Your business’ responsibility, first and foremost, is to its workforce. Clients may come and clients may go, but members of your staff may stay loyal for the duration of your company’s active period – and keeping them on the side is paramount. With that in mind, it may be time to review your business practices with regard to under-represented communities – from the BAME population to the disabled population.
Why Equal Opportunities Are Crucial to Good Business
Equal opportunities are not just important to your business; they are instrumental. With a BAME population of over 14%, but accounting for only 6.3% of the UK’s most powerful, the disparity is real – and worse in lower-class communities, not to mention the disabled population. It is not only good PR to present a diverse workforce to the rest of your industry, but an act of cultural revolution: an opportunity to those that unfairly don’t receive it; power to those owed it; and money to those that deserve it. The idea that equal opportunities employment is a numbers game, or compliance to assuage independent bodies is finally outmoded, and under-represented members of the workforce are being recognized for the assets they can be. Businesses that don’t treat equal opportunities initiatives seriously run the risk of being on the wrong side of history – and stagnating their growth from missing the brightest and best in class.
The Importance of Management Support
Often described in business terms like ‘leadership buy-in’, having the full and unquestioning support of your management or business-ownership team in implementing equal-opportunities employment initiatives is deeply important. If your business leaders aren’t fully on board with measurements that ensure a more diverse team, you’ll struggle to make that team fully welcome – and should any part of your business processes become transparent or public, you want to be sure you have management on the side.
It is also important to have the entirety of the upper echelons of the business on the same page, as training and other public engagements swing into view. The top of the company needs to set an example for everybody else, and if bias-related training is offered to employees that see business owners still struggling with similar concepts, the disconnect can lead to disharmony. Likewise with public engagements: ineffective messaging across the board can cause crossed wires, and mistakes made in public are not easily unmade.
Examples of Equal Opportunity Initiatives
‘Equal opportunities’ is not just a term to describe the employment process. It is a responsibility, to be held by your business for the entirety of its operational existence. It means making allowances and compromises which allow under-represented and marginalized communities to flourish under its direction. There are several ways this can manifest. For example, your company might already engage in a carpooling scheme for its employees. With disabled members of staff unable to access certain models of car, it might be a good idea to purchase a vehicle with disabled access for company use.
Your business may also require the use of stairs to access various floors. Without ramps or adequate elevator solutions, your workspace is unsuitable for a significant proportion of the population – whether prospective employees or prospective clients.
