The issue of diversity has been part of the employment landscape since the legislation came into effect in the 1970’s.
This quarter we take a look at how successful this has actually been.
With the introduction of the Gender Equality duty in April this year, it seems that the legislation has not delivered the completely diverse workforce it promised. A study undertaken by Personnel Today highlighted the fact that diverse workforces are not necessarily a priority or seen as a major issue for HR at the moment, with 60% stating they are not aware of any diversity policy within their business.
Indeed diversity seems to be an ongoing issue; the recent recruitment 2020 report commissioned by the REC highlighted this as one of the main HR issues in the future; with changing social values and attitudes driving the workforce.
How can we ensure diversity is being addressed throughout the organisation and in a timely fashion?
To begin with it needs to become an integral part of the business, not just a statement of intent. The agenda should be driven through to line managers to ensure diversity becomes part of talent planning, management and recruitment. General consensus is that businesses should reflect the communities they operate within; and with predictions that by 2010 just 20% of the labour market will be white, non-disabled men under 45, it appears that diversity and polices relating to this need to be addressed relatively quickly.
A diverse workforce can bring many benefits to a company; not least alleviate the problems associated with the skill shortage within the industry at present. In addition new ideas and ways of working can all bring a new lease of life to business and help drive it forward. By not complying with new standards, best practise and reputation can come under scrutiny within industry also.
So as we reach six months into the new duty, it seems the importance and awareness of diversity in all areas including race, sex, age and disability discrimination is still building. The savvy organisations are those assessing their policies and adapting them as necessary to build a workforce fit for the future.
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