How do I cohesion proof my organisation?

Here are a list of things to do, and not do, to help you think about cohesion in the workplace.

Do

1.  Undertake an audit/review of the workforce to establish the background of all employees. This will help you to get a picture of your organisation but you will also need to find out how these groups relate to each other and whether tensions exist within your workforce. This will enable you to identify and understand the cohesion issues faced by the company.

How?

2.  Engage with the workforce directly or through representative bodies such as trade unions, to ensure that problems on the ground are identified and dealt with quickly.

A good mechanism for engaging with your workforce is through employee networks. Having employee networks are a great opportunity to allow like-minded people to come together and discuss issues that affect them in the workplace. It is important when setting up networks that governance arrangements are set by employers and that the networks do not create or reinforce divisions. Our network pages have more detailed information on networks.

BT People Networks is a good example of this engagement through networks.

3.  People need to be able to communicate across the entire organisation and that means ensuring a common language within the workforce.

How?

• Have a clear language policy, agreed with employees.
• Offer English language training for staff (perhaps supported by, or part of, other local schemes).
• Try partnering up through buddying schemes, to raise the confidence of non-English speakers and to break down any barriers and encourage cohesion.
• Ensure the whole workforce understands the benefits of a common language in the workforce in terms of improved communication and interaction.

Bradgate Bakery implemented a language policy which has helped the organisation break down language barriers.

4.  Seek support and advice to address any of the different aspects of cohesion and their impact on the workplace and the wider community.

How?

• Build links with community and faith leaders.
• Get advice and support from local agencies - no business is an island and your problems are almost certain to be found elsewhere, or even the result of wider societal divisions.

See the useful links section for further details of support and resources.

5.  Recognise and celebrate projects both inside and outside of the workplace that your business is involved in that address any aspects of cohesion.

How?

• Produce newsletters/blogs/information boards that highlight internal and external projects that have a cohesion impact. This might be from CSR programmes to recognising the benefits of a buddy scheme.
• Offer lunchtime or break talks on different issues and utilise your staff. For example, talks on understanding different faiths, exploding myths and stereotypes etc.

Eversheds 'Give and Gain' day celebrates involvement in projects outside of the workplace

6.  Review initiatives such as employee volunteering, employee giving and grant awards to ensure they support cohesion and that they also encourage and facilitate interactions between people of different backgrounds. The Co-operative Group's Community Funding project does this.

7.  Promote integration of teams/shifts if they are dominated by people of one background or separated by the physical arrangements of the workplace.  Make sure the importance of integration in the workforce and what benefits it will brings to them is explained (eg. higher morale, getting on better with your colleagues etc). Bradgate Bakery have addressed this issue.

8.  Undertake a review of facilities such as staff canteens/restaurants, to ensure the layout and the menu are inclusive and encourage interaction of workers from more than one particular background.

9.  Celebrate the different festivals and cultural events as part of a wider calendar of social activities. Take the opportunity to increase people's understanding of the differences as well as highlighting what workers have in common eg. supporting a local football team. Eversheds Understanding Faith initiative illustrates how they have achieved this.

10.  Remove barriers, or perceptions of them, to recruiting people from different backgrounds to increase the diversity of your workforce, eg. allowing staff the opportunity to observe religious beliefs in a sensitive and supportive way whilst at the same time trying to ensure that other colleagues are supportive. View the Co-operative's Age Diversity programme for further details.

11.  Work with your trade union on all aspects of the points above to get a better picture of your organisation. UNISON devised a training programme to help to challenge racism in the workplace.

12. Ensure that when new policies and precedures are introduced, middle and line managers have bought into the objectives and understanding of the policy as they have a direct impact on those the polict is affecting. A good way forward is to introduce targets on implementation to ensure the policy is delivered and embedded into the organisation.

Don't

1.  Under-estimate the market potential from changing demographics, for example the growing older population and those from BME communities.

2.  Allow staff to display any materials which are gratuitously provocative to other colleagues eg. stickers in support of a political party who demonise particular groups.

3.  Allow misinformation/rumours on different faiths/beliefs go unchallenged in the workplace. DO develop a plan for dealing with this and make sure it is followed and implemented in a professional, open and transparent way.

4.  Assume all workers/colleagues - or managers - are aware of the different cultures and faiths of the workforce. DO consider providing materials such as posters/intranet sites on these. Make use of external sites and resources illustrated here.

5.  Allow shift/teams to reinforce divisions within the community by predominantly or exclusively comprising people of the same backgrounds in terms of age, gender, race or faith. This could also be a business risk in terms of tensions and undermining collaboration across the workforce and could also affect business operations during holidays and religious celebrations.

6.  Restrict your potential to recruit people of different backgrounds by not addressing any perceived or actual barriers, eg. shift patterns, language skills required.

7.  Forget to review the support you give to the local community to ensure it is bringing people together rather than supporting people from one particular background.

8.  Keep putting off the day when you undertake a cohesion audit of your business to 'cohesion proof' it and thereby maximising its sales and profits.