new legal obligations on sexual harassment
  • Article
  • 27 Sep 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
From next month, employers will face a new legal obligation to protect workers from sexual harassment. We explain what the changes mean.
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Breaking down social barriers together
  • Article
  • 23 Sep 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
As we celebrate National Inclusion Week (23-29 September), opportunities for ICAEW members to help remove social barriers to success are plentiful, working together as a profession to have a greater impact.
5 multi racial hands placed down on table
Caba signals rise in mental health support queries
  • Article
  • 17 Sep 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
New data from the occupational charity for ICAEW members suggests growing awareness of the need to look after our mental health.
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Easing the mental health pressure on accountants
  • Article
  • 15 May 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Stress can happen in any job – and finance professionals are no strangers to the pressures of work. But firms are increasingly turning the spotlight on staff well-being.

Industry press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides a hand-picked collection of industry press articles as a benefit of ICAEW membership. If you are unable to access an article, please see our Online resources troubleshooting or contact library@icaew.com.
Women appointed or testified as sole expert witnesses in just 9% of disputes worldwide in 2023, new survey from ERE reveals
  • Article
  • 17 Jul 2024
  • Kathryn Britten
The second survey from Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses (ERE), conducted in collaboration with global consulting firm AlixPartners, reveals a growing desire among legal professionals to effect change – and a burgeoning pipeline of aspiring expert witnesses – notwithstanding a lack of tangible progress in the number of women taking the witness stand.
Exclusive Black chartered accountants in post-apartheid South Africa: Global implications for the profession
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2024
  • Theresa A.Hammond, Sedzani Musundwa
Although South Africa’s Apartheid system legally ended with the advent of democracy in 1994, by 2021 only 15% of chartered accountants were Black. The authors examine this underrepresentation through interviews with 22 Black South Africans who earned their chartered accountancy certification in the second decade of the 21st century. While the officially mandated educational and employment barriers that previous generations faced have been dismantled, the authors found that aspiring Black accountants continue to face immense barriers to entering the profession.
Exclusive Diversity and the evaluation of talent in the accounting profession: The enigma of merit
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2024
  • Fiona Anderson-Gough, Carla Edgley, Keith Robson, Nina Sharma
While accounting firms are facing recruitment and retention problems, regulatory bodies are calling for efforts to improve diversity to be more effective, especially at senior levels. In this paper, the authors discuss 'merit' in processes of performance evaluation and career progression. Based on interviews in Big 4, mid-tier and small professional services firms in the UK, the authors explore how the working environment and culture in firms can potentially inhibit moves to improving diversity.
Exclusive Perceived organizational inclusion: Evidence from neurodivergent accountants in the US
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2024
  • Qi Duong, Loreal Jiles, Roopa Venkatesh
The authors examine the intersection of neurodiversity and accounting employment by exploring the work experiences of neurodivergent accountants in the US. They attempt to answer the question: 'How can neurodivergent accountants’ perceived organizational inclusion be improved?' Their study amplifies the voices of neurodivergent accountants, providing insights to key factors that shape neurodivergent accountants’ experiences of inclusion, while informing future organizational strategies through 37 recommended actionable practices.
Exclusive Busting myths about women in the workplace
  • Article
  • 25 Jan 2024
  • Alexis Krivkovich, Lareina Yee
This article challenges three common myths about women in the workplace. It reveals that women's ambition has actually increased during the pandemic, with a majority desiring promotions. It also dispels the notion that workplace flexibility is primarily desired by women, as both men and women see it as beneficial. The article also addresses the specific challenges faced by women of colour and the negative impact of microaggressions on women's careers. The authors encourage leaders to take action and advise young women to persist and challenge structural obstacles.
Exclusive Women in accounting: Practical tips for leadership advancement
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2024
  • Christine A.Funkhouser, Gergana Lipidakova
Advice on how women in the accounting profession can promote their personal brand and leadership persona. Topics include prioritizing education, advocating for oneself and increasing your visibility within your organization.
Exclusive Embracing neurodiversity in accounting and finance
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2024
  • Anthony Pacilio
Neurodivergent employees can foster a culture of innovation, problem solving, and different perspectives. Anthony Pacilio gives advice on how employers in accounting and finance can attract and retain neurodivergent employees.
Exclusive Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc says sexism is 'amplified' in finance
  • Article
  • 13 Dec 2023
  • Olivia Konotey-Ahulu
Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc has testified before British lawmakers about the prevalence of sexism in the financial services sector, stating that it is worse than in wider society. She shared testimonies she received, ranging from sexual harassment to women being excluded from key meetings. Blanc and Nishma Gosrani, a financial services partner at consultancy Bain & Company, discussed the Women in Finance Charter, a voluntary initiative aimed at promoting gender diversity in the industry.
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You are permitted to access articles subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

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Articles and books in the Library collection

The ICAEW Library & Information Service holds a print collection of over 45,000 books and around 160 current professional journals. For information on borrowing books from the Library please contact us or see our guide to book loans. You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

The good governance guide to boardroom dynamics
  • Library book
  • 2021
  • J.Cross
This book looks in detail at issues that affect the board both on an individual and group level. Key topics such as board diversity, technical competence and personal characteristics are addressed, as is the concept of emotional intelligence (EQ), which is crucial to successfully working in a boardroom setting. As well as offering practical direction on how best to work with others and manage talent, it provides guidance on how to maintain personal resilience and develop behavioural agility.
Employment law and pensions
  • Library book
  • 2016
  • D.Pollard
Contains sections giving an overview of pensions provision in the UK, automatic enrolment, employers and pension obligations, unlawful discrimination and pensions (including sex discrimination and age discrimination), employment contracts, employer's powers and consultation, maternity and paternity rights and pensions, TUPE and pensions and cessation of employment and pensions.
A white-collar profession: African American certified public accountants since 1921
  • Library book
  • 2002
  • P.Whitcomb
This book chronicles the stories of several of the pioneering African American men and women who managed to surmount the obstacles to becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and whose history has been all but ignored.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

Reports and surveys

Selected links to guidance, statistics and reports on diversity in the workplace.
Navigating barriers to senior leadership for people from minority ethnic groups in FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies
  • Website
  • Cranfield University
Commissioned by the FRC and conducted by a research team from Cranfield University and Delta Alpha Psi Services, this research looks at the challenges and opportunities that minority ethnic individuals might experience in progressing to the boards of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies.
European Women on Boards
  • Website
Founded in 2013 EWOB 'directly supports the European Commission in achieving the targets set by the new EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025' and is committed to help corporations make the change by developing talents and skills of senior businesswomen. EWOB publishes the Gender diversity index.
Women in the boardroom: a global perpective
  • Website
  • Global Centre for Corporate Governance
Sixth edition of the report by the Deloitte Global Centre for Corporate Governance, first published in 2011 and last updated in 2019, giving an overview of current initiatives around the world to increase the number of women serving on corporate boards.
Race in the workplace: The McGregor-Smith Review
  • Website
  • GOV.UK
Independent review by Baroness McGregor-Smith considering the issues affecting black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in the workplace. The report makes recommendations for improving recruitment processes, supporting progression and ensuring inclusive workplaces.
Women on boards reports
  • Website
Government hub page for reports relating to Lord Davies of Abersoch's Women on Boards review (published 2011), including the annual review and 5 year summary. See also our page on Women on Boards for further background and information.
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ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided ‘as is’ with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

Related topics

We also maintain separate web pages on these topics:
Female boss with colleagues
Board diversity
Considerations and guidance for corporate governance professionals on boardroom diversity.
Glasses on table
Discrimination
Find out more about the law on discrimination with our selection of articles, links and guides to best practice and regulation.
Diverse office workers
Diversity and inclusion
Articles, books and online resources providing background information and guidance on making a workplace more diverse and inclusive to the people who work in it.
Young colleagues at work
Employment tribunals
Employment tribunals hear claims regarding disputes in the workplace. On this page you can find articles, books and online resources providing guidance and background information.
Female colleagues at desk
Women in business
A collection of books, articles and guides on topics of interest to women working in business and accountancy.

Explore our communities

Information, insights, guidance and networking opportunities on a range of industry sectors and at various stages throughout your career.
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Information

Some of the content on this web page was provided by the Chartered Accountants’ Trust for Education and Research, a registered charity, which owns the library and operates it for ICAEW.