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Getting the Right Mix

28-06-2004

The Guardian - Nic Paton

It seems hardly any time at all since the mention of the word "diversity" in most offices would have been met with a snort of derision and complaints about positive discrimination and political correctness.

Nowadays, it's a different story, with organisations from BP (British Petroleum) to the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) spending millions on programmes designed to create a more varied workforce in terms of race, sex, age and disability.

The idea of actively promoting diversity in the workplace caught on in United States in the late 1980s, largely as a defence against race and sex discrimination cases.

It took off as a concept in the UK (United Kingdom) in the past two to three years, but enthusiasm for the idea was tempered by the perception, in many quarters, that diversity programmes were often little more than race-obsessed, quota-filling exercises.

"It used to be greeted with great groans, but people are actually beginning to see the benefits. In the past 18 months it has really come up the agenda," admits Neela Bettridge, director of consultancy Article 13.

Legislation to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and religion being introduced in December and, by 2006, against age discrimination, are also focusing employers' minds.

There is a growing realisation, however, that diversity is less about race or legal requirements, and more about businesses trying to reflect their communities and the customers they are trying to sell to, explains Ms Bettridge.

So, if a firm is in area where there is a large Asian, older, female, disabled, even white, population, it makes simple business sense to reflect that. "You need to put a marker in the sand. What you mustn't do, is try and make one-size-fit-all. You can box yourself in if you don't tailor your approach," she says.

As a 32-year-old white executive, Jenny Ashmore might seem like an unlikely diversity champion. But the brand manager for Pampers, part of Procter and Gamble - a pioneer of diversity in this country - is passionate about the need for a more eclectic workforce.

"For us, it is very much part of day-to-day life... there has been 'no road to Damascus' conversion. It's about the quality of ideas the team can come up with, and it just makes it more fun," she says. With a core team of just 13 staff, Ms Ashmore is proud of the fact that she has a fifty-fifty mix of male and female workers and five nationalities represented. "It's not positive discrimination, it's much more about having a level playing field," she says.

In the past seven months Pampers has increased its market share from 48 per cent to 55 per cent, an improvement she puts down largely to the diversity of her team.

In 1996 car giant Ford hit the headlines for running advertisements featuring photographs of workers in which all the black faces had been airbrushed out. A year later it paid out more than 70,000 British pounds after claims of discrimination by eight Asian workers. In 1999 it admitted liability in the case of Sukhjit Parmar, an Indian worker who had suffered years of racial abuse.

Yet last year, the company came fourth in a diversity survey by business network Race for Opportunity.

What changed was that in October 2000, Ford launched a diversity review across its UK operation, setting up a national diversity council, local committees and specialist diversity teams.

A system to monitor progress was put in place, as was extensive diversity and awareness training and a dignity at work policy.

Ford Europe diversity director, Surinder Sharma, stresses the drive has been as much about business strategy - widening the firm's customer base and improving its cars - as about doing something worthwhile for its employees. "It's not just the legislation and the fact that morally it is the right thing to do, but the fact it adds clear value in terms of innovation sales and marketing," he says.

From 6 per cent of applications in 2001 coming from black and Asian workers, it's now 32 per cent and this year 20 per cent of graduate recruits were black or Asian. Ford's percentage of women engineers is also far higher than the 9 per cent national average. "This is the only way we are going to stay competitive in the long term," he adds.

Ironically, the public sector, which for many years was at the vanguard of the push towards greater diversity, has been on the back foot on this issue recently.

A poll by law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse in April found that, of 100 public sector bodies polled, the vast majority were not meeting the minimum requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act, which requires public organisations actively to promote race equality in the workplace.

The Metropolitan Police, which has been in the spotlight ever since the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, and has been investing millions in diversity training, was criticised in May for its "refer a friend" recruitment scheme that offered a bonus to officers who recommended someone from an ethnic minority to the force.

The scheme, quickly put on hold, was accused of giving the impression that black people could be traded. The difficulty when it comes to diversity programmes is gauging who's benefiting.

The idea that all ethnic minorities are disadvantaged to the same extent in the workplace, no longer holds true. A Cabinet Office study earlier this year, for instance, suggested workers of Indian and Chinese origin were generally doing better than those of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black Caribbean origin. Those leading the way on diversity also tend to be the bigger employers who can afford the big budgets that effective programmes can cost.

For small and medium sized firms it is much harder, admits Seamus Taylor, director of strategy and delivery at the Commission for Racial Equality. "They have the same motivation of other businesses because they want to be on the right side of the law, and increasingly, too, see a business case for diversity.

"It is about getting some basic building blocks in place so that they can do the right thing," he says.

The Commission for Racial Equality will later this year bring out a practical guide for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, designed to help them put programmes into practice. While much progress has been made, Mr Taylor is adamant there is still a distance to go.

Even among racial groups, doing well in the workplace there is often an "ethnic penalty" holding people back, however good their skills or qualifications.

Only when diversity becomes so mainstream it isn't even an issue - in effect when diversity directors do themselves out of a job - will the day have been won, he stresses. "Diversity will need to move beyond the margins. It is often still a yelp from the sidelines of the organisation."

Case Study

That vital chance to 'prove yourself'

Kenwar Lehl joined electrical retailer Dixons five months ago, working as a cashier at the chain's duty free store at Heathrow.

Kenwar, 26, who arrived in the UK from India two years ago has cerebral palsy, which makes it hard for him to sit down for extended periods.

"When I sit for a long time, I feel really dead tired, it is a real struggle for me," he explains.

The chain, which employs nearly 30,000 people in the UK, has made disability a focus of its diversity policy, although the policy covers all the normal diversity issues, too.

Staff this year, for instance, adopted four disability charities and the chain has applied for the government's "two ticks" positive about disability symbol. Store managers are given CD-Roms offering advice on how to deal with people who have disabilities and making shops more accessible has been a key issue.

In Kenwar's case, in consultation with his occupational therapist, store manager Chris De Carteret is bringing in a chair specifically designed to put less pressure on his legs.

"It is good because they will help me when I want it," says Kenwar.

"They gave me a chance to prove myself. Everyone on the staff has been really good to me, I have never had a problem."

Shoppers have also not proved to be a problem so far, although Kenwar admits they do not generally get to see his legs.

And Dixons stresses he is a valued member of staff. "He's completely reliable and he never stops smiling," says Human Resources manager Justine Cox.

· Next week: Who really benefits?

Source: Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,986318,00.html