Diversity in the workplace
A new report by the TUC reveals that female workers face a worsening situation when it comes to achieving equality and, in the event of deep public spending cuts, female workers will be the hardest hit, facing widespread job losses and a reduction in post-retirement income.
In a recession what do people think is more important - a diverse workforce or one that delivers results?
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Who are these companies? In every single company I've worked at there has been a good mixture of males and females. We have girls doing better than guys at school, with more girls going to university than guys. So who are these companies that don't recruit based upon merit?
It would seem a much more sensible approach to this would be to highlight those that aren't rather than pushing out yet more anonymous statistics. Anything less and I can't help but feel sceptical that this is more a case of getting publicity based upon International Womens Day than any meaningful trend.
It would seem bizarre for any organisation to overlook the many talents that women can offer. We're always told that Britain is now a knowledge economy, so why would you want to limit access to the knowledge available. We see these stats rolled out now and then, but like Wayne it seems incredible that companies would still commit what amounts to corporate suicide.
Any organisation which fails to recognise that it needs mulitple variations of talent, is indeed short sighted. The argument of 'diverse work force' Vs 'one that delivers results' speaks volumes about the archaic attitude to modern business practice. I think that although, women bring very different yet valuable skills sets, they are often engaged in part-time work patterns, which can be perceived as the easiest to cut back on.
In simple terms, we require a workforce that delivers results. This in itself may require a diverse workforce.
I had to print and " attempt to" read the document before any attempt to respond. As a manager I look for the best person for the job regardless of gender. I agree with the previous 3 comments and can't for the life of me see why the % figures would suggest female workers will suffer more than male colleagues. It may be posible that the figures relate simply to specfic areas of employment. Is it also posible that some of our female colleagues see and take the opportunity to spend more time with their family as opposed to being the bread winner.
I think Ellis and others are right but not in all situations and/or cases. Over the years, what I have discovered in my own environment, is that, men works longer than women, takes few vacations (if at all) than their female colleagues. I guess these and other reasons are what inform management’s decisions in time of promotion, demotion and lay-offs. This is not to say that women are not contribution to the development of organisations. In fact, in some organisations, women are in the forefront of the progress and development of such organisations. But I think what is most important in workplace is results and not sentiments. Cheers.