BSBLDR404 Lead a diverse workforce

Saifuddin Kamran
Diversity is differences in racial and
ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic,
and academic/professional
backgrounds.
 People with different gender,
age, opinions, academic
backgrounds, social
backgrounds, religious beliefs,
political beliefs, heritage, and
life experience.
Australian workplaces are bound legally to integrate
workplace diversity principles into their workplaces.
This means that diversity characteristics should be
considered in all business operations, such as
planning, selection and recruitment, leadership,
performance appraisal, training and development,
career progression opportunities, workplace health and
safety (WHS) and industrial relations.
For example,
translating safety
signs and
organisational
information into
different languages
ensures that WHS
information is
available to all.
Identify the benefits of workforce diversity
Organisation benefits
• A range of abilities and skills to draw on
• Productive staff who generate new ideas
• Ability to open up new markets and opportunities
• Increased customer base
• Attraction and retention of talented staff as an
employer of choice
• Increased creativity and innovation
• Community support and enhanced image
 Employee benefits
• Increased job satisfaction and engagement
• Increased morale and motivation
• Improved equity of access to career development
opportunities
• Increased understanding of different cultures,
points of view and opinions
• Learning from each other’s different experiences
and skills
• A workplace free from harassment, discrimination
and bullying
LAWS AND REGULATIONS
Racial Discrimination Act 1975
This Act underpins Australia’s obligations
under the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination.
 It is unlawful to discriminate against
people on the basis of their race, colour,
descent or national or ethnic origin.
Sex Discrimination Act
1984
This Act recognises the
need to prohibit, as far as
possible, discrimination
against people on the
grounds of sex, marital
status, pregnancy or
potential pregnancy,
breastfeeding or family
responsibilities.
Australian Human Rights Commission
Act 1986
People of all backgrounds must be
treated equally and have the same
opportunities.
Discrimination against people on the
basis of their race, colour, descent or
national or ethnic origin is unlawful.
Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012
This Act legislates to improve and
promote equality for both women and
men in the workplace in terms of age,
gender, ethnicity and family care
arrangements.
Privacy Act 1988
This Act deems personal information
(such as health, memberships,
religion, political or sexual
orientation) to be sensitive and only
to be handled by authorised
personnel.
CASE STUDY
WESTFIELD
 Diversity policy Westfield Business Solutions
Philosophy
We appreciate the value of a diverse workforce that
demonstrates a range of factors: age, gender, race, cultural
heritage, lifestyle, education, physical ability, appearance,
language and other factors.
We value the differences between people and the
contributions that these differences make to our
business.
Above all, we are committed to ensuring that all employees
are treated with respect and dignity, and we endeavour to
provide a workplace free from harassment, discrimination
and bullying.
 Managers’ responsibilities
It is the responsibility of all managers to create an
environment where:
• there is tolerance of difference
• appropriate behaviours are modelled
• the ability to contribute and to access opportunities is based
on merit
• inappropriate attitudes and behaviours are confronted
• diversity complaints are responded to promptly
• any breaches of the diversity policy are dealt with promptly
• the safety and health of everyone is valued and protected.
Staff responsibilities
Staff responsibilities
It is the responsibility of all staff to:
• treat other team members with respect and dignity
• attend training on topics, including diversity training
• raise any diversity concerns with their manager
• follow the organisation’s grievance procedures when
making a formal complaint.
Diversity procedures
Gender
• Implement appropriate workplace policies that
prevent harassment and discrimination.
• Develop and work towards workforce targets or
quotas based on merit; for example, fifty per cent
of senior leadership roles to be held by women.
• Implement targeted skill or career development
programs to help to upskill selected staff.
Diversity procedures
Language
• Remove or reduce use of overly technical terms or jargon
(or provide an explanation of these terms).
• Communicate via a number of methods, such as using
verbal instruction and written instruction to convey the
same message.
• Pair an English-speaking person with a team member who
needs support with the English language.
• Communicate important information in languages
appropriate to the workforce
Diversity procedures
Family arrangements and carers’
responsibilities
• Provide flexible working arrangements, including
part-time work, flexible work times, working from
home opportunities, and options to work longer
hours on some days to ‘time bank’ or gain time-in-
lieu.
 Sexual orientation
• Implement clear policies that
promote respect and diversity.
• Implement clear promotion and
career development policies that
ensure equity of access.
Consider people’s skills and knowledge
Consider a person’s skills and knowledge when allocating
tasks so that you incorporate the positive contributions of a
diverse workforce into your work plans. Examples of using
the diversity of your workforce
• A person’s ability to write may be used for developing
reports, making submissions, preparing correspondence or
editing other people’s work
• People with technology skills may be used to format
reports, develop promotional material or troubleshoot
computer problems.
• Mathematical ability can be harnessed for budgets and
analysis.
Consider people’s skills and knowledge
• Language skills can be used to help customers who
speak a language other than English or in translating
organisational information.
• Communication skills can be valuable for
interviewing, making presentations and motivating
other team members.
• Team members with experience and understanding in
cultures and traditions of countries other than
Australia can contribute to ideas for improving
products, marketing and communication.
Consider people’s characteristics
Ask yourself which people:
• make good planners, communicators,
decision-makers and problem-solvers
• are creative in their problem-solving
• can counsel and mediate between
employees
• are persistent and determined in getting the
job done
• strive to succeed against all odds.
Fair Work Act 2009
The Fair Work Act 2009 gives employees the
right to request flexible arrangements and to
decline a request to work overtime when
carer’s responsibilities are involved.
Work Health and Safety Act 2011
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and
various state-based legislation require workers
to wear personal protective clothing and to use
manual-handling aids as they carry out their
tasks.
Anti-discrimination Acts Anti-discrimination Acts
identify the need to be inclusive in recruitment,
promotion and task allocation to ensure that workers
are not discriminated against because of their age,
gender, sexual preference, marital status or abilities.
Legislation provides for specific circumstances
where discrimination is allowed due to the nature of
the role, such as advertising for a female-only social
worker for a domestic violence shelter.
Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012
The aim of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012
is to improve gender equality.
It does not mean that a certain number of women must
be employed or that women must be given jobs over
more skilled or better qualified men, but rather
encourages equality of opportunity for women in the
workplace and equal remuneration between women
and men for the same role.
A recruitment and promotion process that selects the
best candidate based on merit is important to comply
with these requirements.
Follow recruitment processes
An organisation may make a commitment to encourage a diversity of
applicants by advertising in various formats, including local community
languages.
Accepting applications by mail or in person, as well as online, helps to
mitigate the limitations imposed by accepting applications via the
website only and assists people who struggle with computer use because
of disability, language or skills gaps.
Recruitment processes may also encourage applications from older
people, women with specific experience and expertise, or people with
backgrounds that align with the local community.
Make sure that recruitment processes incorporate inclusive language in
job advertisements and in interview questions.
Always ask yourself whether someone’s age or gender is something that
needs to be known.
 Position vacant – kitchen hand @ Mean Beanz
We are looking for a hard-working kitchen hand.
To get this job, you must:
• be young and energetic
• be able to lift heavy boxes (males preferred)
• be prepared to work all hours
• speak English – no foreigners.
To apply, drop your resume into Mean Beanz cafe, 100
Main Street.
 Characteristics of appropriate language
Clear and straightforward with minimal use of technical terms, jargon
or acronyms, or, if these are necessary, then they are clearly explained
Non-discriminatory; instead of using ‘him’ or ‘her’, use ‘they’ Free of
sexist language and stereotyping such as ‘He’s behaving like an old
woman’; avoid terms that are demeaning, such as referring to women
as ‘love’ or ‘dear’
Free of sexist terms; for example, avoid ‘tradesmen’ and ‘chairman’,
using ‘tradesperson’ and ‘chairperson’ instead
Inclusive and respectful of the audience; do not use derogatory words
such as ‘loony bin’; use terms such as ‘people with a disability’ rather
than ‘disabled people’
 Reflect on your own beliefs and values
Am I impatient with older people or children? • How
comfortable am I when talking to a person in a
wheelchair?
• Do I make assumptions about people of a particular
ethnicity because of one or two negative examples?
• If my child announced that they were in a
relationship with someone of the same gender, how
would I react?
• Are any of my friends of a different race, religion,
ethnicity or sexuality to me?
 Develop an unbiased attitude
Acknowledge that you may be biased in a particular area.
• Recognise that biases and prejudices can be changed.
• Read material that challenges your present attitudes.
• Watch others you admire for their lack of bias and observe them
interacting and making decisions.
• Learn about other cultures, religions, physical disabilities and
personality types to help you to see things from other people’s
perspectives.
• Take extra time to make decisions and reflect on whether your
decision includes any bias.
• Ask yourself how you would feel if you were treated this way or
if you saw your partner, child, sibling or parent being treated this
way.
 Provide training
Organise formal training sessions on diversity,
including induction programs for all new staff.
Include the benefits of diversity; presentations from
people of different cultures; handouts with tips for
interacting with people from different cultures; and
opportunities for questions.
 Learn about other people’s cultures
Discuss the cultures of team members at
meetings or discussion sessions.
Ask team members to compare their culture to
those of others, comparing the similarities and
differences.
Ask team members who know about other
cultures for advice.
Focus on the values and beliefs and traditions
that may affect the workplace.
 Invite guest speakers
Hold special information sessions where people
from different cultures in the community talk
about their backgrounds.
Arrange for people from specific cultural
backgrounds to organise interactive displays of
food, music and photographs to celebrate other
cultures.
 Undertake research
Encourage team members to find out about
specific cultural behaviours they do not
understand, so that interactions with others are
sensitive to cultural differences.
Provide resources on cultural competence in the
workplace so that people can read books about
culturally appropriate workplace behaviour or
watch DVDs about different cultures. Research
via the internet.
 Continuous improvement processes
• Write policy and procedures documents in plain English.
• Use symbols and pictures to improve the accessibility and
communication of key information to those with difficulties
understanding English.
• Incorporate suggestions from team members to improve
work practices and make better use of people’s skills,
knowledge and backgrounds.
• Regularly review work plans and adjust these to meet
diversity requirements.
• Conduct exit interviews as an opportunity to find out
whether a lack of inclusive practices is why staff are leaving
the organisation.
 Support for flexible working conditions
An organisation may have a specific policy to support
work/life balance for those with various family commitments.
• Flexible working opportunities and conditions may be
provided, including part-time, job-share and home-based
work.
• Provisions in industrial relations documents (such as
enterprise agreements) support employees with access to
flexible working arrangements in order to balance work,
family and personal responsibilities.
• Staff may be supported in their caring responsibilities
through the provision of nursing breaks and access to
breastfeeding facilities for nursing mothers who have returned
to work.