Source: Personnel Today – article
Date: Thursday, June 01, 2006

Only 36 per cent of firms have specialised diversity or equal opportunities function

UK organisations are still not putting enough energy, resources or money into diversity, according to new CIPD research.

Only 30 per cent of organisations have a special budget for diversity and only 36 per cent have a specialised diversity or equal opportunities function, says the report, Diversity in Business: How Much Progress Have Employers Made?

“This raises questions about how much energy organisations are putting into it,” Dianah Worman, CIPD adviser, diversity, told PM. “Only a small number invest resources in terms of a budget.”

Although 93 per cent of organisations have a diversity policy, the research suggests that it is only when organisations recognise and communicate the value that diversity can add to business that they prioritise it and get senior management support to help progress it.

“You’ve got to have top-team commitment to get it to take off,” said Worman. More than half of the professionals involved in diversity management (53 per cent) are not contracted to work on diversity, but do it anyway.

Companies are also beginning to realise the business case for diversity, with 64 per cent saying the ability to “recruit and retain top talent” was a key driver.

“But work still needs to be done,” Worman said. “The emphasis needs to be on more education and understanding.”

The survey, of 285 professionals, also reveals that disability is the most popular issue covered in diversity policies, yet 40 per cent still fail to include it, leaving firms open to potential legal claims.