Role of Training in Building a Diverse Workforce

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Role of Training in Building a Diverse Workforce

Mary Connaughton 26th February 2004
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Managing Diversity

• Managing Diversity is about the managerial skills
  and policies that optimise each employees
  contribution to achieving the organisations
  goals
• Strategically driven, owned by the top
• Behavioural
• Pragmatic, not remedial
• Recognises differences, values their integration
  to create learning

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Changing Irish Workforce

• Work Permits issued
• 1999 6,250
• 2000 18,006
• 2001 36,436
• 2002 40,321
• 2003 45,274
• 146 ethnic groups live, work in Ireland
• Highest rate of permits in Services sector

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Managing Diversity - Why

• Key component of growth, competitiveness
• Increased employee satisfaction (85)
• Attracting / retaining staff (74)
• Increased employee productivity (58)
• Improves reputation of the organisation (56)
• Reduced labour turnover (55)
• Decreasing absenteeism / sick leave (50)
  National Framework Committee for Work Life
  Balance
• Protection under the Employment Equality Act, 1998

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Employment Equality Act, 1998

• Prohibits discrimination on 9 grounds
• Gender - male, female, transgender
• Marital status - single, married, separated
• Family status - parent, in loco parentis
• Sexual orientation
• Religious belief - or lack thereof
• Age - between 18 and 65
• Disability - broadly defined
• Race - race, colour, nationality
• Membership of the Traveller community

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What gets in the way? - Bias

• An inflexible positive or negative
  prejudgement...
• about the nature, character and abilities of an
  individual,...
• based on a generalised idea about the group the
  person belongs to.
• Thiederman, 2003

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Price of Bias

• Litigation fines, legal fees, damage to
  reputation
• Lost employees loss of expertise, cost of
  replacing employees
• Diminished sales and lost customers not meeting
  needs of diverse customers
• Wasted time dealing with conflict

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Why do we hold onto Biases?

• Relieve us from feeling guilty excuse for our
  behaviour
• Protect us from diminished status
• Protect us from loss
• Protect us from emotional pain
• Protect our community
• and individual values
• Fear

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The Guerrila Approach

• Im just being nice
• I dont provide feedback that might upset you (a
  female)
• I dont ask questions to understand your views
  because your English is not great
• I accept your low standards (being late) because
  youre a ...

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Is Training the answer?

• Dealing with deeply attitudes and beliefs
• Demonstrated in how we behave
• Not simple straightforward classroom solutions
• Organisation response

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Organisation Response

• Clear mission and objectives
• Egalitarian, non-bureaucratic structures
• Leaders value variety of opinion and insight
• Employees feel valued, given the opportunity to
  develop
• Climate expects high standards of performance
  from all

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Organisation Response

• Human Resources policies and practices
• Inclusive culture, role modelled by managers
• Maximum involvement and development of potential
  of all staff
• Legal requirements only a baseline
• Innovative responses to tap into latent creativity

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Organisation Response

• Diversity Multiculturalism
• Avoiding us and them
• Translation of different materials
• Information on Living and Working in Ireland
• Map of the World
• English Language Classes
• Celebrating National Days
• Workshop on nationalities

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Organisation Response

• Flexible working practices
• Employee Surveys barriers to be overcome
• Support available for disabled
• Barriers to promotion
• Crèche facilities
• Investigation training to objectively deal with
  bullying harassment allegations

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Role of the Trainer

• Knowledge skills of managers and employees
• Diminish attitudes that generate inappropriate
  behaviour
• Not restricted to dignity, equality, diversity
  training
• Question the impact of the behaviour
• Role Model

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Role of the Trainer

• Open eyes, challenge thinking, attitudes
• Mirror
• Be language aware
• avoid put-downs
• use of minority can imply oppressed
• Encourage inclusiveness

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Steps to Tackle Personal Bias

• 1. Become aware of the biases
• 2. Identify the benefits of the biases
• 3. Prioritise the bias to eliminate
• 4. Dissect, evaluate its accuracy
• 5. Identify common kinship groups
• 6. Shove the bias aside
• 7. Be alert to bias revival

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Why people dont complain

• Embarrassment
• Concern it wont be taken seriously
• Fear of reprisals or disbelief
• Sign of weakness
• Lack of proof
• Fear of victimisation

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National Challenge

• Build organisation capability to manage diversity
  and eliminate bias
• Accreditation of HRD profession to build
  awareness, education, attitude change and skills
  across the labour market
• to eliminate discriminatory practices
• to manage diversity and build inclusivity

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Equal Response

• TRED Project
• Foundation Diploma for equality trainers /
  facilitators / managers to build skills and
  knowledge to support enterprises to implement
  inclusive working practices
• Broad availability and access, including the
  community and voluntary sector
• Highlight good practice in workplace equality
• Develop tools and deliver appropriate training
  responses to address equality in the workplace

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