1. CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Pino migliorino
Managing director
cultural perspectives

2. Cultural Diversity in the Workplace Should We Even Care?
Important for what we want to achieve
Important to how we maximise the value of our human resources
Important for how we need to interact with local residents
Cultural Perspectives |

3. Skills for Excellence 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
Cultural Perspectives |

4. Personal bias 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.
Cultural Perspectives |

6. CAPACITY FOR RESPONSIVNESS
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
Cultural Perspectives |

7. Cross cultural competency
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
Cultural Perspectives |

8. framework for workplace diversity
Cultural Perspectives |

9. framework for workplace diversity
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
Cultural Perspectives |

10. framework for workplace diversity
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.
Cultural Perspectives |

11. framework for workplace diversity
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 Perspectives |

12. CULTURAL DIEVRSITY IN THE WORKPLACE