Just weeks after George Floyd was murdered, organisations lined up to tell us they were ‘listening and learning’ as they posted black squares to their accounts as part of #blackouttuesday. Though lots of people – myself included – were sceptical about these promises, that summer seemed like a pivotal moment. People were willing to have conversations, schemes were launched and many organisations started talking about ‘doing the work’.

However, just months later in early 2021, the government released a report that essentially said racism in the UK no longer existed. Then that summer, England stars Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho faced a torrent of racist abuse after the Euro 2020 Final. Plans to make ethnicity pay gap reporting mandatory by April 2023 were also scrapped and as anti-racism slipped out of the news cycle, it was hard to tell if any of those businesses that posted black squares had actually done any of the work.

It's a tricky area to navigate but here are three easy ways you can find out if an organisation really cares about anti-racism or if their public allyship is performative.

They Practise Diverse Recruitment

Most job adverts now have a section detailing a commitment to diverse recruitment practices, but none seem to be specific and weirdly a lot of companies keep hiring the same type of people. Any organisation that truly values diversity will be able to tell you what measures they have put in place, such as anonymous CVs, efforts to advertise vacancies where minority groups can see them and changes to make their brand more appealing to diverse candidates. If diverse recruitment is really a priority, they won’t struggle to share the steps they’re taking to make their business more inclusive.

Their Leadership Team Don’t Look The Same

A commitment to diverse recruitment is all well and good, but is hiring a few junior members of staff from minority backgrounds enough?

Anyone that’s really serious about creating change will commit to diversifying at all levels, including the most senior.

A quick browse on their websites to see what their senior leadership team look like should tell you how committed they are, and you can even follow up with a LinkedIn search to see who works there and in what capacity.

They’ve Got An EDI Strategy

Diverse recruitment is only half the story – what happens when the successful candidates join the organisation? If a company is really committed to anti-racism, they’ll have plans in place to make their teams feel more welcoming and are also likely to have engaged in EDI training to make sure colleagues from minority backgrounds always feel supported. Look for information on their website about forums and events and check out their social media channels to see if they’ve launched any campaigns or initiatives.

If you need ideas about diverse recruitment or have any questions about anti racism, I’ve got answers. Get in touch to find out about my consulting services, workshops, anti-racism work and more.