Society is complex and made up of people from different socio-economic backgrounds, countries, ethnic groups, different sexual orientations, ages, gender, disabilities, religions and belief systems (Olmec, 2008).
“Equality” and “diversity” are two terms that are often used in management and within organisations. Although sometimes used interchangeably, the terms ‘equality’ and ‘diversity’ are not the same. It is therefore important to think about what the terms mean because they can help to improve an organisation and society in general.
‘Diversity’ is a word that is tossed around in many areas of work and social life, and has come to mean different things to different people. To a stockbroker, it means a balanced portfolio of stocks, bonds and other investments. To a horticulturalist, it means balancing perennials, annuals, shade and sun. In the workplace, it means any point of human difference (Martinson, 2008).
Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Esty et al., 1995).
Companies need to focus on diversity and look for ways to become totally inclusive organisations because diversity has the potential of yielding greater productivity and competitive advantages (SHRM, 1995). Managing and valuing diversity is a key component of effective people management, which can also improve workplace productivity (Devoe, 1999).
Diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, recruitment, creativity, and business image. In an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness, diversity is critical for an organisation's success. Also, the consequences which include loss of time and money should not be overlooked (Green et al., 2011).
Equality is about creating a fairer society, where everyone can participate and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential (Anderson, 1999). Equality is usually defined as that general feeling of making everyone, irrespective of where they came from, feels like we are all the same. Equality thus recognises that:
1) Inequality exists and that discrimination needs to be tackled.
2) Employment and services should be accessible to all.
3) Everyone should be treated fairly.
4) Everyone has individual needs and the right to have those needs respected.
From the above deliberations, the following differences can be deduced from the terms diversity and equality.
· 1) Equality is concerned with treating everyone with just and fairness as diversity is focused on recognising differences and thriving on the said differences. This means that, equality is being able to work in a company or live in a community and get treated fairly while diversity knows that one may be different, but he/she would not be alienated or becomes a victim of discrimination.
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2) In essence, diversity is about people, and equality is about the equality of outcomes experienced by individuals and groups in diverse communities (Olmec, 2008).
· 3) Equality is about fair treatment while diversity is about respecting differences (Baker et al., 2004).
4) Equality is supported by legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate, victimise or harass someone because of a real or believed difference in contrast to diversity which has no legal backing but rather, is focused on values (Proactive Reputation Management, 2003).
Despite the noted dissimilarities between diversity and equality, it is worth mentioning that, both terms promote positivity in organisations and society and must be given the same level of attention (London Deanery, 2012).
Valuing and promoting equality and diversity on level pegging within an organisation, recognises the strengths of differences between individuals. This provides a great advantage in terms of flexibility, employee motivation and service user satisfaction:
· 1) A workforce that represents the diverse community of an organisation is able to better understand the needs of the community they serve.
· 2) By being more flexible, an organisation is able to respond to different needs.
· 3) Promoting equality of opportunity will attract, motivate and retain staff.
Diversity and equality are thus not interchangeable, but they are supportive of each other.
Impact of Age Legislation on employers
Since October 2006, it has been unlawful for employers and others to discriminate against a person on the basis of his/her age as a result of passage of the Age discrimination Legislation (DTI, 2006). The Age Legislation therefore applies effectively to everyone who is applying for work and who is in work. Employers, Vocational Training Providers, Employment Agencies, and Occupational Pension Scheme Trustees/Managers are all bound by the law and cannot discriminate against any individual because of their age; neither can they force anyone to leave employment just because of their age.
The impact of this Legislation on employers is as follows:
· 1) With older workers, employers would have to take positive steps in order to ensure that employees do not feel discriminated against. One such step is to allow them to attend a Pre-retirement course, which will help them to prepare sensibly for retirement, whenever they choose to retire (D3 Employee Solutions, 2012).
· 2) In addition, employers also have a duty to consider an employee’s request to stay on reinforcing the idea that from now on there is no longer a mandatory retirement age (Newman, 2006). In principal this appears to be a very positive step towards eradicating ageism – at least through to the age of 65.
· 3) Also, employers are also duty-bound to provide all employees, regardless of age, with the same work-related benefits, such as redundancy and life insurance.
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4) The new legislation could also prove more expensive for employers in the future which may act as a deterrent in terms of employers making efforts to retain workers past the age of 65.
· 5) The introduction of age discrimination legislation has also meant that employers are no longer able to use age related criteria within their recruitment adverts or as criteria within the selection process (CIPD, 2006).
Stereotype about younger and old people
Stereotypes are characteristics ascribed to groups of people involving gender, race, national origin and other factors. These characteristics tend to be oversimplifications of the groups involved, however (Nittle, 2012). For example, someone who meets a few individuals from a particular country and finds them to be quiet and reserved may spread the word that all citizens from the country in question are quiet and reserved. A generalisation such as this does not allow for diversity within groups and may result in stigmatisation and discrimination of groups if the stereotypes linked to them are largely negative. That said, even so-called positive stereotypes can be harmful due to their limiting nature (ibid.). Stereotypes suggest that people or groups of people are the same, when, in fact, they are quite different.
The following are some of the stereotypes held about younger and old people.
Stereotypes about younger people:
- Younger people are fast learners.
- Younger people are trouble makers.
- Younger people are inexperienced.
- Younger people are violent.
- Younger people are immature.
- Younger people are lazy.
Stereotypes about older people:
- Older people are less unproductive.
- Older people are reluctant to change.
- Older people all have disabilities.
- Older people are slow learners.
- Older people possess a great deal of experience.
- Older people do not want, or cannot benefit from training.
Changing attitudes towards old and younger people:
1) One way of dispelling perception is by keeping records of the performance of the older and younger people within an organisation. Directly comparing the performance of both the younger and older people in the workplace may help dispel any stereotypes that may exist regarding job performance of younger and older people e.g. old people work inefficiently and young people work efficiently.
2) Another way of changing the attitude of younger and older people is by encouraging team working between the younger and older people in the workplace. This may help change any preconceived views or attitudes that may have existed before the teamworking had taken place. This is because as the younger and older people work as team members, they may exhibit characteristics different from any existing stereotypes. They will work as a team and this practice may change their attitudes towards the age differences.
ASDA’s innovative practices in relation to equal opportunities
ASDA – a UK supermarket chain – also regarded as a good practice employer - has campaigned to ensure that their employees are treated fairly. ASDA is an equal opportunities employer. Described below are some of the innovative practices adopted by the company in relation to equal opportunities:
1) ASDA currently does not ask people applying for a job at any of its UK stores to give their date of birth on their application form.
David Smith, people director at ASDA, in defence of this innovative practice said:
We simply don't see the point in asking people for their age when it's completely irrelevant to our recruitment process. We take on the best personality for the job, regardless of when they were born. Our oldest recruit was over the age of 80 when they joined us and they're living proof that age isn't a barrier (Age Positive, 2006).
The move by the supermarket went beyond the new age discrimination laws, which came into effect on 1 October 2006 (Berry, 2006a). While the new regulations sought to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of age, they did not go so far as to prevent employers asking candidates how old they are when applying for a job, neither did they scrap the mandatory retirement age. This still left people over 65 without the right to choose whether they can carry on working.
ASDA has since then being one of the UK's biggest private sector employers of the over 50s, with more than 30,000 older workers. The company operates a number of flexible working packages to support older workers, such as grandparents' leave and leave for workers who need time away from work to care for a sick or elderly family member or friend (ibid.).
2) Another innovative practice employed by ASDA is the scrapping of its "under 18" pay rate to offer equal rates of pay for all employees doing the same job, regardless of their age (Berry, 2006b).
The supermarket chain has more than 5,000 colleagues who are under 18 working in its stores across England, Scotland and Wales and is investing more than £1.7m in upping their pay rate to match the pay of older workers.
The move came in the same week that the age discrimination legislation was launched, although the new rules did not force employers to level the playing field for pay in this way.
Until then, it was common practice for retailers to pay under 18s a lower rate of pay for doing the same job as someone who is over the age of 18 (Berry, 2006b).
3) ASDA supports young people with careers in retail, for example, through its ‘Flying the Flag’ programme which offers work experience at ASDA for young people for one or two weeks each year (The Times 100, 2012).
Each store ‘adopts’ two local secondary schools to encourage young people to consider a career in retail. Each store has a Community Colleague that works in the local community. He or she regularly visits schools to talk about the retail sector and their own experiences of working at ASDA, as well as the varied and numerous career options available. The company provides development opportunities to enable ASDA colleagues to reach their potential, whether as a manager in store or taking a place in the boardroom, regardless of their starting point (The Times 100, 2012).
CONCLUSION
Whilst there is a clear difference between Equality and Diversity, they are nonetheless interconnected; therefore, organisations need to respond simultaneously to equality legislation and be pro-active in diversity in order to optimise the benefits they both offer.
Organisations can promote equality and diversity by:
- treating all staff, customers and suppliers fairly
- creating an inclusive culture for all staff
- enabling all staff to develop to their full potential
- equipping staff with the skills to challenge inequality and discrimination in the work/study environment
- making certain that any working materials do not discriminate against any individuals or groups
- ensuring policies, procedures and processes do not discriminate (Martinson, 2008).
It is only where diversity is recognised and celebrated that there can be real equality.
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