How do I make my organisation cohesion friendly?
Below are a set of indicators to help establish how employers and the workforce can contribute to cohesion within the workplace and wider community, and enhance business benefits.
The production of policy statements is no guarantee of success, and may not result in a change of practice and culture, but it is a necessary first step towards change. The emphasis should be on very clear and simple statements which everyone understands and might include:
- An overall vision statement, which supports an ethos of inclusion and respect for all.
- How you will judge success and keep your finger on the pulse to monitor a constantly changing workplace environment.
- Policy on employment rights (including bullying and harassment, respect in the workplace, dignity at work).
- An equal opportunities and diversity policy which sets out legal responsibilities and company policy.
- Equalities monitoring systems in place which monitors applications, recruitment, selection, promotion, access to training and development.
- Review mechanisms in employee appraisals and performance indicators.
- An equalities and cohesion policy statement in respect of suppliers and customers, which explains their importance to the business and establishes handling and monitoring processes.
- An active supplier/procurement policy which includes a section on equality and cohesion.
- Equality and cohesion training for staff (of all levels) focussed on the needs of employees and customers.
- Visible commitment from the top of the organisation within the workplace - eg. director level input to meetings and training emphasising the importance of policies; openly engaging with different groups of staff during lunch breaks etc.
- A strong and positive set of corporate values which focuses on the value and respect of all people within the organisation, led from the top of the organisation.
- Proactively running formal and informal discussion sessions on difficult issues and implication for practice, particularly those that might pre-empt misunderstandings and tensions within the workplace and local community.
- Promoting strong and positive relationships between people of different backgrounds in the workplace using non-threatening and engaging techniques; making 'difference' interesting and even exciting.
- Annual employment surveys (or informal techniques and feedback systems - eg. via the trade unions or workforce representatives) to determine how well people of different ages and backgrounds feel they are working together within the organisation and targeting interventions appropriately.
- Actively promoting exchanges and interaction between different groups of employees where sections, shifts, departments or functions are over represented by particular ages and backgrounds.
- Measures to assist both new employees and those who are 'different' to be accepted and their characteristics to be understood and appreciated - eg. migrant workers, people with disabilities, females in a male environment (or vice versa), minority faiths etc.
- Considering workforce representation against the make-up of the community from which recruitment takes place and whether the differences reflect societal divisions which the employer might be able to influence - eg. low representation of different backgrounds because of low skills, or perceptions that the workplace is not open to them and/or dominated by other groups.
- Review of management information systems to consider any wider patterns - eg. grievances, sickness and absence, high turnover, lower levels of performance associated with particular groups.
- The use of employee networks and ensuring the interaction between them.
- High levels of morale and motivation overall, with no association between low scores and particular groups and backgrounds.
- High levels of confidence within workforce (particularly managers) in being able to relate to all backgrounds; and a demonstrable level of sociability across and between teams.
- Positive views of the workplace from external sources, across backgrounds within local (or wider) community.
- Low levels of sickness absence, turnover, grievances, disciplinaries, associated with any group, or across the workforce as a whole.
- The ethos of the organisation is clearly reflected in the supply chain and amongst individual and corporate customers.
- An outgoing Responsible Business/CSR programme (volunteering, community investment, engaging with schools etc) which reflects the openness and aspiration of wider engagement of the organisation; and contributes to a better understanding of people within the workforce.
- A Responsible Business/CSR or outreach programme which contributes to the community cohesion strategy for the local area and helps to break down barriers and create better understanding between groups of people in the local community.
- Visit Awards for Excellence to see independent peer assessed corporate responsibility awards which are run in association with the Financial Times which recognise and celebrate companies who have shown innovation, creativity and a sustained commitment to corporate responsibility.