All In reveals next three actions addressing Gender, Asian Talent and Ageism

Actions build upon data from All In Census to develop a more inclusive advertising workforce

January 27, 2022, London: Improving the experience and representation of Women, Asian talent and Older talent are the next three actions for the All In Action Plan, the UK advertising industry’s initiative to build a workplace where everyone belongs. These new actions, announced today at RENEW 2022, have been developed by the Advertising Association’s Inclusion Working Group in partnership with industry groups – WACL, MEFA (Media for All), and 40 Over Forty. The three new actions join All In actions covering Black talent, Disabled talent and Working Class talent.

The new areas for action:

Action 4: Improve the experience and representation of women. Companies are asked to implement the Flexible First checklist. All In Census Data found that ten times more women than men believed parental leave negatively impacted their career progression (53% of women versus 5% of men). Women were six times more likely to be personally discriminated against because of their gender.

Action 5: Improve the experience and representation of Asian talent. Companies are asked to use the guide on the Advertising Association’s website developed by the All In Asian Working Group. 27% of Asian respondents reported they are likely to leave the industry due to a lack of inclusion and/or discrimination experienced.

Action 6: Improve the experience and representation of Older talent. Companies are asked to implement All In’s Shared Experiences policy. Only 4% of respondents were aged 55-64 compared to 17% of the UK working population. 43% of that bracket reported they feel age limits their career.

Companies that evidence completion of the actions from the Action Plan will be awarded ‘All In Champion’ status in summer 2022. To help companies prepare, All In is running a series of free-to-attend sessions providing guidance on how to complete each action. More details on the sessions can be found here.

The third phase of the Action Plan will be revealed in the spring to mark the first anniversary of the All In Census, with the final three actions covering LGBTQ+, Mental Health and Physical Disability.

A summary of the All In Census findings, the All In Report and details of the Action Plan to date can be found on the All In Hub, as well as a directory of resources to help employers build an inclusive workplace, which now includes over 100 initiatives for companies to easily access. Sessions on how to implement the first three actions are available to watch on YouTube.

Kathryn Jacob OBE, Chair of the Inclusion Working Group and member of the Ageism and Gender groups; CEO of Pearl & Dean, said: “We are excited to be building momentum to the launch of the All In Champion status in June. With women being six times more likely to be personally discriminated against because of their gender than men, we desperately need to shift the dial to create workplaces that are fully inclusive. The new actions are designed with a clear path for companies to implement and make real change possible.”

Kate Waters, President for WACL; Director of Client Strategy and Planning, Commercial and Online, ITV plc, said: “Accelerating gender equality for all in our industries is WACL’s mission, so I am delighted that our Flexible First Checklist has been chosen as the All in Census action on gender. Our self-assessment tool distils what we’ve learned from the many leaders pioneering flexible working inside their own organisations, some for a decade or more. #FlexibleFirst organisations have proven the business case, shown how flexible working directly improves their gender pay gap, whilst having significant benefits for everyone in the workforce, regardless of their gender.” 

Naren Patel, Founder, Media For All, Chair of the Asian Talent Working Group, said: “Leaders need to take responsibility for ensuring that their staff do not face discrimination in the work place and that they feel a sense of belonging. Businesses need to start by understanding how ethnic minority talent feel about their lived experience in organisations by using the All In Census data, internal survey or focus groups. We have provided some simple tips to help improve the experience and representation of Asian talent within your business.  The list is not exhaustive but will hopefully provide the spark that creates change for good.”

Anna Dalziel, Founder of 40 Over Forty and SVP, Director of Marketing Communications, Global, Momentum Worldwide, said: “Addressing ageism at both ends of the spectrum is vital to making our industry be, and feel, more inclusive. Shared Experiences is a simple, first step for agencies to adopt to make everyone feel included, seen and valued. We don’t want talented people leaving, especially because of visible or invisible ageism. We want people to stay and grow as we have a lot to learn from each other. I hope everyone takes action and starts to implement this policy.”