6 What organisations are doing to increase diversity?
What is clear is that today’s society is different in many respects from that inhabited by previous generations. While the increased diversity is recognised and protected by legislation in the UK, this diversity is not always represented in the workplace and this is something that employers are trying to address.
Listen to Kate Croucher at FDM talk about the importance of recruiting a diverse workforce.
Transcript
Activity 5 Real organisations
Think about some of the organisations you have worked for in the past or work for currently. Are you aware of any initiatives or policies they have to increase diversity of the workforce? If you are not aware of any, then take a moment to review the website of the organisation and see if there is any information about inclusion and diversity which you were perhaps not aware of.
In this activity you are going to undertake some research into four organisations of your choice. If there are organisations you are considering working with in the future, you may want to start with one of them.
For each organisation try to find out whether they have a policy about diversity and if so, what they are doing to increase diversity in their workplaces. Record your findings in the table below. Tesco has been used as an example in the first row.
| Organisation | Initiative to increase or support diversity |
|---|---|
| Tesco | UK Colleague Engagement Networks including Out at Tesco, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Network, Women, disability and the Armed Forces |
Discussion
Some of the things organisations can do to foster diversity in their workplaces include:
- audit the diversity they already have and identify patterns of under-representation
- provide diversity training at all levels of the organisation
- provide conflict negotiation skills for teams which are experiencing conflict due to value diversity
- establish task forces or networking support groups for different groups
- set standards for recruitment based on merit and not quotas.
You may have come up with other examples as part of your research. When considering working for a new organisation it is worth having a look at their diversity statement to see what they are doing to increase diversity within their teams. This kind of knowledge can give you an edge in the application and interview process.