Feature Article

Equal opportunity or Diversity Employment. Which is better?

There is a big difference between non-discrimination (equal opportunity), a minimalist approach and having a pro-active approach to a diverse work force. In order for someone with a disability or for someone from another disadvantaged group to prove discrimination there has to be blatant and obvious reasons for discrimination. This needs to be clearly the reason for a person not to get the job. This is usually very hard to prove because organisations and individuals site other reasons for the person not being successful. Additionally, most organisations destroy the source data as soon as someone is appointed. The inequity in employment can be shown by the much higher statistics for unemployment amongst disadvantaged groups. For people with a disability this can be as high as 70 to 80 per cent. Figures quoted by the Federal Government are 8.6% unemployment for people with disabilities. This however does not measure anyone on a DSP (Disability Support Pension) and who are not counted as unemployed.

In Melbourne, at the Civic Participation Forum on 29 October 2004 Rhonda Galbally (CEO of Our Community in Victoria and Chair of Disability Advisory Council of Victoria DACV) stated that "The number one issue for people with disabilities is employment". She asked "What is the representation of people with disabilities in government? All levels of government including local government have a responsibility to measure whether their work force is open and accessible to people with disabilities in employment”.

There is research that shows having a diverse work force provides greater efficiency and a better bottom line. Garry Becker won the Nobel prize for economics in 1992 for showing this as part of his research into using Human Capital. An article entitled “How you can do better on Diversity” published in Fortune Magazine in May 2004 had the following quote:

"Moreover the Urban League Study shows that at the eight companies where diversity is a fact of life, productivity growth in the past four years exceeded that of the economy as a whole by 18%. Getting serious about work place diversity is not just the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do.”

Philip Garside (Melbourne Australia) who is well renound for his books on interviewing says:
"it is human nature to want to appoint people like ourselves to our work place. If you look at your friends they tend to look and think like you, and often have the same values. Therefore unless an organisation has diversity and work place policies in place it is very difficult to get a more diverse work place by hoping this will happen naturally”.

Telstra, IBM and other organisations who employ many people from disadvantaged groups (including people with a disability) have measurement tools in place to show that these people have lower staff turn over, take less sick days and value their jobs more. Telstra employs more than 600 people with a disability. Other organisations which are leaders in Diversity Employment in Australia such as The Queensland Department of Education (employ 9% of their work force with disabilities) and Brisbane City Council (Employ 11.2% of their work force with disabilities). These companies take the corporate view that a better service is provided to customers if their work force reflects the demographics of those they serve. If their staff understand the needs and issues faced by the “customer” then it makes sense those customers will get a better service.
To achieve success in Diversity Employment there are several key elements which consistently seem to be in place by organisations which are achieving “best practice”.

• A top down commitment to achieving a diverse work force (from the Board and senior management
  
• Getting base line data on where the organisation is starting from
  
• The setting of targets which can be achieved in planned stages
  
• Line management to be accountable for achieving targets
  
• A high level of staff training and awareness as well as having conflict management strategies in place
  
• Establishment of an Equity and Diversity unit in the HR Department to drive and champion the process through the organisation

In order to know whether the policies and strategies adopted by an organisation are successful, it is essential to measure them both before and after the adoption of the change management strategies. There seems to be an unwillingness to do this by some people in the area of diversity and disability employment. However, this is not the case in other areas of an organisation where achieving change is continually made.

Some people in senior positions use the word “quoter” rather than “target” to give a negative implication about their organisation having any real commitment to the process of adopting change. They use the word “quoter” to imply that people will be put in jobs just to fill the quoter rather than because they can do the job. Other people argue that this will destroy the principle of appointing people on “merit”. What they need to recognise is that those who are disadvantaged by disability, age, race, or culture are not usually competing for jobs on an equal basis to everyone else. Therefore, unless the organisation employing them takes a pro-active approach to address their disadvantage they will continue to be disadvantaged. This will be reinforced from constant negative experience and knock backs. Over time these people may give up trying to find work all together.

Peter Rickards
(Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment)