Beyond US DEI: The Silent Apartheid in European Workplaces

Recently, there have been many heated conversations about DEI programs. With the new administration soon taking office in the US, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, and their variants, will undoubtedly continue to stir debates.

As an African, I believe DEI initiatives are a bad solution to a genuine problem. I strongly believe they should be removed, but without dismissing the real issues they aim to address. As a professional, I don’t want anyone to think that my position was given to me to meet quota requirements rather than earned through merit.

I remember working for a company in London where a meeting room was booked for three days. A paper placed next to the door read, “Leadership Meeting.” While the meeting was in progress, I glanced through a clear section of the glass door. There were about two dozen employees in attendance, and honestly, the sign might as well have said, “Whites Only.”

In the corporate world, there are multiple tiers or levels of value. The lowest is the Single Contributor level. At this tier, people are paid for their time. They are the doers, and their KPIs are measured against the number of actions they execute (calls, cases, emails, etc.). For most non-White people or individuals with non-European-sounding names, this is often the highest rung of the corporate ladder they can reach in the UK. It’s not about diplomas, certifications, years of experience, or performance. It’s about race—and for many, that’s a glass ceiling they cannot break.

Discrimination is the norm in most companies. If you’re from an ethnic minority, chances are you’re the best in your team because you’re working below your qualification level. Meanwhile, White employees with Western-sounding names, possessing the same level of experience and qualifications (your peer group), are often multiple hierarchical levels above you. They are selling their vision and making strategic decisions, while as a diverse individual, you’re stuck performing tasks far below your potential. Economically, a person from a non-White background often cannot get a return on investment (ROI) for their long studies, competence, intelligence, or dedication.

For those who prefer evidence, here are some peer-reviewed studies worth reading:

• Modelling Ethnic Bias in Resume Screening by Derous and Ryan (2018)
• Identifying Discrimination at Work by Pager and Western (2012)
• Meta-Analysis of Field Experiments Shows No Change in Racial Discrimination in Hiring Over Time by Quillian, Pager, Hexel, and Midtboen (2017)
• Ethnic Discrimination in Hiring Decisions: A Meta-Analysis of Correspondence Tests 1990–2015 by Zschirnt and Ruedin (2016)
• Labor Market Discrimination Against Migrant Workers in Italy by Allasino, Reyneri, Venturini, and Zincone (2004)
• Measuring Discrimination Facing Ethnic Minority Job Applicants: An Irish Experiment by McGinnity and Lunn (2011)
• Ethnic Discrimination in Germany's Labour Market: A Field Experiment by Kaas and Manger (2011)

Ethnic discrimination in the workplace is a scientific fact demonstrated by peer reviewed studies.

Most studies focus on hiring because it’s easier to measure. Researchers send thousands of resumes to job postings, with pairs of resumes being identical in qualifications and experience but differing in the candidate’s name or background. The results consistently show that candidates with non-Western backgrounds are far less likely to be called for an interview.

However, it’s much harder to measure what happens once a candidate is hired. Analyzing corporate organograms reveals that diversity pledges rarely go beyond the entry-level doers. In most companies, there seems to be an unwritten rule that leadership and managerial roles are reserved for White employees. This is demonstrated by the statistical anomaly found in leadership meeting rooms, where diversity is usually absent.

In my career consultations, I’ve come to advise non-White clients against applying for managerial positions within their companies. They are often invited to rounds of interviews, only to serve as tokens validating a process where a White employee has already been preselected. Without fail, 100% of those who ignored this advice later confirmed that the position was ultimately awarded to a White colleague.

DEI programs in Europe are largely nonexistent, and most companies are comfortable maintaining what can only be described as an Apartheid-like corporate system. Beyond public declarations of intent, real change is unlikely because these discriminatory practices are deeply entrenched.

DEI initiatives fail to address structural inequalities. Instead, organizations should invest in transparent promotion criteria, unbiased performance evaluations, and mentorship opportunities that genuinely elevate underrepresented talent.