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Previous Issues
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
April 2011
1) Research Helps Construction 'Build For The Future'
2) It pays not to be too attractive – if you're a woman looking for a job
3) UK companies increase ethnic recruitment
4) Employers concerned by tuition fee rises - Concerns over social mobility and diversity of graduates
5) Mitie Group recognised for family-friendly policies
6) Boardroom diversity 'more important than ever'
7) Employers winning for women in the workplace
8) One in Six UK Employees Discriminated Against
9) Move over grandad: Younger employees want their older colleagues out
10) Home Office recognised for employing disabled achievement
Research Helps Construction 'Build For The Future'
New research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission sets out the business case for increasing diversity in the construction industry as a way for the sector to tackle its skills shortage. The report found that addressing race, gender, disability and age diversity also helps the industry to reduce costs and increase business opportunities. It follows the Commission's Inquiry into race in the construction industry which found that the industry was missing out on an untapped pool of talent as, despite being one of Britain's biggest employers, only three per cent of the workforce were Black or Asian.
It pays not to be too attractive – if you're a woman looking for a job
Looks matter if you want to get a job – but it may only help you if you're a handsome man rather than a pretty woman. According to research presented at the Royal Economic Society's conference this week, good-looking women are being discriminated against by female recruiters. Attractive women are better off omitting their photograph from a CV since it decreases their chances of a getting a response by 20 to 30 per cent, the study found. Two Israeli academics, Bradley Ruffle and Ze'ev Shtudiner, sent more than 5,000 CVs to over 2,500 advertised job openings. For each application they sent two CVs, one without a picture and the other containing a picture of either an attractive-looking man or woman or a plain-looking man or woman.
UK companies increase ethnic recruitment
Large companies in the UK are encouraged to increase the percentage of employees from ethnic minorities as these communities continue to grow. Over the next 10 years, ethnic minorities in the UK will account for more than half the growth in the working age population. The ethnic minority population has grown by 53 per cent in the past decade. Almost one in eight working age people in Great Britain are from an ethnic minority. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, inclusion of ethnic minorities at every level of the workforce is not simply an issue of fairness or justice; it is central to the country's future prosperity.
Employers concerned by tuition fee rises - Concerns over social mobility and diversity of graduates
The cost of a university education is rising – almost, it seems, by the week. When fees reform was passed in response to Lord Browne’s review last year, ministers predicted that few universities would charge the maximum of £9000 per year; but as the weeks go by and more and more institutions announce they are adopting this figure, employers are left wondering how many aspiring students will abandon higher education, and what the effect on their talent pipeline and recruitment practices will be. Unions are already predicting a negative fallout for social mobility and diversity in the workplace, and the recent government report Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers - which made it a goal to ensure “that everyone has a fair chance to get a better job than their parents” – recognised that social mobility is a real concern. Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, said an AGR poll of recruiters last November highlighted concerns that a fees rise would reduce the diversity of candidates. “It’s too early to be certain of the impact, and that uncertainty is part of the worry for employers,” he said. He warned that parents from poorer socio-economic backgrounds may not even know what questions to ask to find out about financial support for university study, and would be put off by the headline fees figure.
Mitie Group recognised for family-friendly policies
Mitie Group has been named one of the The Times Top 50 employers for women. The strategic outsourcing firm has introduced a series of initiatives to improve its culture for female employees in recent years, including childcare vouchers; flexible working hours and a flexi-leave system; home working and a compressed working fortnight option, and additional annual leave purchase schemes. Mitie also offers programmes to encourage its female staff to return to work after taking maternity leave and to support flexible working.
Boardroom diversity 'more important than ever'
The need for companies to adopt a diverse boardroom recruitment policy has never been greater, according to the chair of Opportunity Now. Speaking at the 2011 Excellence in Practice Awards, Alison Platt insisted equality in the workplace is not just a concern for women, but is also a crucial business issue. It helps to ensure all employees are motivated, productive and engaged, she said. Ms Platt added: "It is vital to our success as a country, economy and society that all available talent is leveraged and utilised. "This should be seen as a strategic priority that delivers competitive advantage." Keynote speaker at the ceremony, executive chairman of Capgemini Christine Hodgson, added she has no doubt that gender has become a bigger issue for "enlightened organisations". Opportunity Now is a membership body aimed at employers that have pledged to create an inclusive environment for women in the workplace.
Employers winning for women in the workplace
Organisations with the most impactful and innovative approaches to creating equality for women at work have been announced. Women still experience huge inequality in the labour market and these awards recognise large employers from the private and public sectors that have put gender issues firmly on their business agendas. The awards are presented by Opportunity Now, the workplace gender campaign within Business in the Community. The awards mark the start of the campaign’s 20th anniversary year. Listed below are the awards and winners:
One in Six UK Employees Discriminated Against
A new study from the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) revealed that one in six (16%) workers feel they have been discriminated against when applying for a job or promotion at some point in their career because of favouritism in the workplace. The findings from the research back up a little-known theory that there is a tendency for people to recruit workers who bear similarities to themselves or to others in their company and this is done, for the most part, unconsciously. In total, over a third (35%) of respondents felt they have been discriminated against when trying to move company or applying for a more senior position in the same company. Age is the most common reason (17%), closely followed by favouritism/the other candidate fitting the company’s ‘personality’ better (16%). Workers in the North were most likely to feel they had fallen victim to favouritism, with 22% in the North East and 19% in the North West believing that they had been discriminated against for this reason, compared to 11% in Northern Ireland and 12% in the South West.
Move over grandad: Younger employees want their older colleagues out
The Government may be encouraging older people to work longer, but Britain’s young adults want them off the agenda. Research by ICM for older people's housing and care provider, Anchor, reveal 'ageist attitudes' are endemic in the workplace, with two-fifths (41%) of Britons aged 18-24 saying there aren't enough jobs for older people to be in work and 14% claiming older people should retire to make way for younger blood. Despite the default retirement age of 65 ending this year, so far as young people are concerned you hit the old age mark when you reach 62. One-fifth (21%) believe the over-60s are slower and are less productive than their junior counterparts, with one in 20 claiming they should be paid less because they work at a slower pace. To tackle the misconceptions, Anchor is launching 'Grey Pride', a nationwide petition to 10 Downing Street calling for Britain to follow the lead of Ireland and Canada and have a minister for older people to champion the over-60s at the highest level.
Home Office recognised for employing disabled achievement
The Home Office has become the first organisation to achieve a new benchmark in employing disabled people. The new 'Proud to be Clear Assured' status has been awarded to the department, in recognition of its recruitment and retention of disabled talent. This rating is part of an assessment programme launched by the Clear Company to help organisations identify barriers to the recruitment of disabled people. The Clear Company highlighted several areas of best practice in the Home Office, including the level of support for disabled candidates and using alternative assessment methods such as work trials or working interviews to help see past the disability to the ability that lies beyond. Ravi Chand, head of equality and diversity at the Home Office, said: "I am delighted that the Home Office has become the first ever organisation to achieve Clear Assured status.
