Equality, diversity and inclusion in market research

FieldworkHub is a company which is female led and from the very start a high proportion of our team members have come from minority ethnic backgrounds. As such, inclusivity has always been part of our company DNA and we strive to ensure that the research we conduct gathers perspectives from diverse groups, including ethnic minorities, people with physical or cognitive impairments, people from varied socioeconomic backgrounds and people who identify as LGBTQIA+.

When we speak to our clients about research design, we discuss which groups should be included, and we are pleased to see that clients are increasingly coming to FieldworkHub with requests that explicitly ask for diversity and inclusivity amongst participants.

We also try to ensure that the language used in our screener questionnaires is inclusive (an obvious example being the way that we ask about gender).

Lastly, the recent growth in online research as an alternative to face-to-face research has helped FieldworkHub and other research agencies to include people who live in remote areas or have conditions that might make it challenging for them to join in-person research sessions. Tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and bespoke online communities also incorporate features such as closed captioning, screen readers, high contrast modes, and adjustable fonts to help make them accessible to people with disabilities.

The Market Research Society (MRS) has been instrumental in steering the industry towards a more inclusive future and today we are pleased to announce our alignment with their goals by joining the growing ranks of companies who have signed the updated MRS Inclusion Pledge to improve representation in research. This commits FieldworkHub to:

1. Gather, and where appropriate, publish pay statistics annually and where it is found, dismantle pay discrimination based on gender and ethnicity.
2. Work towards ensuring all our staff is representative of the full diversity of our business locations and improve representation in recruitment by ending unpaid internships, actively considering apprenticeships and by supporting school, university and other outreach programmes.
3. Work towards the achievement of appropriate government targets for the representation of women and minority ethnic groups at senior management and board level.
4. Design and conduct our research projects to allow representation for all, ensuring:
   • Active consideration of inclusive research designs and methodologies
   • Transparent communication of the sampling practice within our projects especially when claims of national representation are to be made.
5. Create safe and welcoming places and practices for work for all, committing to:
   • Create accessible, inclusive environments in our places of work, in our systems and in our communications for all staff and visitors, ensuring consideration is given to visible and invisible disability.
   • Develop a proactive culture that supports whistleblowing and publish clear policies to support this.
   • Train staff to recognise those who need help for stress or mental health and wellbeing and create appropriate support systems.

If you have any questions about diversity and inclusivity in research, either as a participant or client, please feel free to get in touch. Together we can build a more inclusive future for market research.