CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE PINO MIGLIORINO MANAGING DIRECTOR CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE SHOULD WE EVEN CARE? Cultural Perspectives |2 Important to how we maximise the value of our human resources Important for how we need to interact with local residents Important for what we want to achieve

SKILLS FOR EXCELLENCE Cultural Perspectives |3  Equal Employment Opportunity Practices  EEO can sometime conversely disadvantage those without recruitment system experience; and those recently arrived  Wrong assumption that all skilled migrants fully understand the workings of the Australian job recruitment system  Non-recognition of overseas qualifications  Personal bias in the recruitment process

PERSONAL BIAS Cultural Perspectives |4  Australian National University study:  Chinese named applicants need to submit 68% more applications for a call back  Middle Eastern 64%  Indigenous 35% more and  Italian 12% more except for Melbourne where they required 7% less  The potential loss is skills, international experience and innovation.

Cultural Perspectives |5 PERSONAL BIAS …when managed workplace diversity delivers enhanced creativity, flexibility and problem solving skills.

CAPACITY FOR RESPONSIVNESS Cultural Perspectives |6  Workplace diversity from equity consideration service capacity and client responsiveness consideration.  Structures in which the profile of staff reflects that of clients.  HR perspective- considering the inclusion of language/cultural sensitivity as either essential or desirable criteria  Ongoing resistance to linguistic or cultural identification in recruitment

CROSS CULTURAL COMPETENCY Cultural Perspectives |7  Morphed from cross cultural sensitivity cultural competency  HR - considering the inclusion of language/cultural sensitivity as either essential or desirable criteria  To realise this- resources and commitments must be allocated to:  Enhanced staff training  Cross cultural communication resource development  Budget allocations  An organisational recognition of these skills and applicability in the workplace

FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY Cultural Perspectives |8

FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY Cultural Perspectives |9  Council leadership must take initiative  Newcastle City Council  Where this works best:  Valuing diversity and multicultural responsiveness embedded in policy & programs  Managing diversity responsibilities embedded in position descriptions and performance indicators  Organisational performance measures for diversity established and reported against

FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY Cultural Perspectives |10  Acknowledged as delivering enhanced creativity, flexibility and problem solving skills  Enhancing the effectiveness of working with CALD clients and colleagues  Risk mitigation value in developing good workplace diversity management skills and addressing workplace race based discrimination and harassment.

FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY Cultural Perspectives |11  Councils need to develop an overall approach that will support and promote the value of workplace diversity.  Assessment of Councils’ structural and individual cultural competence and a programmed response to cover:  Vision  Leadership  Planning  Organisational diversity management  Organisational capacity and resources  Community engagement  Program enhancements for accessibility  Evaluation, review and re-planning

CULTURAL DIEVRSITY IN THE WORKPLACE