To offer equal opportunities, prevent discrimination and support under-represented groups, it is essential to monitor our work. We can change what we measure. Data helps us measure success and enables us to identify which of our approaches work and which don’t. At ScreenSkills we monitor to inform decisions on where to direct our resources and services. It helps us create a culture of diversity and inclusivity in the screen industries.
Our approach is supported with statistics and research and built on best practice guidelines from the Government and organisations such as ACAS. This guide has been written as a free online resource that can be used to improve diversity monitoring practices and to provide organisations with up-to-date information on diversity and inclusivity statistics in the UK.
In this guide, we explain which questions we ask and most crucially why, and how we aim to increase the number of people that fill in our diversity monitoring form. It provides clear reasons why gathering diversity data is important. The template at the end of this guide may be used to help organisations draft, implement and improve their own diversity and inclusivity monitoring practice.
We encourage people to fill in our ScreenSkills diversity monitoring form for the following three reasons:
1. Questions, questions
Wherever you go, people want to know many things about you. Your age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, whether you’re a parent or have caring responsibilities. What is this information used for? At ScreenSkills, we use it to inform decisions on where to direct our resources and services. It helps us to create a culture of diversity and inclusivity. We can’t improve – or improve the screen sector we serve – without your help.
2. It’s not about you personally, it’s the big picture
We’re all told to be careful about sharing our personal information, in case it should fall into the wrong hands. It is quite sensible to protect your personal information. But when you give information to ScreenSkills, you can be sure we deal with the data responsibly, in accordance with the law.
We cannot force you to give us personal information. If you prefer not to, then please select that option when filling in your form. But it is difficult for ScreenSkills to improve diversity and inclusivity when we do not know who is out there. Your data really makes a difference to us.
3. What we want and why
What information are we looking for? We want to ensure that we have the most accurate information about your age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic background, parent/carer status and geographical location.
This data helps us understand the industry workforce better and provide support to under-represented groups. It helps us to plan for the future, invest resources wisely and deliver our services in the right way. Please help us help you and the industry.
ScreenSkills diversity and inclusivity targets for the initiatives it supports are to achieve a participation rate of:
These targets are based on UK population statistics provided by the Government on disability, ethnicity and gender.
ScreenSkills strives to be an inclusive organisation and is determined to meet the aims and commitments set in our diversity and equal opportunities policy, which is in line with the Equality Act 2010. We want the screen industry to reflect the diversity of the UK.
The Equality Act 2010 does not require any minimum length of continuous employment, or any employment at all in the case of a job applicant, for a discrimination claim to be made. It makes discrimination unlawful at all stages – from when a role is advertised and interviewed for, through to the last day of employment and beyond, including any references.
The Equality Act 2010 lists nine protected characteristics:
ScreenSkills aims to go beyond legal requirements and considers additional measures of inclusivity including:
ScreenSkills aims to offer equal opportunities, prevent discrimination and support under-represented groups in the screen industries. We continually seek advice and resources from the Government and organisations such as ACAS. We recommend the following free resources:
When asking diversity monitoring questions, we follow good practice and write an introductory clause to inform participants of ScreenSkills commitment to diversity and equal opportunity, our aim to create a diverse and inclusive industry and how we comply with data protection legislation:
"ScreenSkills strives to be an inclusive organisation and is determined to meet the aims and commitments in our diversity and equal opportunities policy, which is in line with the Equality Act 2010. The policy includes creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of the UK and encouraging diversity and inclusivity in the screen industries.
You can help us by completing this form. If you prefer not to, then please select that option when filling in your form. But it is difficult for ScreenSkills to improve diversity and inclusivity when we do not know who is out there.
All of the information we collect is processed in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and any other applicable data protection legislation in the UK. No third parties will be given access to the personal information provided unless we are required by law to do so. For more information explaining how we use your data please see the privacy policy, cookies policy and website terms and conditions."
These are the following questions we ask:
Question: What is your date of birth?
dd/mm/yyyy
[insert date box with UK date format and if applicable, set lower age limit for +18 and include link to terms and conditions]
Why we ask this question: According to a parliamentary report in January 2019, the UK youth unemployment rate is 11.7%, which means more than 500,000 people aged 16-24 are unemployed. Ofcom’s Diversity and equal opportunities in television 2018 reports that 31% of the working age population in the UK is over the age of 50, but only 16% of employees in the screen industries is aged 50-64 years old. To improve employment opportunities for under-represented age groups, the Office of National Statistics recommends requesting a date of birth then assessing accumulated data in age brackets according to standard census classification as follows (please note we have replaced ‘<16’ with ‘0-15’ and ‘65’ with ‘65+’):
Question: The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial & long term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities’. Do you consider yourself to have a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition?
If yes, what best describes your disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition? [Please tick all that apply]
NB Another example of good practice from disability charity Scope’s equal opportunities monitoring form is the following clause and question: The Equality Act defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to perform normal day-to-day activities. It also covers people who have been diagnosed with HIV, cancer or multiple sclerosis. (Definitions: ‘substantial’ means more than minor or trivial; ‘long-term’ means that the effect of the impairment has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least 12 months; ‘normal day-to-day activities’ include everyday things like eating, washing, walking and going shopping.’) Does the Equality Act’s definition of being disabled apply to you? Yes/No/Prefer not to say.
Why we ask this question: According to a parliamentary report, only 51.3% of people with disabilities of working age (16-64) were employed in 2018, compared to 81.4% of people without disabilities. In the Diversity in TV report 2018, 6% of employees self-defined as having a disability, but this is extremely low compared to the UK average figure of 18%. The Government launched the Disability Confident campaign in 2014 to encourage UK employers to recruit and retain disabled staff and regularly publishes the list of employers signed up to the scheme. To monitor and improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities, this question was devised in consultation with the Business Disability Forum and drafted from guidance given by its information and advice service.
Question: What best describes your ethnic group? [Please tick one only]
Asian/Asian British
_ Bangladeshi _ Chinese _ Indian _ Pakistani _ Prefer not to say
Any other Asian background please specify here ___________________________
Black/ African/ Caribbean/ Black British
_ African _ Caribbean _ Prefer not to say
Any other Black/African/Caribbean background, please specify here _____________________
Mixed/multiple ethnic groups
_ White and Asian _ White and Black African _ White and Black Caribbean
_ Prefer not to say
Any other mixed background, please specify here __________________________
White
_ British _ Gypsy or Irish Traveller _ English _ Irish _ Northern Irish _ Scottish _ Welsh _ Prefer not to say
Any other white background, please specify here ___________________________
Other ethnic group
_ Arab _ Prefer not to say
Any other ethnic group, please specify here _______________________
Prefer not to say ethnic background
Why we ask this question: According to a parliamentary report from March 2018 the UK unemployment rate was 6.3% for people from BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds compared to 3.6% for people from a white background. Among people aged 16-24, unemployment rates were highest for people from a black background (26%) and from a Pakistani or Bangladeshi background (23%). This compared to a rate of 11% for people aged 16-24 from a white background. According to the 2018 Diversity in TV report by Ofcom, 13% of employees in the screen industries are from minority ethnic backgrounds. This figure is extremely low given that 40% of the population in London and the South East has a minority ethnic background. At the same time, many jobs in the screen industries are located in London and the South East. In production, 65% of employees are London-based, for example. Minority ethnic employees are also under-represented across content and creative roles while at a senior management level, minority representation levels have not improved for years. In addition, Animation UK’s 2018 report suggests that 6% of the UK animation workforce are from a BAME background and that 94% are white. To monitor and improve employment opportunities for people from different ethnic backgrounds, this question was devised in consultation with ACAS and categories are established by the Office of National Statistics.
Question: What best describes your gender?
Why we ask this question: A parliamentary report from March 2018 indicated that the female employment rate was 70.8% compared to 79.7% for men. According to Ofcom’s 2018 Diversity in TV report, 46% of employees are women, but they only hold 41% of senior management positions. A Work Foundation report in 2017 found that only 20% of key production staff are women and Nesta found that women represented only 34% of off-screen roles in UK film crews in 2017. Finally, Animation UK reported in 2018 that women represent only 40% of the animation workforce. To monitor and improve employment and training opportunities for under-represented groups including women, this question was devised in consultation with ACAS and the categories are taken from the ACAS Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form.
Question: Do you identify as trans?
Why we ask this question: According to Stonewall’s LGBT in Britain: Trans Report 2017, one in eight trans employees (12%) has been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the last year, and half of trans and non-binary people (51% and 50% respectively) have hidden or disguised the fact that they are LGBT at work because they were afraid of discrimination. In order to monitor and improve the workplace experience of trans people, this question was devised in consultation with Stonewall and taken from their guidance Do Ask, Do Tell: Capturing data on sexual orientation and gender identity globally.
Question: What best describes your sexual orientation?
Why we ask this question: According to Stonewall’s LGBT in Britain: Work report 2018, almost one in five LGBT people (18%) who were looking for work said they were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity while trying to get a job in the last year. More than a third of LGBT staff (35%) have hidden or disguised that they are LGBT at work in the last year because they were afraid of discrimination. To monitor and improve workplace experience for LGBT people, this question was devised in consultation with Stonewall and taken from their guidance Do Ask, Do Tell: Capturing data on sexual orientation and gender identity globally.
Question: What best describes your religion or belief?
Why we ask this question: According to a parliamentary report from 2016, Muslims have the lowest employment rate at 47.2% of all religious groups and face the highest pay gap compared with those of no religion, earning 22.5% less. Only 16% are in managerial and professional roles, against an average of 30% of the general population. This question was devised using Office of National Statistics categories to monitor and improve employment opportunities for people from different religious backgrounds.
Question: What type of school did you mainly attend between the ages of 11 and 16?
Why we ask this question: Although socio-economic background is not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, understanding social mobility and the social and economic background of the workforce is considered key in helping to form an accurate picture of how open and accessible an industry is. The Social Mobility Commission promotes social mobility by challenging employers, the professions, universities and schools to play their part in promoting social mobility and the Government compiled a debate pack on social mobility and the economy in March 2018 to progress this agenda. According to the Diversity in TV report by Ofcom in 2018, all of the main five broadcasters have acknowledged that this is a key area with which the industry needs to continue to engage. This question was devised in consultation with the Bridge Group and taken from its guidance in the 2018 Ofcom report Diversity and Equal Opportunities in Television to begin to monitor opportunities for people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
Question: Please think about the parent or other care-giver who was the highest income earner in your house when you were around 14 years old. What kind of work did they do? If this question does not apply to you (because for example, you were in care at this time), you can indicate this below.
Why we ask this question: Although socio-economic background is not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, understanding social mobility and the social and economic background of the workforce is considered key in helping to form an accurate picture of how open and accessible an industry is. The Social Mobility Commission promotes social mobility by challenging employers, the professions, universities and schools to play their part in promoting social mobility and the Government compiled a debate pack on social mobility and the economy in March 2018 to progress this agenda. According to Ofcom’s 2018 Diversity in TV report, all of the main five broadcasters have acknowledged that this is a key area with which the industry needs to continue to engage. This question was devised in consultation with the Bridge Group and taken from its guidance in the 2018 Ofcom report Diversity and Equal Opportunities in Television to begin to monitor opportunities for people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
Question: What is your current UK postcode?
Please enter your current UK postcode ______________
Why we ask this question: Findings from the Work Foundation in 2017 suggest that 65% of the UK film production workforce is located in London and the South East. In order to improve employment opportunities across nations and regions, this question was devised to build a more accurate picture of the geographical spread of the UK screen workforce.
Question: In which area of the UK did you predominantly grow up?
Why we ask this question: Findings from the Work Foundation in 2017 suggest that 65% of the UK film production workforce is located in London and the South East. In order to improve employment opportunities across nations and regions, this question was devised to build a more accurate picture of the geographical spread of the UK screen workforce.
Question: Do you have caring responsibilities? If yes, please tick all that apply
Why we ask this question: With the introduction of Shared Parental Leave in 2015, the Government encourages flexible working. The Government and ACAS have published guidance on what employers must do when a request for flexible working is made. In order to monitor employment opportunities for people with caring responsibilities, this question was devised in consultation with ACAS and taken from the ACAS Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form.
Question: Are you returning to work following an extended period (12 months or more) of absence?
If yes, select one of the following:
Why we ask this question: According to the Women’s Business Council report, 2.4 million women are not working and want to work while a further 1.3 million want to increase their hours. Three in five professional women returning to the workforce are likely to move into lower-skilled or lower-paid roles following their career breaks (PWC 2016 Women Returners: The £1 billion career break penalty for professional women). As the Government is committed to supporting those who want to return to the labour market having taken a break to care for others (‘returners’), the Government Equalities Office published Employer research on returner programmes research report in March 2018 to build an evidence base on how to help returners. This question was devised in consultation with Carers UK to monitor, create and improve opportunities for returners.
Question: Are you married or in a civil partnership?
Why we ask this question: Marital status is one of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act. To prevent marriage and civil partnership discrimination, ACAS published guidance for employers in 2017 on how employers should handle complaints. In order to monitor employment opportunities for people who are married or in a civil partnership, this question was devised in consultation with ACAS and taken from the ACAS Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form.
Question: In the past 12 months, what has been your employment status for the majority of that time?
Why we ask this question: The Government defines different types of work according to employment status. For example, if a person is self-employed, their rights and responsibilities are set out by the terms of the contract they have with their client, protecting them from health and safety risks at work and against discrimination. The BFI Statistical Yearbook 2017 reports that 27,000 people (49%) of the UK’s film and video production workforce were self-employed in 2016. In Diversity in TV report by Ofcom in 2018, freelancers remain largely unmonitored and the regulator has called for the main broadcasters to address this as a priority. This question was devised in consultation with the ScreenSkills research team in order to monitor and improve employment opportunities for freelancers. It uses the terminology that is also used by ACAS.
After asking these questions we follow good practice and write a conclusion clause to thank participants and to ask for any feedback:
"Thank you for filling in this form. We want our screen industries to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone – if there is more we could do to improve your experience, please get in touch be emailing us at: support@screenskills.com or by direct messaging us on Facebook or Twitter."
Last updated 8 March 2019