Race Equality Charter staff surveys for higher education

A quick insight: Race Equality Charter work depends on more than evidence gathering. REC-aligned staff surveys help higher education institutions understand lived experience, identify barriers and build credible action plans. The strongest approaches connect employee voice with visible follow-up, so staff can see how feedback is shaping meaningful improvement.

The Race Equality Charter asks higher education institutions to look honestly at racial inequality and take action to improve the representation, progression and experiences of racially minoritised staff and students.

For HR, EDI and people teams, this work can be complex. You need strong evidence. You need honest feedback. You need staff to trust the process. And you need a clear route from insight to action.

That is where higher education staff surveys can make a real difference.

At People Insight, we work with 80+ higher education institutions in the UK and internationally. This gives us a unique view of employee experience across the sector, including the leadership, culture, communication and trust challenges that shape race equality work.

Our Race Equality Charter-aligned employee listening helps institutions understand what staff are experiencing, where barriers may exist and what needs to change.

Related: New data reveals why people love working in higher education  

What is the Race Equality Charter?

The Race Equality Charter, often shortened to REC, is an Advance HE framework that supports higher education institutions to identify and address racial inequalities affecting staff and students.

It focuses on improving the representation, progression, success and lived experience of racially minoritised ethnic groups in higher education. Institutions use the framework to gather evidence, reflect on their current position, identify barriers and create focused action plans.

The Race Equality Charter is not just an award process. Used well, it is a structure for long-term institutional change.

Why employee voice matters in Race Equality Charter work

Race equality work cannot rely on policies, statements and strategy documents alone. Those things show what an institution intends to do. Employee voice shows what people are actually experiencing. That distinction is important.

An institution may have inclusive policies and strong commitments, while racially minoritised staff may still experience barriers in everyday culture, career progression, recognition, psychological safety or confidence in reporting concerns.

REC-aligned employee surveys help institutions bridge that gap. They provide a structured way to understand lived experience, compare experiences across staff groups and identify where action is most needed.

This gives institutions stronger evidence for self-assessment and a clearer foundation for meaningful action.

What HE benchmark data tells us about trust and action

Our latest higher education benchmark data shows why employee listening needs to be followed by visible action.

In our 2025 HE benchmark, 61% of employees agreed that all people are treated fairly and equally. That leaves a significant proportion of staff who are not fully positive about fairness and equality in their institution.

The trust challenge is even clearer when we look at action. Just 41% of HE employees agreed that action would be taken as a result of their survey. Among academic staff, this was lower at 32%.

For Race Equality Charter work, this is especially important. Staff may be asked to share sensitive, personal or difficult experiences. If people do not believe anything will change, they may choose not to take part, or they may hold back from giving honest feedback.

That is why REC-aligned staff surveys need to be confidential, well communicated and connected to clear next steps.

How REC-aligned staff surveys support stronger evidence

A strong Race Equality Charter submission needs credible evidence. Staff surveys can support this by combining quantitative data with qualitative insight.

Survey scores show patterns. Open-text comments help explain those patterns. Demographic analysis shows where experiences differ. Benchmarking helps institutions understand how their results compare with the wider HE sector.

This is particularly useful for intersectional analysis. Race equality work needs to understand how experience varies across ethnicity, gender, disability, role, seniority, faculty, contract type and career stage.

The University of the Arts London staff survey is a useful example. UAL used survey insight to explore areas including EDI, career development, learning and development, line management, workload, technicians, parents and carers and disability. This kind of deep-dive analysis helps institutions move beyond headline scores and understand where targeted action is needed.

From evidence gathering to meaningful action

One of the biggest risks in Race Equality Charter work is that evidence gathering becomes the end point. It should not be.

The real value comes from using evidence to create a focused action plan. A strong REC action plan should be specific, prioritised, owned and measurable. It should also be communicated clearly, so staff understand what will change, what is still being explored and where progress may take longer.

This is where People Insight’s approach to action planning can help. We support institutions to move from feedback to priorities, helping leaders and managers understand what the data is saying and where action should begin.

Prism, our signature AI, also helps institutions process employee feedback more quickly and consistently. Prism can summarise open-text comments, identify themes and support action planning, while our expert consultants help interpret findings in the context of higher education.

That combination matters because Race Equality Charter work is not just about knowing what staff said. It is about understanding what it means and deciding what to do next.

What HEIs can learn from employee listening case studies

Race Equality Charter work has its own specific requirements, but the conditions for success are familiar: trust, leadership, communication, local ownership and visible action.

The common thread is simple: employee listening works best when it leads somewhere. For Race Equality Charter work, that is essential. Staff need to see that sharing their experiences contributes to meaningful improvement.

How People Insight supports Race Equality Charter work

People Insight helps higher education institutions design and deliver staff surveys that support Race Equality Charter work and wider employee experience strategy.

Our support includes:

Our approach is built around Sharper listening. Smarter action. For Race Equality Charter work, that means helping institutions listen carefully, understand lived experience and turn evidence into practical, accountable change.

Build stronger Race Equality Charter evidence with employee voice

The Race Equality Charter gives higher education institutions a clear framework for examining racial inequality and taking action. But the quality of that work depends on the quality of the evidence behind it.

REC-aligned staff surveys help institutions understand lived experience, identify barriers and develop action plans that are specific, credible and measurable.

At People Insight, we combine higher education expertise, sector benchmark data, REC-aligned survey design, Prism-powered insight and expert consultancy to help institutions listen more sharply and act more intelligently.

If your institution is preparing for the Race Equality Charter, renewing its submission or looking to strengthen its race equality action plan, get in touch with People Insight to discuss how our higher education staff surveys can support your next step.