Policy Hub
On 3 June 2008, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) published a report (Talent not tokenism) which sets out the business benefits of workforce diversity.
The report seeks to demonstrate that companies who recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds on the basis of their abilities and potential, regardless of their sex, race, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion can benefit in several ways, including:
The report argues that promoting diversity need not be expensive, complex or a legal minefield for business. It identifies some key ingredients for bringing about change, including leadership from senior management and employee involvement, especially through unions and other workforce representatives.
The report emphasises that diversity can be improved through positive action - such as removing bias against older workers, developing strong links with local communities and offering flexible shift patterns to help working parents – not positive discrimination.
It includes 12 case studies illustrating how companies, from small family-run firms to multinationals like IBM and GlaxoSmithKline, have improved their workplace diversity and the advantages in doing so. In addition, the report contains tips and advice from senior executives at a number of leading companies, including BT, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Barclays, and Shell.
Talent not tokenism: the business benefits of workforce diversity (PDF)