Artful ad highlights name bias in hiring in a spin on Shakespeare’s ‘What’s in a Name?’

Names matter. They can bear connections to ancestry and heritage and express who a person is. But names are also misused as a vehicle for prejudice and an excuse to develop preconceived notions about others and their capabilities, especially in the professional world. 

That’s why, on Ethnicity Pay Gap Day (Jan. 8), an artful campaign from People Like Us and Censuswide in the U.K. addresses the disparities in workplace treatment and pay transparency between white and ethnic minority workers, often perpetuated through discriminatory hiring practices, including through bias against names. 

Created by independent creative studio Worth Your While, #NameTheBias exposes how name bias in U.K. hiring practices impacts ethnic minorities’ earning potential before they even set foot in an interview. A black-and-white film directed by Naghmeh Pour captures British Bangladeshi lyricist Yasmin Ali as she performs a spoken word poem flipping Shakespeare’s “What’s in a Name?” on its head. Workers of different ethnic backgrounds wait at a bus stop as Ali describes the ripple effects of having the “wrong” name for employment prospects and career progression.

When the bus finally arrives, white commuters board first, closing the doors in their ethnic counterparts’ faces as a visual metaphor.

“‘What’s in a name?’ This famous Shakespearean verse has had people pondering throughout the ages. Well, it’s a good question,” said Tim Pashen, creative director and partner, Worth Your While. “So we subverted this 400-year-old British classic. Stripped out the roses and the Montagues, to highlight that what’s in a name can mean you’re not paid the same. Simply because it doesn’t sound ‘white’ or ‘British’.”

“When people are judged by their names before their abilities, it reflects deep-rooted biases we must confront. I hope this piece challenges perceptions and opens conversations about fairness, equity and opportunity,” added Ali. 

The campaign comes as People Like Us pushes for government action on ethnicity pay gap reporting. It launches alongside a survey from the organization and Censuswide, which draws on research from the University of Oxford showing that people with ethnic-minority names must submit 60% more job applications to secure a callback compared to white British applicants.

Ethnic minority workers are almost twice as likely to have a pay rise or promotion rescinded due to the current economic climate (40%, compared to 23% of white workers). Meanwhile, a high ethnicity pay gap leads 33% of ethnically diverse talent to worry about their career progression and consider looking for roles elsewhere, compared to 16% of white employees.

To bring this issue directly to the eyes of the government, the film will be screened at events at the Houses of Parliament on Jan. 8, alongside a live poetry performance by Ali.

The film will also run online, across social platforms and digital media placements with additional influencer activations across the spoken word community and People Like Us network. 

Other elements of the campaign include billboards running across London designed to look like a job application form that will highlight the impact of racial name bias in hiring and feature hand-written excerpts of the poem from Ali’s notebook. People Like Us will also feature guidance for individuals on handling salary conversations and for businesses on creating equitable workplace practices on its website.

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