1. Equality & Diversity: The Business Case in a Changing World

2. Outline of the workshop What do we mean by Equality and Diversity? What problems do businesses face in 2009 ? Why does diversity in the workplace matter ? What are the risks to businesses ? What opportunities do we face ? What have others done ? What help is at hand ? What next for you ?

3. “Equality” and “Diversity” What do we mean by ‘equality’ and ‘diversity’ ? Are they the same thing ?

4. “Equality” and “Diversity” are about.. Recognising differences between people Acknowledging past imbalance Taking steps to redress imbalance Maintaining competition (where appropriate) Ensure equal access to jobs, promotion, benefits, services and being aware of our attitudes and their practical impact

5. Equal ? Diverse ? 

6. Diverse ? Equal ?

7. Equality vs Diversity ‘Equality’ = Equal Opportunities approach Emphasis on legal compliance Putting employees into ‘categories’ 6 discrimination law jurisdictions ‘G.R.A.D.E.S.’ Gender Religion and Belief Age Disability Ethnicity and Race Sexual Orientation

8. Equality vs Diversity ‘Diversity’ = Equal Opportunities (legal compliance) approach + Business Benefits Continuous spectrum – not ‘categories’ – more realistic Variety in workforce is source of strength… not weakness

9. Stereotypes Danger - we categorise people too readily and based on insufficient information about them or their ‘group’ Exercise… Write down the name of the famous people (alive or dead) we are describing…

10. Subject number 1 White man Vegetarian Loves children Mountain walking enthusiast Public speaking skills Determined and hard working

11. Subject number 2 Revolutionary Terrorist Danger to society Fanatic Plans to overthrow stable government Wanted man

12. Did you guess correctly ? Subject no. 1Subject no. 2

13. The challenges we face.. and the benefits of a diverse workforce

14. What problems do businesses face ? Costs Getting people Shedding people Keeping the right people Motivating them Maximising productivity Avoiding legal risks Getting more business Including public sector contracts

15. The Credit Crunch Costs and price of credit are rising Competition for business is increasing We need value for money and to maximise business / sales opportunities

16. Financial business case for diversity Maximising business turnover Maximising commercial opportunities Finding diverse (new) markets to sell into Minimising labour turnover and recruitment costs Minimising absence levels / stress-related illness Avoiding litigation costs What difference does ‘diversity’ make ?

17. Diversity in action What is the annual spending power of disabled people in Scotland ? The ‘pink pound’ is worth how many billion pounds in UK ?

18. Diversity in action In a consumer survey, what percentage of heterosexual people said they would be less likely to buy from an organisation that had demonstrated negative views about sexual orientation ?

19. Recruitment Difficulty in recruiting the right person Limited choice is a challenge Widen the labour market Changing demographics Need to think ‘outside the box’…

20. Sobering statistics By 2011, only 20% of workforce will be able bodied, white, British male under 45 By 2020 half UK population will be 50 or over

21. What about considering… an older (or younger) person ? a disabled worker ? a labour market ‘returner’ ? (or one person who fits all these categories ?)

22. Reducing Staff Ways of avoiding redundancy Greater flexibility in roles and working arrangements ? Reduce overheads – home working ? Redundancy selection criteria –Discrimination issues

23. Retaining key staff Labour turnover - expensive and inconvenient Need to stop people leaving or back to work more quickly 86% organisations report difficulties recruiting Average recruitment cost per employee is £4,667 £5,800 with associated labour turnover costs Source CIPD 2008 Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey

24. Retention: Key factors Employee morale Loyalty / commitment Reputation in the community Fairness / respect / equal treatment and pay ‘Dignity at work’ (freedom from harassment / bullying) Promotion from within Management style / actions…

25. Retention: Key factors Absence management – ‘back to work’ plans Reasonable adjustments / redeployment / retraining Tackling stress – getting them back to work Flexible working – positive approach  All relate to equality and diversity

26. Customer service Widen markets Advantage of diverse workforce… identify new markets, exploit them Flexibility in workforce… Ethical consumer and business to business markets – new demands – new solutions Being accessible – premises and operating hours Diverse workforce helps get business through the door + keep it

27. Litigation threats Complexity Costs Liability for illegal acts of your staff (or of your customers) Proactive approach In advance Training

28. Litigation defence Need to demonstrate preventative actions… –Dignity at Work policy / practice –Take complaints seriously –Educate / train workforce to reduce legal risks Leaves harasser on their own in court Show you take issue seriously Gives credibility to your defence

29. Public sector contracting Increasingly important Competition for contracts Not just on price - but also ‘equalities’ record ‘Contract compliance’ approach to procurement Your equality and diversity policies / practice… Difference between getting the work and not

30. Business case Gaining advantage from diversity + advantage from equality of opportunity Starting the process…

31. Implementing Diversity 12 Key Steps See your handout pack for detail : 1. Advertising 2. Recruitment and Selection 3. Application Forms 4. Short listing 5. Interview process 6. Retention & Progression 7. Pay banding 8. Training & Development 9. Organisational Culture 10. Equal Opportunities 11. Dignity at Work 12. People Friendly policies

32. Test your progress ! Sample Diversity Audit You may already be half-way there ! Equality Policy – sample in the pack Remember: this is only a start To get you through the door But you need to ‘walk the talk’ as well

33. Case study

34. Where can I start / go now ? What help is available ? Handout Pack Local information Law At Work for legal queries www.lawatwork.co.uk 0141 271 5555 Equality Matters in Business Helpdesk emb-enquiries@scotent.co.uk 0845 6078787

35. Equality Matters in Business