Equal Opportunities and Diversity in Business - Case Study Example

Introduction Diversity may be defined as observable dissimilarities in the place that may be brought about by age, gender, race, social background and other differences. Diversity is an issue that must be incorporated into management. In modern times, it is common place to find a very diverse workforce coming together to achieve common objective. This has especially increased in the wake of globalization and advances in technology. However, a more appropriate definition was put forward by Ivancevich and Gilbert (2000) who described diversity as a commitment by management within an organization to incorporate heterogeneous employees in almost all aspects of the organisation. The business case chosen for review is Tesco Ireland. This is one of the leading employers in Ireland and is also a classic example of an organisation that has to deal with diversity. Among its eleven thousand employees, the Company has a large percent of them coming from different parts of the world like America, Africa, Asia and other parts of Europe. The Company has a fair representation of people from various age groups that start from fifteen to eighty five. Besides this, the Company has also recruited and managed people with disability, different religious beliefs among others. Similarities and differences between equal opportunities and diversity Equal opportunities and diversity in operating conditions Correspondence/similarities between equal opportunities and diversity have been demonstrated even in customer care by Tesco Ireland. The Company has made some changes that make shopping easier for persons with disabilities; first the Company has wide aisles that enable a person on a wheelchair or any device that helps in movement to use their stores easily. Secondly, Tesco has installed shelves that can easily be reached by children, undersized people or those on wheel chairs because those shelves are lower in height. Besides this, the Company has also incorporated wide ranges in its stores. All these changes were made after surveying Customers in a routine program managed by the Company called Customer Question Time Panels. (Mckillion, 1999) However, differences between equality and diversity were shown in the treatment of Polish Immigrant Workers during the year 2005. In the month of August, there were some agency workers of Polish origin who felt that they were not being granted equal opportunities in comparison to other workers. They engaged in a strike that highlighted the following discrepancies; Unequal salary payments between non-Polish workers and them Minimal chances of permanent employment for Polish Workers Poor working conditions These Polish workers were engaged in the distribution section of the Company. The Company tried to stand up for itself but their words to the press had already tarnished their image. In light of this strake, Tesco Ireland demonstrated that it did not treat its diverse workforce in an equal manner. (Berry, 2005) Equal opportunities and diversity in recruitment In the year 1999, Tesco Ireland worked hand in hand with North side Partnership to hire a number of employees perceived to be needy. These included; Travellers People with disability Recovered drug addicts Former prisoners (Thomas, 1990) These groups of people were hired to work in a new supermarket that would be opened five years from that time. The Company did not decide to hire these needy persons because there was lack of a better alternative; it did this because it wanted to grant equal opportunities to people in that area-Clare Hall. In actual sense, there were very many other people in need of employment in that area as unemployment was at a record high of sixteen percent in Clare Hall. By so doing, Tesco Ireland has shown that equal opportunities can be available to a diverse workforce thereby demonstrating that there are similarities in the latter two concepts. Similarities between equal opportunity and diversity have also been demonstrated by the Company by recruitment of people who have exceeded the official retiring age. This is a policy that makes the Company stand out from other retail stores and is applied in almost all Tesco stores in Ireland. The Company even has members of staff who are beyond the age of seventy. (Tesco Ireland, 2006) Equal opportunities and diversity in promotions Tesco Ireland has demonstrated that there are similarities between equal opportunities and diversity by following a strict criterion for promotion that disregards an individual's background or other non work related issues. This is clearly demonstrated by the talks that the Company's management holds with its employees called 'Talent Spotting'. In these meetings members of staff can talk about their careers and the directions which they feel it should take in the future. Managers then use these discussions as a platform to decide on who goes where in case a vacancy comes up or when there is need for restructuring. Tesco Ireland therefore gives promotions based on career progress and discussions made. This is a clear standard that excludes other factors which may be a source of bias. Equal opportunities and diversity for Suppliers in Tesco Ireland Similarities between equal opportunities and diversity have been demonstrated by some of the suppliers that Tesco Ireland chooses to do business with in their stores. It has engaged with a number of suppliers from a wide range of countries from different parts the world. This means that they don't restrict themselves to the purchase of items that are only bought and found in Ireland but demonstrate diversity in the choice of suppliers. They have a policy that requires suppliers to adhere to the principle of providing equal opportunities to their workers. (Tesco Ireland, 2006) Differences between equality and opportunities in supplier-employee relationships were demonstrated when Charity Aid Foundation claimed that Tesco Ireland was getting supplies from a South African farm that treated its female employees badly. The foundation claimed that these female workers were given appalling wages and that Tesco was encouraging this practice by buying from them. In so doing, the Company demonstrated that it did not consider equal opportunities for employees who work for their suppliers. (Tesco Ireland, 2006) Equal opportunities and diversity in Staff retention The Company has shown similarities between the two concepts by the rate of staff retention. Tesco Ireland has no bias in this area because statistics have shown that majority of its staff are retained for long periods of time. Annual reports for the Company demonstrate the following; Percentage of employees retained Year 83% 2006 81% 2005 The Company employs a large percentage of immigrants, foreigners, elder people and other diverse groups. If the majority of these people are retained as shown from the statistics, then it demonstrates that Tesco disregards those irrelevant issues and provides equal opportunities to majority of its staff members Equal opportunities and diversity in Tesco's Customer treatment policy Similarities in the two principles in the Company have been shown by the policy practiced by most of its employees. The Company calls all members of staff 'Tesco Ambassadors'. It has placed a responsibility upon these members of staff to handle customers in their own way as long as it represents the same way which they would like to be treated too. This policy is quite empowering and applies to all employees regardless of status, creed, race etc. Equal opportunities and diversity in Flexible hours The Company has a provision for allowing any staff members to ask for flexible working hours. The Company realises that any employee has the need to attend to family issues or other personal engagements and this is regardless of their backgrounds. The Company does not discriminate in this area and has therefore shown similarity in equal opportunities and diversity in this area of management. Conclusion Overly, the Company has demonstrated similarity between equal opportunity and diversity. This is through its recruitment practices like hiring elder people, persons with disabilities and former prisoners. Also, equal opportunities have been shown through its supplier-employee policies, staff retention and provision of equal promotions. However, differences have been demonstrated in these same areas. This was highlighted by the Polish worker's strike in 2005, poor treatment of female workers by its South African suppliers. This therefore demonstrates that the Company has very good policies in place but lacks proper implementation mechanisms. Reference Berry, M. (2005): Tesco faces protests over sacked Polish staff, retrieved from http://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2005/08/22/31285/tesco-faces-protests-over-sacked-polish-staff.html accessed on 12th January Ivancevich, J. and Gilbert J. (2000): Diversity Management: Time for a New Approach. Public Personnel Management; a journal article by Gilbert and Ivancevich Mckillion, P. (1999): Tesco Moves into Prime City Site; Superstore Changes Hands; The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), July 24; retrieved from http://www.questia.com/PM.qst'a=o&d=5004999406 accessed on 12th January Thomas, R. (1990): From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity; Harvard Business Review, Mar-Apr; 68 (2) Tesco Ireland (2006): Professional grandparent and part time Tesco employee- Dick Stanners; retrieved from http://www.tesco.ie/csr/index.html accessed on 12th January Tesco Ireland (2006): Corporate Social Responsibility retrieved from http://www.tesco.ie/csr/index.htmlReport accessed on 12th January Read More