Have your say News and views
What we asked our
followers this month
Do you think your organisation
could do more on race at work?
There is a significant gap between white a and BAME HRs’ experiences
The relentless march to
emasculate men, added to claims
of ‘unconscious bias’ abound...
now we have gender pay gap
claims, ethnicity pay gap claims,
how soon will both these be split
down into LGBT pay gap claims?
The days of appointing the most
suitably-equipped candidate for
any role in terms of skills,
knowledge, experience and
qualifications will shortly be a
thing of the past.
Carol Scott
I would love us all to live in an
age where suitably-equipped
candidates are appointed based
on talent, but that is not the case
nor was it ever the case. The
evidence is overwhelming. There
is no shortage of reports and
whitepapers underscoring the
experiences of people of colour.
The Equality Act 2010 exists
because discrimination exists.
Senior leaders in many
organisations have not been
reflective of the society they are
from or the customers they serve.
The cold hard truth is all of us
have a bias (conscious and/or
unconscious) that influences our
thinking and decision-making,
but in workplaces this leads to
more of the same at senior levels,
with like appointing like.
Difference is not welcomed in
some organisations because
accepting difference means a
change in status quo and sharing
(or giving up) ‘power’.
Pay gap reporting was
introduced because the playing
field was not level. Nobody wants
a tick-box approach to inclusion.
What I want to see is a fair
opportunity for everyone. It is a
shame that we need legislation to
remind us that everyone deserves
to be treated with dignity, respect
and fairness in the workplace.
Shakil Butt
It’s a reflection of how far we
need to travel that HR
professionals (with their ability to
influence line managers and
workplace culture) hold the view
that achieving a diverse workforce
is at odds with appointing the
best candidate for the job.
Teresa Williams
Prejudice towards
vegans endemic in the
workplace, 10 May
Almost half (45%) of vegan
employees feel they have
been discriminated against,
according to Crossland
Employment Solicitors.
I am a vegan and a member of the
leadership team (head of HR). I
was astounded that a fellow
colleague in HR asked me if I was
mad when I told her that I had
become a vegan, and another
senior leader tried to antagonise
me by saying that the lambs and
calves had to be slaughtered
otherwise there would be too
many of them. Unbelievable!
Lindsay Blackman
hrmagazine.co.uk June 2019 HR 19
All photographs: AdobeStock
Does the government
understand the issues around
flexible working?
Poor financial
wellbeing can
increase stress
and lower
Yes 80%
No 20%
Yes 6%
No 94%
productivity.
Would you give
employees a day
off to focus on
their finances?
Yes 86%
No 14%
/hrmagazine.co.uk