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Bloomsbury’s first ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan (DEI) shows the publisher is ahead of its recruitment targets but stresses it has more work to do especially in the areas of accessibility and socio-economic diversity.
In May 2021, Bloomsbury’s DEI Action Plan set ambitious targets for recruitment by 2024. Black and minority ethnic groups were to represent 20% of new recruits. In the US, the target figure was 35%.
The DEI report shows the company is ahead of its targets a year earlier than planned in both locations, with 22% of offers made to Black and minority ethnic candidates in the UK in 2022. In the US 60% of offers were made to Black and minority ethnic candidates between October 2021 and March 2022.
In the UK, 13.4% of Bloomsbury employees and 19.8% of US employees are from ethnic minority groups. In the UK, this is up from 10% in 2020 and 11% in 2019. In the US, this is down from 22.7% in 2020 and 22% in 2019.
At Head of Zeus, which Bloomsbury acquired in 2021, 8% of employees are from Black and minority ethnic groups. In total 15% of Bloomsbury UK, 25% of Bloomsbury US and 14% of Head of Zeus identify as LGBTQ+.
Staff Networks in the UK and Employee Resource Groups in the US continue to grow, the organisation said, with two new networks established in the UK: Accessibility and Multi-Faith. These were designed to ensure staff representation at all levels.
The report acknowledges the need to take further steps, particularly in the areas of accessibility for those from broader socio-economic backgrounds and in recruitment to more senior roles. According to the report, 18% of Bloomsbury UK employees are from working class backgrounds, compared to 68% from professional backgrounds and 13% from intermediate backgrounds. In total, 16% of Bloomsbury UK employees are disabled or have a long-term health condition.
The report concludes: “More needs to be done on accessibility for our employees, authors and creators, and customers. Energy needs to be channelled into our recruitment processes to ensure we are filling vacancies with diverse candidates, particularly at senior levels. Finally, we need to keep up the momentum and actively encourage responsibility from all employees, divisions and business functions to take action and keep pushing ahead. Diversity, equity and inclusion is not just a trend, it is a life’s work that we all need to commit to.”
Nigel Newton, chief executive, said: “Bloomsbury’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is global in its reach and is being woven through every aspect of our company. We recognise that we and the wider publishing industry have a long way to go to bring diverse voices that represent our multicultural society. We have taken important steps forward on an ongoing journey to bring this vision to fruition.”
Annie Muyang, diversity and inclusion manager at Bloomsbury, added: “Diversity, equity and inclusion is a growing part of Bloomsbury’s culture. Since launching our first global diversity, equity and inclusion plan, a lot has happened and we have achieved more than we could have anticipated.
“Our thriving staff networks have had a tangible impact on company policy, run by colleagues who go above and beyond to cultivate spaces of shared experience and education. Our publishing is becoming more representative of the society we live in and we are engaging in outreach to encourage a broader and representative range of people to work in our industry. We have a clear plan for the future and aim to build on this encouraging start.”
The report also outlines work to promote gender equality and support working parents. The company revised its parental leave policies, including enhanced shared parental leave for all, and increased its discretionary maternity leave, paternity leave and adoption leave pay. The dedicated Parents, Guardians and Carers (PGC) Network consulted on the company’s flexible working policies, seeing core hours amended to 10am-3pm and making "Flexible Fridays" a permanent benefit.
Bloomsbury is also now an official partner of Penguin Random House and the Runnymede Trust’s Lit in Colour project. Under its Methuen Drama imprint, the company will focus on its drama and play portfolio to work with schools to introduce new plays that will create more representative and inclusive drama experiences within the English curriculum.