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Commentary


Deborah McConnell, Opportunity Now manager, Business in the Community talks to Business First about the business case for diversity


Diversity isn’t tokenism B


y 2011, it is estimated that only 20 per cent of the workforce will be white, male, able bodied and under the age of 45. Business in the Communityʼs Opportunity Now campaign is providing practical help to modern employers by demonstrating the benefits of a diverse and flexible workforce.


Deborah McConnell, Opportunity Now manager explains: “Having a workforce that is diverse in terms of gender, race, ability and age brings hard, quantifiable benefits. It is increasingly being recognised as a key factor in business excellence.”


A recent gender diversity study by Catalyst and McKinsey looked at the impact on organisational performance. The study, which focused on Fortune 500 companies, showed that companies with the highest representation of women board directors attained significantly higher financial performance than those with the lowest representation of women board directors, (53 per cent better on return on equity, 42 per cent better on return on sales and 66 pewr cent better on return on assets).


Many organisations are clinging to outdated 20th century workplaces. New technologies, a changing workforce and globalisation, affect how and when people work. Future tense organisations need to think different about how they manage their diversity and flexibility.


Diversity isnʼt about tokenism


Deborah continues: “Diversity isnʼt about tokenism. Itʼs about getting the right skills mix on the board. There are real business benefits, which companies can derive from broadening the base of their boards and bringing in fresh minds with different skills and new perspectives to contribute to the growth and development of the business.


“Businesses in Northern Ireland can learn from one another and Opportunity Now facilitates this best practice sharing. For example, Deloitte were one of the first professional services organisations to launch an initiative aimed at retaining and advancing women in the workplace. This decision was fuelled by the fact that they understood that women represented a growing proportion of the shrinking talent pool, and a growing number of decision‑makers in their client organisations were women.


The Deloitte experience


Jackie Henry partner in Deloitte here in Northern Ireland explains that the initiative for the, “Retention and Advancement of Women” was based on the premise that, “creating a culture that attracts the best women helps us attract the best people. And attracting the best people helps us attract the best clients.”


Since starting the initiative in 1993 they have seen tangible results. Deloitte currently has the greatest number of women partners and directors amongst the Big Four professional services organisations and 29 per cent of the members on the Deloitte LLP Board of Directors are women.


By encouraging senior champions of diversity and their womenʼs initiative, including men, this has filtered down the organisation to create a culture of inclusivity and promotion of diversity which becomes accepted by all who join.


One of the key success factors has been use of their unique model called the Corporate Lattice™. This is based on the understanding that many women have “non‑linear careers” and that our traditional view of the corporate ladder just doesnʼt fit in with this. This allows people to “gear” their careers up and down as their lifestyles changes without impacting on their ultimate goals. One of the great benefits of this is that it encourages more conversations around goal setting and career paths and gives people an acceptance in changing pace to suit both their own


www.businessfirstonline.co.uk 22


Women in non‑traditional roles at Crane Energy (l‑r) Julie Reilly with Maureen Wilson, Tracy Smyth and Carol Watson


aspirations and lifestyle choices to basically “customise” their careers. Whilst this does take additional work by an organisation, the benefits of retaining talent outweigh this.


The skills gap is widening. According to research from the Confederation of British Industry, ʻby 2014 the demand for science, engineering and technology‑related occupations is expected to have expanded by 730k and net requirement for these jobs is predicted to rise to 2.4m.


It is critical that Northern Ireland plc is able to successfully meet these demands and a diverse and flexible workforce can bring solutions to the table.


Women in non‑traditional roles


One company who is reaping the rewards by acting in this responsible manner is local employers Crane Energy. Engineering manager, Eileen Montgomery says: “There is a perception that manufacturing in Northern Ireland is non‑existent but I believe there is still opportunity. We must develop a highly skilled workforce to ensure that we have the full spectrum of employees to deliver a strong economy.


“At Crane Energy, we have worked hard to encourage diversity. We now have many women in non‑traditional roles. In my career path, which has always involved engineering, firstly in car design, development and production and now with valves, I know that it is an exciting route to choose. “And I have a family. I definitely havenʼt had to choose one or the


other. I work hard to make sure I have a great work/life balance and my company enables me to do this.”


This sentiment is reiterated by other members of staff within Crane Energy. Carol Watson, a Technical Documentation team leader, who has been employed by Crane Energy for over 15 years has the flexibility to work a flexible schedule to care for her family and has also been able to move up the career ladder and study for further qualification simultaneously. Julie Reilly, an employee of the company for 26 years is now a Production Support team leader says: “During my time with Crane Energy, I have been able to change my working hours as my family circumstances have changed. Crane Energy is a flexible and supportive organisation and I feel I have had plenty of opportunity to develop in my career in what may be perceived as a non‑ traditional role.”


If you would like more information on how to diversify your workforce, contact deborah.mcconnell@bitcni.org.uk call 9046 0606 or visit www.bitcni.org.uk


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