chris grocock - building better opportunities · the fostering of a better understanding of your...
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Chris GrocockNottingham Jobs Hub Manager
Unlocking Talent and Diversifying your Workforce
What are Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace?
Diversity:
Diversity in terms of the work place can mean many things, but it is mostly defined by ensuring that you select the best person for the job based on merit not their race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, class or political opinions. Having diversity in the workplace is not just a box ticking compliance exercise. It’s an important ingredient for success and can lead to:
Improved performance, innovation and creativityDifferent skills, experience and backgrounds will bring more diverse ideas to the table.
The fostering of a better understanding of your customersIf you are trying to sell serve a certain customer demographic it will make sense to have someone working for you from that demographic.
Inclusion:
Inclusion is changing your recruitment process to ensure you recruit as diverse a pool of candidates as possible.This can lead to:
The boosting of your employer brandHaving an effective, diverse and inclusive culture can give you an advantage when it comes to competition for talent –especially among millennials. Millennial currently make up 35% of the UK workforce and this is due to rise to 50% by2020
Why do Diversity and Inclusion matter?
Research found that applications from a 28-year-old white men were three times more likely to get an interview than those sent by a 50-year-old black women, and over twice as likely as those sent by 50-year-old white women.
Academics from Anglia Ruskin and Cyprus universities applied for 811 sales and service jobs in England, sending in applications from fictional British job seekers.
Researchers found that applications from young white men were:
• 1.8 times more likely to be selected for interview than ones from 50-year-old white men
• 2.3 times more likely to be selected than those from 50-year-old white women
• 2.6 times more likely to be selected than those from 50-year-old black men
• 3 times more likely to be selected than those from 50-year-old black women.
The difference between positive action and positive discrimination?
A key difference between positive action and positive discrimination is that positive action is lawful (provided that the employer meets the conditions set out in ss.158 or 159 of the Equality Act 2010), whereas positive discrimination, generally,is not.
In the recruitment context, unlawful positive discrimination would be where an employer recruits a person because he or she has a relevant protected characteristic rather than because he or she is the best candidate. It is also unlawful, for example, to set quotas to recruit or promote a specific number or proportion of people with a particular protected characteristic. There are circumstances in which it is lawful to require a job applicant or worker to have a particular protected characteristic, for example where an occupational requirement applies. However, these circumstances are rare.
Delivering diversity in the workplace:
Companies cannot reserve spots for women, BAME or candidates with disabilities or deny jobs to men. No matter how much you would like to balance the scales during the employee selection process, you can not reject an overqualified white man in order to hire an under-qualified BAME woman.
But what you can do, is take steps to ensure that you attract more high-quality female candidates through the sourcing and recruiting efforts you decide to implement.
Understanding your current workforce
Before setting any diversity goals for your company, it is important to know what your current BAME gender,
disability etc. ratios look like. This makes it easier to set realistic yet aspirational targets and track the success of your
strategies.
First, dig into your company data to get a clear idea of your overall gender split. Then go even deeper, looking at
how you are doing across specific departments, functions, and seniority levels to identify your main areas for
improvement.
Steps you can take - General
• Anonymise application forms
• Tailor your brand and marketing
• Share good news and case studies - celebrating diversity and inclusion
• Develop a coaching culture
• Adapt your recruitment process
• Think about where you advertise your roles
• Sign up to inclusion kitemarks and receive their support – Clean Sheet, Disability Confident etc.
Now let us think about some actions for specific groups…
Steps you can take - BAME, Religion and Culture…?
• Prayer room or space
• Canteen – dietary requirements consider: Christianity Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Vegetarians & Vegans
• Clothing – flexible uniform and work attire rules – allow religious compliance where reasonable
• Greetings, e.g. shaking hands, be aware of other customs especially during interview stage
• Holidays – statutory caters for majority religion so consider other religious holidays
Steps you can take – Parents/Carers
• Sign up to Timewise – who are here today!
• Offer flexible hours
• Make adverts women friendly – remove gender coded words and limit your must have requirements:
o One HP study showed that men apply for a job if they meet 60% of the qualifications, but women only apply if they meet 100% of them.
• Work Trials not just interviews
• Returnships - higher-level internships which act as a bridge back to senior roles for experienced professionals who have taken an extended career break
• Create a female friendly benefits programme – flexible working hours, enhanced maternity pay, working from home and promote those benefits in your job adverts
Steps you can take –Disabilities and Health conditions
• Access to work
• Disability Confident
• Reasonable Adjustments
• Smarter / Flexible working
• Time to change (Mental Health)
• Provide Quiet rooms
• Engage specific charities for particular health conditions and disabilities
Steps you can take – Young People
• Work Trials
• School Visits
• CSR programmes
• Work Experience
• Mentors
• Provide Quiet Rooms
• Foster a modern working culture that balances fun and hard work
Engage with E&S programmes and local business support organisations
As well as specialist workforce inclusion initiatives like the ones mentioned, there is also
support available on this agenda from generic business support organisations
• Chambers of Commerce
• Local Enterprise Partnerships
• Local Councils
• Training Providers
• Colleges
• Community Organisations
• Help Groups
Matt Sismey – Organisational Development and Inclusion Manager
Case study Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
Firefighter Positive Action
and Recruitment
Matt Sismey
OD and Inclusion Manager
Introduction
• Aim to increase attraction and success rates of women
and ethnic minorities for firefighter positions.
• Partnership with Nottingham Jobs
• Firefighter placement to OD and Inclusion Team
• Focus on strength/fitness – particularly aimed at women
Recruitment Process
• Restrict to Nottinghamshire addresses
• No qualifications
• ‘For Skills’ literacy and numeracy
• No driving license
• Simplified application form Assessment
Centre – group exercise, presentation and
interview
Promotion and Advertising
• Partnership with Nottingham City Council
• BAME/Faith focused radio stations
– Interviews and regular adverts
• QB – Nottingham LGBT Magazine
• Support from local sports clubs and celebrities
– Nottingham Forest – match programme
– Downie Sisters – social media
• Boots on the ground at all events
– Corporate Games / Pride / Mela / Eid /
Carnivals
Nottingham Jobs
• Assisted with positive action events
• Advertising and liaising with JC+
• Assessment Centre – group exercise
• Advice and Guidance
Preparation
• NFRS Positive Role Models
• Database of interested applicants
• Awareness Days – open to all
• Greens and Ambers - Firefighter for a Day
• Mentoring Sessions – Competencies, Values,
Role Map of a firefighter, STAR model.
• Great tool for keeping in touch with
applicants
• 144 initially on the group – 110 applied
• Sharing information and supported each
other
• Met up socially and for further
mentoring/training
• Answered one another’s questions
Firefit Gym Sessions
• Finding and working with women who are
motivated to become Firefighters
• Understand the strength and fitness
requirements of the job
• Acted as a filtering process
• Resulted in low numbers but high quality
female applicants
• Still going – support for current and future
FFs.
Lessons Learned
• Better comms re positive action – dealing with
rumour/gossip
• Literacy and Numeracy – online element
• Need more ongoing engagement with BAME communities
–need to resource this
• Mentoring / Off-Station Support
Questions?
Your Questions?
WORKSHOP – Sharing Best Practice - discussion
Think about a specific area of your organisation where you are NOT
delivering an inclusive and diverse workforce
• What are the challenges?
• How should you approach this?
• Who’s buy-in do you need?
• What would you look to put in place?
Discuss the issue with the colleagues on your table and select -(one/two) examples to feedback the room…
Thank You and our contacts for further support………….
Employers in Nottingham & Greater Nottingham Employers in Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
0115 876 4508
www.nottinghamjobs.com
0333 006 9178
www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk.com