The Concept of Equality and Diversity in the Workplace - Case Study Example

Human Resources Report Introduction In the UK and elsewhere in the world, equality and diversity in the workplace is used in reference to the need to foster and promote differences and non-discriminate human resources (Law ltd 2011). When used in workplaces, the concept of equality and diversity acknowledges that individual employees have rights to choices, dignity, and their own values and beliefs. Organisations therefore have a responsibility to create organisational cultures, practices and environments that value and respect the differences represented in the workforce or the society. A review of the Nordens Confectionaries Ltd. Case study reveals that the company lacks in diversity management, and also does not promote equality of opportunities, something that has led to a shortage of specific personnel categories in the workforce. According to Law Ltd (2011), diversity management involves the active encouragement of employees from diverse backgrounds to join the workforce. Promoting equality in opportunities on the other hand involves fostering an organisational culture that enables employees to reach their optimal potential. The two concepts (i.e. diversity management and equal opportunities) complement each other in that equal opportunities to diverse groups of employees create a diverse workforce, which necessitates the need for diversity management (Law Ltd 2011). Notably, the UK does not have standard diversity levers, and as such, individual workplaces are responsible for developing diversity policies (Kirton & Greene 2013). From the case study, it is clear that no such policy exists at Nordens. To be fair though, it is important to note that Nordens has recognised its predominant female workforce and has created workplace practices that allow women to accommodate their homemaking roles. This is an acknowledgement of the diversity of the workforce. However, the fact that there are no binding policies on the foregoing matter means that female workers have no certain expectations about how management would deal with their absence based on family-related reasons. The acceptance of trade union participation in the workplace is also a step in the right direction for Nordens, because as Kumra and Manfredi (2012, p. 22) note, trade unions use “collective bargaining to advance equality in the workplace”. Discussion A principled approach to equality and diversity suggests that organisations should be morally and ethically inclined to take an interest in social equality (Daniels & Macdonald 2005). In the case study, it is indicated that although Nordens has an interest in employing more people from different racial backgrounds, those who are recruited often register high turnover rates. Ideally, an organisation that promotes social justice should be capable of attracting a diverse range of employees as indicated by Daniels and Macdonald (2005). The fact that Nordens has neither a racially diverse workforce, nor people with disabilities in its workforce should be an indication that there is something about the organisation that does not appeal to such employees. Additionally, the predominant female workforce should be interpreted as an indicator that there is something about Nordens that appeals to or favours the female workers more than it does for male workers, hence undermining equality and diversity. Notably, and as indicated by Healy et al. (2006, p. 296), “change does not come by accident, but is the result of persistent pressure from ... those committed to social justice”. Applied in the context of this discussion, this quotation could means that for change to occur at Nordens, the management has to adopt deliberate actions targeted at enhancing social justice in the organisation by making it more equitable and diverse. Recommendations Discrimination From a human resource’s perspective, an organisation draws from the skills, experiences, qualifications and knowledge that individual employees have in order to realise it objectives (Daniels & Macdonald 2005). The human resource can however not reach its optimal potential if discrimination (on gender, race, age, sexual orientation etc) takes root therein. The logical conclusion when reviewing an organisation that has a gender-biased employee base is that it limits its human resource capacity, and as such does not benefit entirely from the human resource capacity. In light of the foregoing argument, it is recommendable that Nordens designs and implements an anti-discrimination policy. Such a policy would need to be considered during recruitment and hiring in order to increase diversity in the workplace. While an anti-discrimination policy is an ideal way of boosting equality and diversity in the workplace, Daniel and Maconald (2005) note that it works best when used in larger total quality management in order to balance the innovative and creative talent that the organisation has. Recruitment Recruitment in human resource management is a function that is essential in effecting culture change and enhancing employee commitment (McGunnigle & Jameson 2000). If an existing culture does not reflect equality and diversity, one would argue that the right recruitment would remedy such a situation. This is supported by Williams et al. (1993, p. 129-130), who note that thoughtful and systematic recruitment can “exert a strong influence on the incoming culture”, and can have a strong influence on existing employees. The HRM function at Nordens can therefore use recruitment to enhance equality and diversity in the workplace by encouraging unrepresented groups to apply for jobs, and by purposefully selecting candidates from diverse gender, age, cultural, and racial backgrounds. Theoretically, organisations can recruit from internal employees or from external sources. In the Nordens case, it would be recommendable to recruit from external sources since the company would be able to access big pools of potential employees hence enhancing the diversity therein. Additionally, external recruitment would enable the company to make the best employee selection from a diverse pool. The incoming employees are more likely to bring new ideas to the organisation. On the downside however, external recruitment would be expensive, time-consuming, and the newly hired employees will need orientation and training as indicated by Chan (1996). Staff turnover Staff turnover is affected by different factors key among them job satisfaction, compensation levels, the presence or absence of unions, demographic variables and organisational tenure (Huselid 1995). At Nordens, high staff turnover is especially evident among employees from minority racial groups. To counter the problem, and especially in light of the need to enhance equality and diversity in the company, the management therein needs to investigate the reasons why employees from minority racial groups do not stay in employment for long. Specifically, they need to identify what aspects of the organisational culture fail to meet the employees’ expectations; whether the company demonstrates sufficient organisational commitment; and whether there are some aspects of the organisation that favour the predominantly represented groups at the expense of others. Upon getting findings of the above indicators, Nordens should initiate job enrichment interventions with a view of reducing turnovers, and enhancing the retention rates of employees drawn from minority groups, including employees from the male gender – who incidentally are outnumbered by their female counterparts. Notably, job enrichment interventions can only be possible if realistic job previews are first conducted for purposes of identifying the reasons why turnover is high among specific minority groups. Human resource development Human resource development (HRD) is integral in HRM functions since it develops key competencies among employees. HRD is attained through experiential learning, coaching, mentoring, training and succession planning (Holgate et al. 2012). Organisations need to conduct performance analysis first in order to identify the skills and knowledge gaps that exist in the workforce (Holgate et al. 2012). At Nordens, the present management has already identified the need to include more diversity in the management echelons, and that already provides a good lead for succession planning. However, HRD has to be anchored in other HRM functions such as recruitment. Notably, good recruitment will bring workers from diverse backgrounds to Nordens, which will in turn enrich the pool from which the company can invest through HRD. Notably, and as noted by Daniels and Macdonald (2005), HRD will amount to nought if employees experience discrimination or inequity at the workplace. Their perceptions about equality and diversity should also be positive, because if not, they are likely to leave the company. Leaving not only amounts to talent drain, but is also costly for an employer who invests in HRD. Conclusion This report recommends that Nordens implements an anti-discrimination policy, recruits from external sources, reduces staff turnover by initiating job enrichment interventions, and bases their human resource development programmes on sound recruitment practices. Diversity and equality enhancement will only become a reality if the company makes some deliberate choices by targeting diverse employee groups during recruitment. Their longevity in the organisation will however depend on the HRM practices that the company puts in place. Such practices include fostering a healthy organisational culture that supports equality and diversity, including motivational practices such as compensation levels, the presence or absence of unions, demographic variables and organisational tenure and anything else that affects employees’ job satisfaction levels. Ultimately, Nordens needs to design and implement a binding workplace policy including a HRM strategy that will cover all the things mentioned in this report. The HRM strategy will cover issues such as recruitment and HRD in a manner that provides a solution to existing equality and diversity issues. References Chan, W 1996, ‘External recruitment versus internal promotion’, Journal of Labour Economics, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 555-570. Daniels, K & Macdonald, L 2005, Equality, diversity and discrimination: A student text, CIPD Publishing, London. Healy, G, Hansen, L L & Ledwith, S 2006, ‘Editorial: Still uncovering gender in industrial relations’, Industrial Relations Journal, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 290-298. Holgate, J et al. 2012, ‘Equality and diversity in employment relations: Do we practice what we preach?” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An international journal, vol. 31, no.4, pp. 323-339. Huselid, M A 1995, ‘The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance’, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 635-672. Kirton, G & Green, A-M 2013, The dynamics of managing diversity, Routledge, Oxon. Kumra, S & Manfredi, S 2012, Managing equality and diversity: Theory and practice, Oxford University Press, London. Law Ltd 2011, ‘Understand the meaning of equality and diversity in places of work and how organisations promote this’, pp. 1-4. McGunnigle, P J & Jameson, S M 2000, ‘HRM in UK hotels: A focus on commitment’, Employee Relations, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 403-422. Williams, A, Dobson, P & Walters, M 1993, Changing cultures: New organizational approaches, 2nd ed., Institute of Personnel Management, London. Read More