UK employers still “talking inclusion” more than practising it, new report warns 

A major new study by workplace inclusion consultancy, Onvero, has found that while most UK employers now have a diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) strategy, few are successfully embedding it into their workplace culture. The report, The State of Inclusion in the UK: From Ambition to Action, combines responses from more than 2,000 employees and 300 HR and business leaders, alongside data from Onvero’s 2025 Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) benchmark. It reveals a striking gap between how leaders and employees view inclusion at work. 

According to the research, nine in 10 workplaces report having a DEI strategy, yet just 15 per cent of employees say it feels part of everyday culture. Another 15 per cent said they were unaware of any policies at all. 

“This disconnect suggests many organisations are still operating in a performative mode — saying the right things, but failing to make inclusion visible in daily practice,” the report concludes. 

Onvero’s data shows that 84 per cent of leaders say their organisation has a DEI strategy, but only a quarter describe it as fully embedded and supported at every level. In contrast, almost a third of organisations admit they have achieved less than half of their inclusion objectives so far. 

The study identifies a consistent “perception gap”: 

• 83 per cent of leaders believe employees are treated fairly, compared with 63 per cent of employees. 

• 82 per cent of leaders say senior teams actively champion inclusion, versus 60 per cent of employees. 

• 83 per cent of leaders report regular team-building opportunities; only 57 per cent of employees agree. 

These differences, Onvero says, show how inclusion can appear complete “on paper”, yet fall short in employees’ lived experience.  

The business case for championing inclusion is clear. In organisations where DEI is genuinely embedded, employees stay almost four years longer than in those where it is not and 68 per cent rate productivity as excellent. Turnover rates drop by nearly half and employees report higher wellbeing and engagement. 

Sandi Wassmer, CEO of Onvero, said inclusion was:

“no longer just a moral or legal imperative – it is simply good for business.” 

The firm’s benchmarking shows the public sector continues to lead on inclusion, with an average score of 72 per cent, compared with 62 per cent in the private sector and 63 per cent in the third sector. 

Financial services, healthcare and professional services sectors scored highest overall, while technology and education lagged behind at 55 and 52 per cent respectively. 

Almost half of employees (45 per cent) believe their organisation’s DEI efforts focus too heavily on external image rather than internal change, a perception echoed across industries from transport to financial services. More than half (51 per cent) also said their organisation was “too focused on box-ticking and meeting regulations”, instead of building a genuinely inclusive culture. 

Onvero’s analysis concludes that UK workplaces are at a turning point. The majority now have the frameworks and data they need, but the next step is to shift from compliance to culture change. 

Its recommendations include: 

• Making DEI a shared accountability, not an HR function. 
• Investing in psychological safety, wellbeing and belonging as core business priorities. 
• Using robust diversity data to measure progress and close representation gaps. 
• Ensuring leadership values are co-created with employees, not imposed from the top. 

“Inclusion is not an initiative; it’s a way of working,” the report concludes. “UK organisations that embed it into everyday culture will build fairer, more innovative and more successful workplaces.”