Boosting Employee Engagement in UK Social Care

This research investigates the relationship between workplace diversity, inclusion, and employee engagement in the UK social care sector. Adopting an interpretivist qualitative methodology, the study draws on semi-structured interviews analysed through thematic analysis to explore employees’ lived experiences of diversity and inclusion. The findings indicate that inclusive leadership, fairness, and targeted diversity initiatives can enhance engagement, but that diversity alone is insufficient without supportive job structures, meaningful work, and opportunities for development. Persistent structural barriers, including unconscious bias and limited career progression, continue to constrain engagement in the sector. The study contributes to ongoing debates on diversity and inclusion by applying the Job Demands–Resources framework within a social care context.