BUSINESS AGENDA


Diversity pays dividends T


hat diversity is no longer a marginal issue for businesses is apparent when Digby Jones, CBI director-general, says: “Business needs to show through its actions how to weed out discrimination and make an example of people who are discrimi- nating . . .to show publicly that this will not be tolerated.” Greater emphasis than before is being placed on encouraging cultural diversity as desirable in its own right. Race for Opportunity, a national network of over 180 UK organisations working on race and diversity as a business agenda, is growing in membership.W H Smith, the BBC, the Guardian Media Group and Pearson are among its members. Jo Lakin, WHS employee relations manager, recognises the


importance of a diverse workforce. “We believe that employing staff who are familiar with the different cultures of our customer base is a huge benefit to our customers and ourselves,as we are able to gain a better understanding of our customers and their needs,” she explains.


Being competitive The Top 100 Report launched in July 2003 by Race for Opportunity chairman Allan Leighton revealed that more organi- sations than ever see a clear business case for putting diversity on the boardroom agenda.“Diversity is not about equal opportunities or compliance, it’s about being more competitive, especially in a downturn,” he says. “Over 100 private and public sector partici- pants tell us they invest in challenging ignorance and apathy because they’ve taken a closer look at their marketplace. Quite sim- ply,communities equal customers and potential employees. If you rely on traditional perceptions of who these groups are, you limit your pool of talent and your target market.” Statistics on diversity in the media are thin on the ground. Beulah Ainley, author of Black Journalists, White Media found that in the mid to late-1990s, of 3,000 journalists working on national newspapers, only 20 were Black. In 1998, the NUJ estimated that only 1.8% of its 27,000-strong membership was Black, compared to 5.27% of the national population. In May 2001 the editorial department at the Guardian set up a


diversity working party, looking into all areas, including disability, age and race. It discovered that the editorial department in Guardian Newspapers Ltd (part of GMG) was 93% white. Better than the industry average of 96%, but not, as equality and diversity project manager Emma Kiwanuka points out,very impressive. In 2002 an equality and diversity steering committee was set up, chaired by a diversity board champion. The committee set out seven strategic aims including recruitment and retention, dignity at work, monitoring and communication. Diversity action plans were adopted for each department. In advertising, for exam- ple, one action point was to recruit outside normal channels. The finance department requests recruitment agencies reflect the breakdown of the local minority ethnic population in shortlists of candidates.


In spring 2003 there was a review of recruitment practices. All managers now attend courses about legislation and fair inter- viewing techniques. The language of advertisements and job speci- fications has been scrutinised in the interests of reaching the widest possible market.Feedback from staff has been enthusiastic. “It’s raised awareness across the organisation—we hold diversity


awareness workshops, and more suggestions arise from those,” Kiwanuka says. “An employee opinion survey in 2003 shows that it has ignited their imagination. Apart from the moral argument, there’s the talent argument—we have to be looking


12 MARCH 2004


Progressive companies are placing cultural


diversity at the top of their agenda. Hilary Macaskill reveals why


for the best people, and we should be reflecting the audience in a cosmopolitan area.” In 1999 the BBC merged two equality units to form the Diversity


Centre. Cyril Husbands, a senior diversity manager, joined the cen- tre three years ago. He says: “The equality agenda, important though it is,is not the whole agenda. It’s not just about numbers and representation, it’s about inclusiveness and meaningful diversity.”


Targets and training Training courses for those interviewing and recruiting, and senior executives becoming champions in different areas are among mea- sures adopted. The BBC set—and reached—a target for minority ethnic employees of 10% by the end of 2003. The target has now been revised up to 12.5% of all grades, with 7% for senior man- agers, up from 4%. “As part of reviewing targets and preparation for charter review in 2006,we compared ourselves with the bench- marking survey conducted by Race for Opportunity and we were exceeding the standards set by the other 109 organisations who took part last time,”Husbands says. He acknowledges that targets alone are not enough. “There had been some controversy about whether targets are demanding enough, or whether they were needed at all. But it’s important to remember these are targets, not quotas. They are objectives. Corporate targets are only a crude general indicator—departmen- tal and qualitative targets are as important as corporate targets.” Husbands observes that the BBCis “is very different from when I entered it. There is far less cynicism, far more collaboration and communication. One thing that made a difference was Greg Dyke’s corporate culture change—Making It Happen [a BBC-wide project of change, based around seven fundamental ideas]. There were many cynics,and some sceptics—I would classify myself as a hopeful sceptic.But an employees’ survey showed that 60% believe that Making It Happen has improved their experience of working in the BBC.It was a radical transformation.” There is, as Husbands says, always room for improvement. “I


think of diversity as a journey rather than a destination, and it’s not even in a straight line.But there is now a universal understanding in blue-chip companies that the more diverse their workforce is, the more profitable the company is because they are more creative and happier.Businesses that are more diverse do better.”


first person: Karen IS BLACK AND A DIRECTOR AT A LARGE PUBLISHING HOUSE


“I didn’t go to university but began in administration within publishing and was encouraged by my boss to go to evening classes to study. I went to the London College of Printing for a year. I am now at director level but it took 12 years to get here. I saw the book trade as small but prestigious. I remember feeling lucky to land my second job after only a short while because there weren’t enough jobs for the people who wanted to get in. Twenty-five years ago young people didn't talk about publishing as a career opportunity. Now, some schools are doing a lot to promote it because more students are applying for work experience and I take at least one student per year. I’ve been doing this for the past four years and I have never had an application from a minority ethnic student. There should be more done to encourage minority ethnic groups. Personally, I think the encouragement should start with schools, universities and careers officers. I have never come across any Black or Asian people who have experienced difficulties getting into publishing, so it is hard to comment. What I do know is that for a long time I thought I was the only Black person in publishing. However, for the past five years, I’ve started to see a small trickle of Black and Asian workers in the industry.” The name of the interviewee has been changed. Interview: Aislinn McCormick


IN FULL COLOUR 7


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16