Overcoming barriers to workforce diversity

The Environment Agency tasked ETHNOS with identifying the reasons for the low recruitment rates of people from minority ethnic communities within the Agency. The Agency wanted to explore the attitudes of existing ethnic minority staff and of people from ethnic minority backgrounds in the general population towards: a) environmental issues in general, and b) the Environment Agency in particular.

Through focus groups and consultation events, we produced a series of recommendations in relation to recruitment, career progression and retention that the Agency could consider to increase the diversity of its workforce. ETHNOS also tested recruitment materials to establish perceptions of a potential recruitment campaign.

Both strands of work informed the development of a wider strategy by the Diversity Group at the Environment Agency.