Diversity Awareness
Workshop Template
Acknowledgements
This diversity awareness workshop was developed by
IBEC with funding received from the Office of the
Minister for Integration and the Equality Authority.
Disclaimer
The Diversity Awareness Workshop is for
information purposes only and IBEC assumes no
responsibility for any use to which the
information may be put, or for any errors,
typographical or otherwise. This workshop is not
a substitute for specialist employment law or
legal advice, where appropriate. Member
companies are invited to consult IBEC in this
regard.
IBEC 2012
Outline of the diversity awareness
workshop
• What is diversity?
• Unconscious bias
• The equality
legislation
• The effects of
unconscious bias in
the workplace
• Why do we need to
be diversity aware?
• The equality –
diversity continuum
• The organisation
unconscious
• Solutions to
unconscious bias
So what does diversity mean to you?
What is diversity
Definition of Diversity Management
Creation and maintenance of an environment
where differences, both visible and non-visible,
are valued and respected in order to maximise
an individual’s contribution to the business
strategy
Why do we need to be diversity
aware?
• Drivers:
• Demographic trends
• Business environment
• Legal Impetus
• Potential benefits of adopting a Diversity
Management Strategy
Why do we need to be diversity
aware?
Demographic trends
• Every workforce is diverse
The Diverse Irish Workforce
Who are we?
•
•
•
•
•
•
12% of non-Irish origin
10% with some form of disability
44% of the workforce is female
Our workforce is ageing and birth rate falling
57% of the workforce are over 35, 32% over 45
19% of employment in Ireland is part-time,
20% of workers do ‘shift’ work
• 4 generations working together in our
workplaces
Source: CSO, Quarterly National Household Survey, Census
Why do we need to be diversity
aware?
Demographic trends
• Every workforce is diverse
• Demands of a changing workforce profile
Business environment
• Utilising all our people yields competitive advantage
• Failure to integrate skills translates to a failure to
contribute up to 3.5% to Ireland’s GNP
• Diversity within and across cultures
Activity – Connect the dots
Why do we need to be diversity
aware?
Demographic trends
• Every workforce is diverse
• Demands of a changing workforce profile
Business environment
• Utilising all our people yields competitive advantage
• Failure to integrate skills translates to a failure to
contribute up to 3.5% to Ireland’s GNP
• Diversity within and across cultures
Legal impetus
• Compliance with legislation
Equality legislation
• Gender
• Age
• Race
• Marital status
• Family status
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• Disability
• Membership of the
traveller community
Discrimination
• Direct Discrimination
• Indirect Discrimination
• Discrimination by Association
Redress - Non Pay Case
• Non-employee at time of referral of claim (excluding
dismissal claim) - €12,697
• Employees (and dismissed employees) - 2 years
remuneration
• Sanction imposed must have a dissuasive effect on
the employer and must be adequate in relation to
damage sustained in order to ensure real and
effective judicial protection
Redress - Equal Pay Case
• Equality Officer/Labour Court
• Maximum 3 years’ loss of pay
• Circuit Court (gender cases only)
• Maximum 6 years’ loss of pay
Compensation
Sample cases
• Equality Authority v. Ryanair, 2001
• Recruitment advertisement and discrimination
• €10,157.97 compensation plus action
• Cunningham v. BMS Sales Ltd
• Application form with age and birth date
• €5,000 compensation
Managing risk and reputation
Equality ruling favours
foreign workers
Tribunal reports
huge rise in race
discrimination
cases
Company pay circa
€56k for
'victimising'
pregnant worker
Teacher gets €6,500
from equality case
Foreign labour ‘wildcat’ strikes escalate as nuclear plants join protest
Race, age, disability, gender dominate work discrimination cases
28% increase in work-related discrimination claims
Company ordered to pay €7,000 over bias against
pregnant employee
Civil servant awarded
€60,000 over age
discrimination
Potential benefits of diversity and
inclusion
• Competitive edge through improving customer
service
• Larger market share
• Cost savings through increased retention rates
• Larger pool of talent
• Committed and flexible workforce
• Meeting employee expectations
• Responding to social and demographic changes
Potential Gains – IBEC HRM Survey
• Improved company culture
• Improved retention/ recruitment
• Increased commitment / loyalty from staff
• Improved staff morale
• Lowered staff turnover
• Better understanding of business
Multiple stakeholder benefits
Employee
 Creativity
 Innovation
 Fun at work
 Greater employee
satisfaction
 Teamwork
 Conflict avoidance
 Fewer complaints and
grievances
 Reduced stress, sickness,
absenteeism
Employer
 Increased productivity
 Quality improvement
 Customer friendly
 Increased market
opportunities
 Access to talent
 High Performance
 Bottom line, shareholder
value, revenue
 Employer of choice
 Reputation & brand
Business Case - Example
• The Dove soap marketing campaign underpinned by a clear
diversity philosophy and message is estimated to have resulted in
a 700% increase in sales for Unilever.
• TNT calculates that the effective management of diversity and
inclusion has resulted in the reduction of staff turnover from 25%
in 2000 to 10% in 2003 with a similar reduction in absenteeism.
• Royal Mail in the UK estimates that it has achieved savings of
£7Million from the introduction of anti-bullying and harassment
policies.
Source – The Business Impact of Equality and Diversity – The International Evidence - Kathy Monks
National Centre for Partnership and Performance and Equality Authority
Case studies
• O2 Ability Awards
• Best Places to Work Award
• Business working responsibly award
Customers
• In the past – young, middle class, white
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender community
• Women as investors and consumers
• Older individuals
• Global opportunities – requires cultural
competence
Cultural competence
• Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact
effectively with people of different cultures.
• Communication – non-verbal
• Eye contact, facial expressions
• Gestures
• Communication – oral
• Communication - written
Cultural competence - gestures
• Emblems – “thumbs up”
• Illustrators – holding up number of fingers to
convey time left
• Regulators – making a circle with your hand =
“ok”, “money” or “worthless”
• Affect displays – smile or tears
• Adaptors – yawn or clenched fist
Cultural competence
• Cultural competence refers to an ability to
interact effectively with people of different
cultures.
• Communication – non-verbal
• Eye contact, facial expressions
• Gestures
• Space
• Communication – oral or written
Diversity – Equality Continuum
9 Equality Grounds
Compliance
Integrated
Workplace
Recruitment, Promotion, Training, Rewards,
Performance Management, Work-life Balance
A diversity approach emanates from the widespread
perceived need to link equality objectives to broader
business and organisational objectives. It is argued that
failure to do so has been one of the key weaknesses of the
traditional ‘equal opportunity’ approach therefore,
diversity is said to constitute a ‘new way forward’
Institute of Personnel & Development
Examples of where it has gone
wrong
• Banter
• Sickness reporting
• Inappropriate questioning
• Terminology
• Causing offence
• Assuming, presuming and generalising
What is unconscious bias?
• Unconscious:
• adjective 1 not awake and aware of and responding
to one’s environment. 2 done or existing without one
realizing. 3 unaware of.
• noun (the unconscious) the part of the mind which
is inaccessible to the conscious mind but which
affects behaviour and emotions.
• Bias:
• noun inclination or prejudice in favour of a particular
person, thing, or viewpoint.
What is unconscious bias?
• Our fundamental way of looking at and
encountering the world is driven by a “hardwired” pattern of making unconscious decisions
about others based on what feels safe, likeable,
valuable, and competent. (Ross, 2008)
• Everyone has some biases, which can be either
positive or negative and which we maybe
unaware of i.e. they are unconscious.
Unconscious bias
• Stems from our natural tendency to make
associations to help us organise our social worlds
• Most people believe that they hold fewer biases
than the average person
• Traditional paradigm ~ “good person, bad
person” paradigm of diversity
• A barrier to workplace equality that may persist
despite a general commitment to increase
diversity
• Virtually every one of us is biased towards
something, somebody, some group
Approximately what age is the
woman?
How many ladies do you see?
Same dynamic occurs in the way we:
 Recruit people
 Mentor employees
 Assign projects
 Offer training
opportunities
 Listen to people’s
ideas and suggestions
 Interact with
colleagues
 Make promotional
choices
 Give performance
reviews
 Decide organisational
policy
 Conduct marketing
campaigns
 Treat customers
Some examples of unconscious
bias
• Less than 15% of American men are over six foot tall, yet
almost 60% of corporate CEOs are over six foot tall.
• Less than 4% of American men are over six foot, two
inches tall, yet more than 36% of corporate CEOs are
over six foot, two inches tall¹
• Gender bias: our assumptions about the characteristics of
men and women.
• Maternal Wall
• She is not competent enough
• When the term ‘manager’ is used which leads 80% of
people to think of a male
Supported by research
• CV discrimination research - Equality Authority & ESRI, 2009
• Discrimination consistent across the names, occupations
and different business sectors tested
• Internationally
• Males selected over females
• White/Asian American over African/Mexican American
• Even higher quality CV’s received fewer call-backs for
minorities than lower quality CV’s for white candidates
Companies that face intense competitive situations will
figure out over time, that all that matters is talent. Bias of
any kind is an unaffordable luxury.
Carly Fiorina, ex-chief executive Hewlett Packard
The organisational unconscious
• Unconscious behaviour is not just individual; it
influences organisational culture as well.
• Organisational culture is more or less an enduring
collection of basic assumptions and ways of interpreting
things that a given organisation has invented,
discovered, or developed in learning to cope with its
internal and external influences.
• Unconscious organisational patterns, or “norms” of
behaviour, exert an enormous influence over
organisational decisions, choices, and behaviours.
The organisational unconscious
• “Flexible work” arrangements are one area in which
the conflict between our conscious choices and the
“organisational unconscious” is coming to a head.
• Conflicts such as this can leave employees frustrated
by the feeling that their leaders and the company as a
whole are disingenuous in their statements, when in
actuality the leaders may not see the conflict
themselves.
What do you think?
A woman applies for a job with a catering firm.
She is turned down, on the grounds that the company
is only hiring people who have a formal catering qualification.
Afterwards, she finds out that a friend who has no qualifications but
has a different skin colour, and was interviewed after her,
has been offered the job.
Is this discrimination?
Answer: Probably yes. Discrimination on the grounds of race or
ethnic origin is illegal throughout the EU, including in employment.
The circumstances suggest there is a case to answer here. It would
be up to the employer to prove otherwise.
What do you think?
A young woman works for an IT company.
She takes on more and more responsibility but her
manager refuses to promote her, as he says she is too young and
would not command the respect of other members of the team.
Is this discrimination?
Answer: Yes, because he has clearly stated that her age is
the reason for refusing her promotion. Discrimination at work
on the grounds of age is illegal throughout the EU. If the woman
is able to take on more responsibility, she should be promoted
regardless of her age.
What do you think?
A man works in a bar. His colleagues perceive him
as being gay and constantly make remarks and jokes
about his sexual preferences.
Is this discrimination?
A.
B.
C.
Yes, he is being treated unfairly.
No, it’s not serious – everyone’s colleagues make jokes.
It depends whether the jokes are degrading.
What do you think?
A man works in a bar. His colleagues perceive him
as being gay and constantly make remarks and jokes
about his sexual preferences.
Is this discrimination?
Answer: A:
Making jokes and derogatory comments at work about somebody’s sexual
orientation is unfair and constitutes harassment. This would create an
atmosphere in which the man would find it difficult to work effectively,
and might even push him into resigning from his job. Discrimination on the
grounds of somebody’s sexual orientation is illegal under Irish legislation
(Employment Equality Acts 1998-2008).
What do you think?
Imagine now that you also work in the shop.
What should you do when you see your colleagues
tease the man?
A.
B.
C.
You laugh along with them – it’s only a bit of fun.
You ignore the situation, hoping it will just go away.
You offer your support to the man.
What do you think?
Imagine now that you also work in the shop.
What should you do when you see your colleagues
tease the man?
Answer: C
Although it’s sometimes easier to ignore the situation, if you see someone
being discriminated against he/she may need your support – for example,
you should encourage him/her to speak to your manager, or offer advice
where to go for information.
What do you think?
A woman in her 60s works in a sales company with a
team of colleagues in their 20s and 30s. The team,
including the manager, often goes out socialising but
don't ask her along. She finds out that they discuss work issues during
those trips and feels left out. Is this discrimination?
A.
B.
C.
Yes, the woman is being treated unfairly.
No, it’s normal that people of a similar age socialise together.
It depends on the specific issues being discussed.
What do you think?
A woman in her 60s works in a sales company with a
team of colleagues in their 20s and 30s. The team,
including the manager, often goes out socialising but
don't ask her along. She finds out that they discuss work issues during
those trips and feels left out. Is this discrimination?
Answer: A
Discrimination at work against someone because of his/her age is illegal
under EU & Irish law. Even if unintended, the woman is being treated
unfairly. Her manager should find other occasions to discuss work issues
with the whole team during working hours.
What do you think?
A Muslim woman gets a job in a cafe. However, on her first day she is told
she is not allowed to serve customers as she wears a headscarf and her
boss thinks that this doesn’t fit with the cafe’s image. Is this
discrimination?
A.
B.
C.
No, the owner can decide who serves customers.
Yes, she is being treated unfairly.
It depends what kind of cafe she’s working in.
What do you think?
A Muslim woman gets a job in a cafe. However, on her first day she is told
she is not allowed to serve customers as she wears a headscarf and her
boss thinks that this doesn’t fit with the cafe’s image. Is this
discrimination?
Answer: B
Discrimination at work because of religion is illegal under EU & Irish law.
The fact that the woman wears a headscarf should not mean that she is
treated differently from
other employees.
What do you think?
A woman is refused entry to a nightclub because she’s told the club is for
"members only". Yet, a short while later, her 2 friends who have a different
skin colour are allowed in, even if they are not members either. Is this
discrimination?
A.
B.
C.
Yes, stopping someone from entering a nightclub due to his/her skin
colour is illegal.
No, the owner is free to decide who can enter his/her club.
It depends how the woman and her friends were behaving.
What do you think?
A woman is refused entry to a nightclub because she’s told the club is for
"members only". Yet, a short while later, her 2 friends who have a different
skin colour are allowed in, even if they are not members either. Is this
discrimination?
Answer: A
to Discrimination because of someone’s race or ethnic origin is illegal under
EU and Irish law (Racial Equality Directive, Equal Status Act). The laws cover
not only employment but also other areas including access to goods,
services and housing. In this case, the club’s owner is denying equal access to
the service that he/she provides to the public.
What do you think?
I work with many older people at the moment but I
find a lot of them cannot keep up with technology
which makes my job harder.
Is this bias?
Answer: No. It is an insensitive comment but not bias.
What do you think?
We need all our staff to be really punctual because
otherwise it throws off the schedule badly. As a result
I won’t hire any people from Spanish speaking countries as they just
don’t understand the concept of time.
Is this bias?
Answer: Yes – it is a total generalisation and stereotypical viewpoint
not based in fact.
What do you think?
Its great, we have a load of gay men working with
us. In retail you need as much artistic creativity as
possible and no one is as good as a gay man.
Is this bias?
Answer: Yes – it is a total generalisation and stereotypical viewpoint
not based in fact.
How to deal with unconscious bias in
the workplace
1. Recognise that you have biases and this is normal
2. Identify what your biases are
3. Explore the significance and unconscious effect of early
messages you received as you grew up about different people
4. Decide which biases you will address first
5. Identify, support and collaborate with effective programs that
increase diversity in the pipeline
6. Lead by example
To address unconscious bias
7. Consider facts in a different light and test alternative
hypotheses
8. Check your culture for what behaviours it rewards
9. Increase the diversity of teams, meetings etc.. to
promote thoughtful decision-making
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/
So what now…..
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
plan for Organisation
 Look for volunteers for diversity council
 Set up employee network
 Run diversity week
 Launch new equality and diversity policy
 Develop “New Dad’s” workshop
 Talk from Employee Assistance Provider
Thank you and next steps