Inclusion and diversity

The CIPD believe that recognising and valuing diversity is central to good people management practices. Furthermore, a genuinely inclusive organisation culture is essential to enable a diverse group of people to work together effectively.

Inclusion is an important focus for the CIPD in pursuit of our purpose to champion better work and working lives, and we believe it’s the right thing to do. We advocate that organisations should go beyond legal requirements to develop truly inclusive workplaces where people are treated as individuals, feel valued and that their contribution matters and is recognised in a fair manner. HR practitioners have a critical role to play in achieving this, including regularly reviewing people management practices and approaches to ensure they reflect the fundamental principles of fairness, transparency and equality of opportunity, as well as challenging behaviours that undermine them. There also needs to be firm leadership commitment to inclusion and diversity with leaders role-modelling inclusive behaviours.

Those employers already taking action to make their workplaces attractive to people, irrespective of their identity are going to be on the front foot when it comes to attracting, engaging and retaining people from a broader talent pool. In addition, having a diverse workforce who feel included and valued could help your business have a better understanding of your customer’s needs, appeal to a more diverse customer base and discover new market opportunities. It’s also about your reputation as a good employer where people want to come to work and see opportunities to reach their potential.

The value of mature workers to organisations in Singapore

Singapore has one of the fastest ageing populations in Asia, which is compounded by a very low fertility rate.

The changing age profile of its population together with a tight labour market means it makes business sense to recruit and retain older workers.

The Singaporean Government has introduced a range of initiatives which aim to enable workers to stay employed and work longer. In the end, however, employers also have a critical role to play in helping older workers stay employed. They may need to redesign jobs, adapt workplace practices and upgrade skills throughout employees’ careers to enable older workers to remain productive and to fully harness their wealth of experience, skills and knowledge. In addition, prejudices, stereotypes and age discrimination can create barriers that prevent organisations from accessing and retaining the skills and talent they need.

In late 2012, the CIPD and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) in Singapore collaborated to research employers’ attitudes towards mature workers and the return on investment they bring to organisations. The research was conducted through an online survey which set out to examine attitudes towards older workers through questions concerning the characteristics, skills, requirements and cost-benefits of older workers; age-related recruitment preferences; attitudes towards training older workers; retirement policies; and the impact of the re-employment law.

Access the full report here

Related research and guidance

The CIPD has also published a range of research and guidance on how employers can best manage an increasingly older workforce in the context of their health and well-being and care responsibilities

In these three resources, the CIPD looks at the female entrepreneurship and diversity in the boardroom.

With over 60% of LGBT graduates who were ‘out’ at university going back into the closet when they start work, and employees who feel they can’t disclose using as much as 30% of their mental energy hiding their true identity this is a vital issue for HR to get right and to keep developing beyond policies and disclosure statistics.

Listen to our podcast mini-series on LGBT+ in the workplace

Research shows that progress on racial equality at work is lagging behind gender diversity. So what is holding organisations back? Racism has no place in our society. Businesses must be part of the change we all need, to step up and stamp out prejudice, and to build diverse and supportive cultures of respect and fairness for all.