Dealing with Diversity, what it means to me

I regularly get asked by clients – “how do we improve diversity in the workplace?” The answer is a complex one. It is my opinion, in order to address and therefore improve diversity in the workplace we have to look at the underlying issues. How do we create a flexible workplace? How do we attract women or men that want to return to the workplace after introducing a child into their family? How do we attract women to certain industries?

The issue is a personal one. I remember having my first child and receiving a call from my MD at the time saying that due to the financial status of the organisation they could not guarantee me a position if I chose to return. At the time, the redundancy was welcome. A bit of money in the bank and savings to put aside. What I was not prepared for was the challenge in finding work that was flexible as I sought a new role– part time work can be hard to find, and some employers struggle with the flexibility in leaving early or taking time off if my child was ill.

It raised questions for me- sure I could return to work part time (If I ever found part time work that is) but would there ever be a chance of progression? Why do we not have a more flexible environment for working women? Why do we not encourage parents to return to work? Why are we close minded in how we approach the working environment?

In order to address diversity in the workplace you need to ask yourself what questions are my employees asking?

I’ll be putting out a series of blogs on this theme, featuring more of my own experience, interviews with others who have found innovative ways to bring diversity to their roles or businesses and reviewing the latest research commentary on this critical issues.

I invite you to get in touch to discuss Diversity in your organisation or you career.

By Penny Litras