Cultural Diversity Day
Hays Senior Finance polled over 1000 qualified accountants and found that only half of those polled felt there was a rich diversity of cultures within their workplace.
May the 20th is National Diversity Day. Diversity in the workplace is dominated by law in Britain and an equal opportunities policy should set out that it is unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees or job applicants on grounds of sex, race, religion, marital or civil partner status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or for reasons related to disability.
Hays Senior Finance consultants have guidelines in place to ensure that cultural diversity in the workplace is adhered to. Lettie Hart, Senior Internal Recruitment Consultant at Hays said that the laws don’t just come into play in internal recruitment: ‘Upon joining Hays Senior Finance consultants go through a twelve week review period. This initial period includes on the desk training with managers and a five day ‘best practice training’ course, part of which includes rigorous training on the laws and legislations that will become second nature to them. Consultants are taught to abide by the legal requirements and where necessary advise clients and candidates on employment and discrimination laws.’
Externally Hays Senior Finance work with a government funded city partnership called ‘The Brokerage’. One of the aims of The Brokerage is to encourage diversity of the city’s workforce by opening up sources of new talent for city employers. Hays Senior Finance provide work experience opportunities to members of the Brokerage and advise them on working in financial services. Charles Logan, UK Director, Hays Resource Management, sits on the board as the Non Executive Director at the Brokerage.
Teresa Thorrington-Allen, Hays Senior Finance National Director says: ‘We strive to do everything that we can to endorse a diverse working culture and our consultants are trained to know the laws by which they should abide. Taking part in external programmes to encourage diversity in finance is a definite step in the right direction, and a sure fire way of reminding our staff why these laws are in place. The positive poll result shows that things are definitely improving and we are responsible as recruitment companies to do everything we can to encourage that continues.’
Tom Hadley, Director at the REC (recruitment and Employment Confederation) says: ‘Awareness of cultural diversity in the workplace has certainly improved over the last few years but there is still more than needs to be done. In particular the debate on diversity and equality is moving from regulatory compliance and good intentions towards actually delivering recruitment strategies that can enhance diversity in the workplace. Within this context, we are seeing forward thinking employers in a number of key areas such as the financial sectors increasingly looking to work with recruitment providers that can help them deliver their diversity and equality agenda. Ensuring that employers with a genuine commitment in this area can team up with like-minded providers is key way of achieving tangible progress in this area and of promoting good practice through the supply chain.’
