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What is diversity?
Just in case you hadn’t noticed …
People are not alike …
Everyone is different …
Diversity consists of visible and non-visible factors, including: personal characteristics such as background, culture, personality and work-style in addition to the characteristics that are protected under discrimination legislation in terms of race, disability, gender, religion and belief, sexual orientation and age.
As each of us have our own personal needs, values and beliefs, there is therefore, no single way to treat employees, colleagues and clients.
Diversity in the workplace acknowledges, includes and values any difference between individuals. Encouraging and harnessing the different talents can enhance the performance of the organisation. Also, in creating a genuine culture of respect and value, job satisfaction and employee retention are likely to increase.
“Treating everyone the same will not provide equality of opportunity for people who are substantively disadvantaged and
discriminated against and whose culture may not be understood. By consistently delivering services, which fail to take
account of issues specific to certain cultures, barriers to people accessing those services persist.” Macpherson, 1999
Is Diversity the same as Equal Opportunities?
The word 'Diversity' is open to interpretation in different ways by different people.
For some, it will mean eradicating discrimination - predominantly in relation to race, gender, disability, age, and sexual orientation or religious beliefs. Others will understand that the concept of inclusion involves recognising everybody's individuality and potential. It is also worth remembering that for those not directly in tune with the language of employment, it will simply mean variety of opportunity.
Confusion often exists over how Diversity relates to Equal Opportunities. Perhaps the most significant difference is that Equal Opportunities, which was formally introduced in 1975, is driven by imposed legislation and is characterised by quotas and the language of exclusion. Diversity is practised voluntarily by organisations, albeit driven by both joint social and commercial imperatives, and focuses on inclusion and respect for the individual.
The two are thus related, though not synonymous.
Diversity strands
Diversity is the acceptance of any difference, such as hair colour, weight, belief etc. The Home Office has created 6 ‘strands’ of diversity to categorise common differences.
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race
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age
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gender
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sexual orientation
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disability
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religion or belief
These strands are not intended to be exhaustive. Some common additions include social background, mental or physical capabilities, and many other factors which cause people to have different perspectives on the same set of facts, views or issues.
What is diversity not about?
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It is not about reducing standards
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It is not about removing our prejudices; it is about recognising that they exist and then ensuring they are questioned before we act
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It is not a distraction from more important issues. Like quality, it is a standard by which performance is measured
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It is not just about language and political correctness. It is about establishing relationships and not something to be scared of ‘getting wrong’
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It is not about obtaining a ‘quota’ of diverse individuals and then ignoring or homogenising their differences. This ‘surface diversity’ can create cultural conflicts
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