Equality and Diversity

There are principal differences between ‘equality’ and ‘diversity,’ primarily, diversity literally means ‘difference’, the quality ‘of being different or varied’ (Dictionary.reference.com). When combined with Equality, it is used to refer to recognising individual as well as group differences, e.g. culture. Equality, on the other hand, is stated by Dictionary.reference.com to mean ‘to be equal’ and refers to the creation of a fair society, where everyone is allowed to participate and fulfil their potential.

One such piece of legislation that was introduced by the government to improve equality was the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations Act of 2006.  The regulations make it unlawful ‘to discriminate on grounds of age in employment,’ (Legislation.gov.uk}. Consequently, there have been major effects as a result of this legislation on employers. Primarily, as employers are no longer to turn away potential candidates due to age, they potentially are forced to employ candidates not physically suitable for the job at hand. For example, the manager of a shipyard would typically employ people who are young and physically fit, so able to do the demanding physical jobs at hand, qualities which an older candidate may not possess, the assumption being that older people are less fit and not physically as strong.

However, age preference could also occur the other way round, with older candidates favoured over younger ones. For example, the manager of a retail clothing shop targeting over-50s may wish to employ staff reflective of the target market, in order to be relatable to customers. However, as a result of the Age Regulations Act, this would be discriminatory towards young candidates, and the store would not be allowed to favour certain candidates over age.

In turn, such examples can also link to stereotypical societal views of both younger and older people. Young people are often stereotyped as being lazy, inexperienced and not as hard-working as older people, which may affect an employer’s viewpoint when considering potential employees. On the other hand, as illustrated before, older people are sometimes stereotyped as less fit and able as younger people. This stereotype can also extend beyond physicality to mental state, with older people often stereotyped as ‘behind-the-times’ and not as suitable or creative roles, due to being seen to be not as innovative as younger candidates. As a result, such views may be likely to affect the judgement of employers.

There are, however, ways in which organisations can attempt to change such attitudes. Primarily, training candidates would allow them to gain the skills required to do the job at hand, regardless of age. For example, young candidates could be trained to gain skills in tasks they are inexperienced in, and similarly, older candidates can be taught how to utilise new technologies, ways of thinking and innovation. In turn, stereotypical views could also be eradicated within an organisation by educating the workforce in equality and diversity. This could be done, for example, via workshops exemplifying people who go against the stereotypes of their age-group.

One such company that practices measures in relation to equal opportunities is the John Lewis Partnership. According to their website, John Lewis purports to treat all staff as ‘individuals and with respect, honesty and fairness’ and as a result, Employment policies are ‘fair and provide equal opportunities for all,’ regardless of differences, e.g. age, culture etc.

One equal opportunities measure the partnership has in place is a ’Diversity Strategy Group’ formed in 2003 to champion diversity and set clear aims and objectives for the business. JohnLewisPartnership.co.uk illustrates that the group identified three main aims:

• To increase the number of women in senior management posts
• To increase the number of ethnic minority Partners that progress from non-management to management positions
• To establish a better fit between the ethnic mix of branches and the communities they represent.

To meet such aims and improve diversity, John Lewis’s Diversity Policy has a number of initiatives in place. For example, during 2007, all board directors were given diversity training to better enforce ideas of diversity within the company. In turn, the company further developed an ‘online e-learning programme’ on diversity awareness for line managers, further ensuring that diversity practices are enforced throughout the company’s hierarchical structure. In turn, the company also rewards behaviour that encourages diversity through a provided reward and recognition scheme, which thus encourages and motivates employees to act with equality in mind.

In addition to joining employer forums promoting awareness for disabilities, the partnership is further a member of membership organisations representing employers who want to ‘transform the workplace by ensuring inclusiveness for women and minority ethnic groups.’ Alternatively, however, although such a practice encourages equality for ethnicity and gender, it could also be said that by enforcing such initiatives, positive discrimination may occur, whereby candidates are bypassed for others that illustrate the company’s promotion of equal opportunities e.g. promoting a woman over a man to a managerial position to hit diversity targets.

Conclusively, however, the above research has illustrated that although there are often discriminatory views and practices present within the workplace, many initiatives are being taken, both by government and other such organisations, to eradicate discrimination and promote equal opportunities for all.

 References

Dictionary.reference.com [n.d] Equality [online]. Available from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equality [Accessed 08 May 2011]

Dictionary.reference.com [n.d] Diversity [online]. Available from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diversity [Accessed 08 May 2011]

JohnLewisPartnership [n.d] John Lewis Partnership – Opportunities for All [online]. Available from: http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/Display.aspx?MasterId=74681741-bda8-4258-840b-f4eb1ad2e05c&NavigationId=633 [Accessed 08 May 2011]

Legislation.gov.uk (2006) The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 [online]. Available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/1031/part/6/made [Accessed 08 May 2011]

 Bibliography

Beardwell, I; Holden, L; Claydon, T. (2004). Human Resource Management. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson