UK firms need to increase the number of inclusive leaders in the workplace, claims a new report from gender equality campaign Opportunity Now.

In a survey of 600 employees, 84% said that an inclusive leader had made them feel more motivated, while 81% reported that an inclusive leader improved their performance and productivity. The same percentage said that a leader with an inclusive style motivated them to go the extra mile beyond their day-to-day role.

Meanwhile, 72% of female respondents reported that inclusive leaders helped create career-promoting opportunities for them and were effective for overcoming barriers preventing women from reaching higher positions within the company.

Helen Wells, director of Opportunity Now, says: “The call to action in this research is clear. We know that inclusive leaders are a powerful but rare commodity. This research sets out a five-step framework of practical, pragmatic recommendations that companies can make use of to assess their inclusive leadership gap and increase the number of inclusive leaders in their company.”