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What is diversity

What is diversity?

A diverse team is a team in which every member of staff regardless of their age, gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and regardless of how they operate, or what they look like are valued as an individual and not as a member of a group. There are sound business arguments in favour of recruiting a workforce that represents the local communities in which the organisation operates.

Equal opportunities and diversity management

Are they one in the same or should they be considered as separate considerations in the management and treatment of people in the workplace?

Diversity management moves on a considerable step further than equal opportunity and does not rely upon positive action. Today, we expect all businesses and organisations to promote equal opportunity in the workplace and indeed to have policy statements that reflect the principles of equality.

Managing diversity Equal opportunities
Ensures all employees maximise their potential and their contribution to the organization Concentrates on issues of discrimination
No one is excluded Perceived as an issue for women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities
Concentrates on issues of movement within an organisation, the culture of the organisation, and the meeting of business objectives Less of an emphasis on culture change and a meeting of business objectives
A concern for all employees, especially managers Seen as an issue to do with personnel and human resource practitioners
Does not rely on positive or affirmative action Relies on positive action


Equal treatment originally centred around women in the workplace having the same opportunities as males in terms of jobs and pay levels. It is fair to say that these values and initiatives have in most cases been embraced.

Rarely do we see a job vacancy advertised without the organisation reminding us that they are an "equal opportunity employer", usually now coupled with the "positive to disabled" two ticks symbol.

With the introduction of further legislation on disability and race issues there have been extensions to equal treatments policies. Many public and private organisations and businesses show positive results with examples of good practice, procedure and the improvement of policies. This in turn leads to some of the barriers into employment faced by certain disadvantaged groups being addressed in a positive way.

Actions taken by the employers are indeed welcome and appreciated. Embracing Diversity in the workplace concerns and involves everyone.

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