Promote the organisation’s workforce diversity in internal and external forums to enhance the company’s image and reputation
3.2. Capture ideas and information from the diversity in the workforce to enhance products and services and contribute to competitive advantage
3.3. Support organisational efforts to value diversity
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3.1 – Promote the organisation’s workforce diversity in internal and external forums to enhance the company’s image and reputation
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
➢ Identify appropriate forums for diversity promotion
➢ Target promotions to the intended audience
➢ Understand and apply methods to enhance organisational image and reputation in diversity promotions.
Actively promote diversity
Opportunities to promote diversity should be taken where possible; this will ensure that diversity issues in the workplace are kept at bay, and that inclusion practices are successfully encouraged and maintained. Diversity awareness and promotion should also be made externally, i.e. to your customers/clients, suppliers and community, this will show that your organisation is using ethical practices and is supportive of community and business needs.
You should use internal and external forums to ensure your message is communicated to others in a variety of ways. This enables your organisation to shape its business practices and provides an opportunity to convey company philosophy that reflects a positive diversity message.
Internal forums include:
➢ At stakeholder meetings
➢ In employer and senior management discussions
➢ Within the work premises, e.g. on notice boards or at staff events and meetings
➢ In staff mentoring or sponsorship programs
➢ At customer/client events, e.g. hosting a cultural food or music event.
External forums include:
➢ In local/national press or radio
➢ Via the internet (e.g. your website and with industry organisation websites)
➢ Industry seminars and trade events
➢ At networking opportunities
➢ Community fayres and shows.
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When promoting diversity, you will need to have a clear understanding of the objectives and the achievements you would like to make. Your organisation will need to determine how it wants to position itself within its business market, and how it wants to be perceived by others.
Diversity objectives may include:
➢ Placing value on the skills and contributions of all employees
➢ Supporting employees to engage in inclusive practices and workplace interactions
➢ Diversity in recruitment
➢ Diversity in customer/client interactions and events
➢ Providing skills development and training opportunities for staff
➢ Encouraging employee progression
➢ Incorporating flexible work practices to attract a diverse workforce and to maintain staff retention
➢ Incorporating flexible work practices to meet the needs of customers/clients
➢ A positive organisational culture to diversity
➢ Integration of employees from different diverse groups
➢ Inclusive practices to accommodate customer/client needs
➢ Being respectful to all individuals and maintaining the dignity of others.
Enhancing the organisation’s diversity image will attract a more diverse customer/client base and will show that you are able to provide products and services that meet customer/client needs.
It will also be a place of work that actively encourages respect and inclusion, making this a happier and more productive work environment. Staff will be more inclined to stay and will tell others the positive attributes that exist within the organisation’s diversity and inclusion practices.
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Activity 3A
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3.2 – Capture ideas and information from the diversity in the workforce to enhance products and services and contribute to competitive advantage
3.3 – Support organisational efforts to value diversity
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
➢ Organise and participate in workplace meetings and discussions
➢ Request feedback and information from employees
➢ Assess how improvements to products and services may be made after receiving ideas and information from employees
➢ Identify their organisation’s values in regards to diversity
➢ Assess how organisational diversity values can be supported and promoted
➢ Support organisational diversity values when conducting work and workplace communications.
Interacting with your workforce
Having a diverse workforce will provide your organisation with a source of potential ideas and information for diversity improvements and initiatives. Talking with a range of diverse employees will give you an opportunity to understand, from first-hand experience, the different community preferences and needs. It also provides an opportunity for employees to be included within organisational planning and ideas for customers/clients.
Seeking opinions and information from both employees and your customers/clients will help improve organisational understanding. Your customers/clients can provide you with a different perspective on your organisation and on how products and services are being received.
You can:
➢ Discuss workplace ideas in employee meetings
➢ Brainstorm ideas for different customer/client events
➢ Provide a suggestions box for event ideas or themes
➢ Ask employees to define what diversity means to them
➢ Seek feedback from diverse group employees on their
experiences at work
➢ Provide opportunities for customers/clients to provide
you with feedback on products and services.
Working within hospitality will mean that customer/client preferences will strongly influence your business. Trends and habits change, and it is important to observe changes in the environment to minimise negative impacts on your business.
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Economic changes will be reliant upon other influences such as global economy and changes in business, and these are more difficult to negate. Customer/client spending will be affected and ensuring you pick up a market share of this will be dependent on how you interact with customers/clients and the products and services you offer. Listening to customers/clients will help you to meet these needs.
Valuing diversity
To help your organisation show its value in diversity, you can engage in activities to communicate this. Your organisation can work with the community in support of diversity, e.g. providing catering or entertainment for community events, this will help raise your organisation’s profile on diversity. Your organisation can also be an advocate for diversity on a larger scale by working with other organisations that champion this. Getting involved in industry activities and events can also help ensure that you remain current in your diversity practices and approaches.
Use of a positive diversity statement on organisational literature or website can reinforce your organisation’s positive diversity beliefs. This can also help attract diverse candidates in recruitment.
Organisational diversity values may include:
➢ The breaking down of negative prejudices and barriers with those who are different
➢ Workplace collegiality
➢ Treating all people with respect and dignity
➢ Welcoming difference
➢ Diversification in business
➢ Increased morale and productivity at work and in the community
➢ Innovative business strategies and approaches to engage with diverse groups.
Diversity strategies
Using strategies will help you to maintain the required focus with your organisation’s diversity needs. This focus will ensure that actions are formulated and carried out appropriately, and to plan.
Strategies can be used to ensure that employees and work teams are managed effectively; they can also be used to help guide your business ideas and actions (or objectives).
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Strategies for diversity understanding and respect in the work team may include:
➢ Partnering employees from different diverse groups together in work tasks
➢ Encouraging staff to discuss diversity issues/matters with you (and in confidence) and in team meetings
➢ Diversity training
➢ Leading by example, i.e. demonstrating good behaviours
➢ Team building activities and social events.
Strategies for diversity within workplace actions may include:
➢ Working with and supporting diversity in the community
➢ Inclusive and respectful communications
➢ Diversification within business
➢ Attracting a more diverse customer/client
base
➢ Championing diversity causes.
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Activity 3B
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Summative Assessments
At the end of your Learner Workbook, you will find the Summative Assessments.
This includes:
➢ Skills assessment
➢ Knowledge assessment
➢ Performance assessment.
This holistically assesses your understanding and application of the skills, knowledge and performance requirements for this unit. Once this is completed, you will have finished this unit and be ready to move onto the next one – well done!
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