Equal Opportunity and Diversity Failures

There was a time when discriminatory language and behaviour were tolerated and, in some cases, even encouraged in our society. The situation has changed significantly in the last few decades. However, outdated attitudes do still exist, and prejudice and discrimination are still around; subjects like race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, marital status, age and disability still divide opinions.

Workplace incidents arising from either outdated attitudes or a lack of understanding of the issues surrounding discriminations and prejudices can have serious negative consequences for employers, including claims of unfairness or, more seriously, discrimination. Employers who learn about such incidents but do nothing appropriate about them can find their apparent lack of commitment to equality counting against them. Such was the situation that Abbey National (part of the Banco Santander Group) faced in the UK landmark case of Chagger v Abbey National plc & Hopkins of 2006, where Abbey National's apparent lack of commitment to equality contributed to the Employment Tribunal's judgement of race discrimination, which, after Abbey National's refusal to comply with the Tribunal's order to re-instate Mr Chagger to remedy its wrongdoing, led to the record £2.8 million compensation order. The case provides important references regarding an employer's commitment to equality.

Balbinder Chagger, of Indian origin, was employed by Abbey National on a remuneration of around £100,000 per annum and reported into Nigel Hopkins. In 2006, he was dismissed ostensibly for reason of redundancy. The Tribunal found that Mr Hopkins had used the redundancy process as a means to remove Mr Chagger from his position, and that both Mr Hopkins and Abbey National had discriminated against Mr Chagger on the grounds of race in respect of his dismissal.

'Equal Opportunity' aims to prevent discrimination in society through legislation designed to influence behaviours. It is based on the moral and ethical case for treating people fairly and equitably. It focuses on groups (not individuals) and aims to secure fairness for all groups in society.

'Diversity' also aims to prevent discrimination in society. In contrast to Equal Opportunity, Diversity focuses on the differences of individuals (not groups). It is based on the commercial case for recognising and valuing difference, rather than the moral or ethical case.

Equal opportunity and diversity at work mean that all employees are treated with fairness and are not subjected to discrimination or harassment; meaning that all employees have fair access to the opportunities that are available. Fair and equitable treatment of all employees offers many benefits to employers, stemming from employees feeling valued and able to contribute to the best of their abilities. An equal opportunities employer is one who treats all employees with equal dignity and respect, provides fair access to jobs and opportunities based on employees' abilities, selects all employees based on merit, and values diversity in the workplace.

Employers can demonstrate their commitment to equality by providing employees with Equal Opportunity and Diversity training. The training teaches people what are and are not appropriate behaviours in the work environment; it aims to separate people's opinions from their roles and jobs at work. The Tribunal noted that Mr Chagger had tried to address his allegations of race discrimination directly with Abbey National and Mr Hopkins, through the company's own complaints and grievance procedures. However, Abbey National had not provided equal opportunity training to any of the managers it allocated to hearing and deciding on Mr Chagger's issues, there was a culture at Abbey National of tending to deny and refuse Mr Chagger's issues, and Mr Chagger's issues were dismissed out of hand. The Tribunal criticised both Mr Wilson and Mr Brener in particular (two of the senior managers that heard and decided on Mr Chagger's issues) for appearing to believe that if there was no overt 'racial prejudice' then there could be no race discrimination. The Tribunal found that Abbey National was in breach of the Code of Practice on Racial Policy in Employment by not providing the managers with equal opportunity training.

Employers can also demonstrate their commitment to equality in the workplace by implementing procedures that monitor fairness. The Tribunal also found that Abbey National was in breach of the Code of Practice on Racial Policy in Employment with regard to monitoring too. The Tribunal noted a multitude of monitoring failures, including the failures to take allegations of race discrimination seriously and to investigate them promptly.

Thus, Abbey National's apparent lack of commitment to equality contributed (amongst other factors) towards the Employment Tribunal's finding that Abbey National and Mr Hopkins had discriminated against Mr Chagger on the grounds of race in respect of Mr Chagger's dismissal.

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Abbey National plc & Hopkins v Chagger [2008] http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKEAT/2008/0606_07_1610.html Inappropriate Redundancy Selection Criteria http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Simon-King-5609/Abbey-56486.php

The Sweet Success Of Team Building

Successful team building is a delicate balancing act between organizational psychology and fun, and if it's done correctly, those that are taking part will only be aware of the fun. The purpose of these group development days out is to identify and overcome areas within team work that are not conducive to achieving a shared goal. In the workplace, even if it appears that we are working independently, we are in fact interacting with many people. It is essential that everyone within the same working environment has an ability to understand and respect fellow workers, and cooperate for a common good; but how exactly can tasks in team building events be transferred back into the workplace.

It seems implausible to anyone other than a psychologist that a day spent playing The Generation Game or a city-sized version of Monopoly can improve the everyday working environment for a group of employees. Running around and having fun, talking to people you usually barely blink at whilst passing the photocopier and having conversations that don't involve the topic of who had the stapler last can be a liberating process, and it can certainly help bring co-workers together on a more social level. The magic is not in social networking though, although obviously being able to speak to Brenda about something other than printer cartridges is a plus point.

The magic that is hidden within team building exercises is the ability of the event organiser to disguise personal development as a day of fun. By constructing games and activities to force colleagues to cooperate on a new level, weaknesses can be identified and overcome in a way that is so subtle that the participants barely notice. This not only benefits and enlightens the people involved in the team building event, it gives the people running the company a chance to see the way that the staff really interact with each other. This process can open up a whole new perspective on the dynamics at play within the working environment.

After the event, there is inevitably a shift in perspective and a change in the working environment. The purpose of the team development day was to identify weaknesses and strengths that are inherent within a working group or individuals and make adjustments accordingly. This can lead to changes in the working environment to reflect strong working groups, often incorporating the hidden skills of certain individuals whose talents and strengths were being overlooked in the daily routine. The tasks in team building focus on communication, organisation, self and team management as well as problem solving.

Although these skill sets seem obvious, the way they are presented to those involved makes them seem like a normal part of everyday activity, which to all intents and purposes it is, but in a development task, they are refined to bring about certain outcomes. If negative consequences arise, ones not conducive to a collective working environment, then the event organisers have the skills to change certain behaviours and ways of thinking through task development, or suggest counter measures to mitigate the undesirable behaviour or action. The results are always positive and constructive, producing a team that is strengthened and cohesive. Team building can be compared to a sugar coated pill; it does its job without leaving a bitter taste in the mouth.

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About the Author:
Dom Donaldson is an expert in the events industry. Find out more about Team Building and the packages on offer today from Accolade Corporate Events.

The Importance Of Equality And Diversity Training In Modern Business

The times they are changing. Not the beginning to a well known folk song but an accurate description of the way the world of business is facing up to some of the areas it has perhaps neglected in the past. It's easy to forget, given the way the typical office environment that exists today, that the office was once a much less friendly or accommodating place to do business.

It could be said that the office or indeed any working environment and space is a micro version of the society it finds itself in or a mirror on the world in general. The views and fashions that are heard and seen in any business tend to reflect the world around them. Whether that's the design of the building, the furniture that goes inside it or the prevailing attitudes of the employers this is usually the case.

There seems to be a trend right now for looking back to the 70's and 80's. These decades that were once considered naff and embarrassing in terms of fashion and trends are now being revisited and re-evaluated by a generation too young to have experienced them first time around. TV programmes like Life On Mars are fuelling this trend and it's done in a light hearted and entertaining way, but it's easy to forget that there were some things from that era that were particularly unpleasant even if at the time they were not considered so.

Companies are investing in their employees like never before to meet the demands of the modern workplace and to fall in line with changing attitudes towards gender, race and age. In one high profile case recently the Scottish parliament made it known that they would be looking for a company to provide staff with equality and diversity training. They want their staff to be aware of words or terms that could be deemed offensive to others.

It's a tricky area to deal with as you have to take on board the fact that what was once acceptable is no longer acceptable and, sometimes, vice versa. A person's perception of this will obviously be coloured by their background with factors like age and nationality coming into play. Although there is no definitive list of terms that are no longer acceptable there are obvious things that need to be addressed and the purpose of equality and diversity training is to highlight certain situations and change or adapt behavior accordingly.

Business doesn't function in a void, it is inherently connected to the real world and so has to act responsibly in order to thrive and move forward.

Specialist equality and diversity training is a significant part of this. It works best as part of the fabric of a company's philosophy but lots of companies that offer it as a training programme can tailor it to specific needs. This bespoke approach can be short term or long term but with the term 'politically correct' being used more and more the need for it has never been so great.

There are three areas that even the most basic training can address and improve.

1. Behaviour at work - We all act in a particular way. Our actions could be regarded as a reflection of our personalities an it's our personalities that give us the skills and aptitude we need to perform successfully at work, so the purpose of equality and diversity training isn't to stifle this but to make sure that appropriate behavior is maintained at all times.

2. Corporate Social Responsibility - It's not just the responsibility of the individual to be aware of issues surrounding equality and diversity. Corporations must ensure that their employees are given the necessary tools to perform effectively. Information received through equality and diversity training is just as important as a office equipment in performing tasks.

3. Cultural Awareness - Being sensitive to issues concerning age, race and gender I more important than ever. In an increasingly diverse market place where it is as easy to do business with someone on the other side of the world as it is to do business with someone next door it is vital that employees and employers are aware of cultural issues outside their immediate vicinity.

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About the Author:
Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the training industry. Find out more about equality and diversity training and modern business practice.

Generations: A Different View on Diversity

According to the dictionary, diversity is defined simply as variety, a meaning that is sometimes lost when we think of workplace diversity. In this context, our thoughts turn to differences in cultural background and ethnicity, and possibly gender. One type of diversity that seldom enters our minds is age, and we often assume that individuals of similar ethnic and cultural backgrounds will behave similarly, regardless of age.

Generational diversity refers to the generational group an individual represents, and this often-overlooked difference can shed light on a multitude of attitudes and values that appear in our workplaces, especially when, these days, it’s not uncommon to see individuals from 3 or 4 generations working side by side.

Consider our oldest generation, born 1922 - 1945. These individuals were shaped by a time of chaos and instability by events such as World War II and the Great Depression. Experiencing these has led them to adopt a strong work ethic, typically the one that we judge all others against. In an effort to create stability and security, Veterans established processes and procedures, developing formal working relationships and deferring to individuals in positions of authority. Today, Veterans are still characterized as loyal and dependable employees, who seek to share their wisdom and experience with others.

Next, we find our Boomers, who often hold senior-level or management positions in our organizations. Born between 1946 and 1965, these individuals are members of the largest generational group, meaning that they were driven to differentiate themselves from their peers by putting in long hours and adding their own unique twist to work. This is a generation of health-conscious individuals, who have made 50 the new 30. This young at heart perspective means that they’re still going strong, and continuing to influence organizations to adopt policies and programs that focus on their generation. Examples of this include expanded wellness programs and a push to extend benefits to retirees.

Chomping eagerly at the heels of Boomers is Generation X, born 1966 - 1979. Influenced by economic slowdowns and divorce, this independent generation is driven to collect new experiences and learning, ensuring their continued marketability, and reducing their reliance on unpredictable organizations and economies. Often characterized as having poor interpersonal skills, these individuals see the process of challenging assumptions to be a positive trait, and are often frustrated by the Boomer’s need for consensus. This generation is also unwilling to put in the same types of hours as their Boomer counterparts, choosing instead to maintain balance between their personal and work lives.

The youngest generation, Generation Y, is not so young anymore. Born between 1980 and 2000, this generation was raised mostly by child-centric Boomers and a school system that focused on children’s self-esteem. The result is a group that has been consulted on everything from what to have for dinner, to where the family should go for this year’s vacation. Combine this with an unprecedented access to information through the internet and CNN, it’s no wonder that they enter the workplace expecting this same type of input on decisions that impact them. Generation Y have an affinity to all things technology-related, and they look for ways to improve efficiency by applying technology in ways other generations haven’t considered.

The result is a workplace where communication preferences range from instant messaging to formal meetings; where feedback is okay once a year to feedback is needed every day; where seniority equals respect to seniority just means you’ve run out of innovative ideas. Is it possible that individuals this diverse can work together in harmony? The answer is yes, and we shouldn’t view generational diversity any differently from any other type of diversity that exists in our organizations.
When faced with multigenerational diversity:

1. Education is key. When we understand the attitudes, values and beliefs that prompt an individual to behave in a particular fashion, we move to eliminate the bias and judgment that can result when people act differently.
2. Leverage generational diversity by combining employees of different ages on projects and work teams. Each generation brings a particular set of strengths and perspectives to the work they do, and tapping into these can lead to innovations and efficiencies that might otherwise remain undiscovered, as well as refreshing the careers of longer term employees.
3. Most importantly, while generational diversity may provide insight into individuals’ attitudes and behaviors, we are influenced by many other factors in our lives, so it’s always best to treat everyone as a unique individual and avoid assumptions based on generational backgrounds.

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About the Author
Dasa Chadwick is a leadership and learning professional with 20 years of experience in management and adult education roles. She has worked in a number of sectors including telecommunications, oil and gas, utilities, hospitality and insurance. A part-time instructor with the University of Calgary, she holds a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University.