Learn how to promote equal opportunities and manage inclusion and diversity in the workplace
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.
Improving inclusion and diversity in the workplace has been a critical focus for people professionals for some time, yet real progress appears slow or stagnant. Could technology be an unexpected friend in solving this very human issue?
We outline five areas in which people professionals can take action to build inclusion in the workplace
Use our inclusion health checker tool to help you build an inclusive workplace
This course explains the importance of working inclusively. It will help you to develop this key behaviour to achieve positive outcomes in your role
Develop an evidence-based view of D&I by exploring our research report and practitioner-focused recommendations
Assessing the evidence on the outcomes of diversity at work and how organisations can tackle these to make work an equal business
Learn more about neurodiversity, the benefits for organisations, and how to support neurodivergent people to be comfortable and successful at work
Episode 152: What is neurodiversity, what are the benefits for your organisation, and how can you create a neurodiverse-friendly workplace where people can thrive?
A discussion of the pros and cons of quotas and other affirmative action policies, reviewing evidence from politics education and the workplace
Understand what inclusion and diversity mean in the workplace and how an effective I&D strategy can support business
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.
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
Discover the policy frameworks and initiatives on offer to support older workers in the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany and the UK
Employee perspectives on age diversity at work, with recommendations for employers and summary interviews from case study organisations
An examination of the issues relating to managing an age-diverse workforce, comparing employee and employer/HR perspectives
In these three resources, the CIPD looks at the female entrepreneurship and diversity in the boardroom.
Explores the world of female entrepreneurs, their impact on the economy, and their unique approaches to leadership and running their businesses
What does it take to set up and run your own business? This podcast focuses on the experiences of two female entrepreneurs and discusses how organisations can develop their own entrepreneurial culture.
Should businesses have mandatory quotas for women in senior positions? HR and diversity experts give their views on gender diversity, how far businesses have come and how far they have still to go.
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
These four podcasts focus on the experiences of professionals in the LGBT community, the challenges they’ve faced and the role they believe HR can play in developing inclusive workplaces.
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.
This report highlights the role managers play in helping to facilitate more inclusive, empathetic working styles in multicultural teams
Episode 137: We look at why organisations find it more difficult to talk about BAME diversity than gender diversity and HR’s role in supporting change.
