Unconscious bias in action: four of the most common bias-related issues in people decisions
A while ago, I spoke to an investment banker who believed that he was far too clever to have unconscious biases. His argument was that he was so intelligent, everything passed through his conscious mind in order to get into his unconscious mind. He therefore believed it was impossible for him to have any unconscious […]
Three fascinating studies on diversity you won’t have heard of
We’re writing loads of content on diversity in order to help organisations turn the dial, all collated in our diversity content hub. In this piece, we look at three interesting studies on diversity and the conclusions that were drawn. Study #1: Non-white or female bosses who push diversity are judged negatively by their peers and […]
We need to talk about race: why are we making so little progress on ethnic diversity?
We’re making significant progress with gender diversity in the workplace. Yet when it comes to race and ethnicity, advancements have been harder to see. Only 6% of top management jobs are held by black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) leaders. That is simply not good enough when you consider BAME groups make up 12% of […]
Inclusion is the glue: 5 ways to create a holistic diverse and inclusive company
Corporate recruiters and headhunters spend an exorbitant amount of time and effort to recruit diverse talent. Even when organisations are serious about diversity– as with an ever growing number of companies – it is not enough to merely push for more diversity. By merely creating diverse teams without appropriate organisational and managerial interventions, companies run […]
Be yourself! Individualism in the workplace
The Plainspeak Analyst is Katherine Jones, Partner and Director of Talent Research at Mercer, the world’s largest human resources consulting firm. Her job is to design and deliver insight research and services to Mercer’s global clients. She was previously VP, Human Capital Management Technology Research at Bersin by Deloitte. She has a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Cornell University. […]
Employ disabled people: it makes sound business sense
Considering there are over 13 million disabled people and people with long-term health conditions in the UK, it makes good business sense for small and medium-sized businesses to not only tap into this consumer market – which has a spending power of over £80 billion – but also to recruit from this group, as the […]
“Make diversity and inclusion a business topic, not just an HR topic.”
Melisa Waters is Group Head of Engagement, Culture, Diversity and Inclusion at AXA. Advancing gender parity at the senior level is a key priority for this global insurance company. Launched in 2014, its Sponsorship Tandem programme has been successful in helping talented women develop their skills to become the next generation of leaders. Melisa has […]
It’s not just about toilets! How to make a trans and non-binary inclusive workplace
I am sitting on a hot train returning to London having just delivered another awareness and training session, with trans*formation (a network and advocacy group for Trans* professionals) reflecting on how it went. I was overjoyed by the questions from the audience, particularly because I hadn’t been asked about gender-neutral toilets. Far too often the discussion […]
“When seeking to address diversity and inclusion too much focus is placed on those who are ‘different’.”
Steven Cox has recently been appointed as Global Ambassador for Diversity & Inclusion at Fujitsu. Prior to this he was responsible for Fujitsu’s UK Public Sector and Transport Business and was part of the UK executive leadership team. We caught up with Steven to find out how he’s hoping to drive diversity and inclusion activities […]
“If people feel excluded, they will leave – it’s as simple as that.”
Carol Rosati OBE has recently joined The Chemistry Group as Champion of Diversity. She brings with her over 25 years of talent management experience and a passion for creating more inclusive workplaces. Becky Norman, Deputy Editor, HRZone: Can you tell us a bit about your past roles and how your extensive talent management knowledge will […]
Invest in women to beat tech’s diversity problem
You’d be hard pressed to find an HR professional who isn’t acutely aware of the diversity problems that the technology industry has. Everyday there’s another horror story and calls to ‘do more’ to get employees from more diverse backgrounds into technology-based companies and roles – often with few actionable solutions. The technology industry’s gender problem is matched by C-suites of all industries. Following […]
Why workplace diversity is everyone’s business
Last month a report by Aldermore found that 26% of SMEs have no plans to make workforce diversity a priority for their organisation in the next 12 months, while a further 22% said it was a low priority for them. This is a disappointing statistic, but it also shows the importance of persuading all businesses […]
Is ‘fit’ the new bias?
We go out of our way to recruit candidates who suit the particular culture of our workplace. But is this another form of discrimination, and could it be holding your company back? You’ve probably heard these sorts of comments before: “They’re good, but I’m not sure they fit in with the team” or “They have […]
Male managers command less authority in ‘female’ jobs
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
What more can we do to promote women in tech?
Despite hiring people from all over the globe, Norway is where the company I work for, Auka, is based and was founded. Norway is one of the most progressive countries in the world in terms of gender equality. In a recent World Economic Forum report about the global gender gap, Norway was ranked a close […]
Stamping out sexism: why kicking high heels off office dress codes is still important
Recently, the high heels dress code row that started in the summer of 2016 came to an end. After months of ongoing debate and widespread public outcries from the female professional community, MPs shut down calls to end the presence of high heels on formal office dress codes for women. They ruled that businesses have the […]
5 things you need to know about gender pay gap reporting
All employers in the private sector with 250 or more “relevant employees” on the key snapshot date of 5th April 2017 have to publish, both on a government portal and on their own website, information about the organisation’s gender pay gap.What do you need to know to do this successfully? We’ve published a complete guide, […]
Taking action on diversity: the role of data
The evidence for the importance of diversity in the workforce is abundant and often cited – and yet progress towards more inclusive and diverse workplaces remains stubbornly slow. All too often, gender, ethnicity and sexuality continue to count against opportunity for individuals who do not fit the middle aged, white, heterosexual male archetype. We also […]
The business case for diversity: tackling the inconvenient truth
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
Why mothers are paid 3% less at work per child
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
