The pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic climate have seen diversity and inclusion sink down businesses’ list of priorities. However, efforts to diversify the workforce and create more inclusive and welcoming business environments for colleagues from all parts of the community can offer solutions to some of the issues facing businesses in Stockport today, particularly regarding recruitment and retention of staff and low productivity.
Analysis by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) highlighted the scale of the problem of poor workplace inclusion. The CMI found that the changing demographics of working-age people meant failure to diversify is holding back UK business and getting in the way of economic performance and organisational success in light of changing demographics of working-age people. A 2022 survey commissioned by the CMI of over 2,000 employees (not in managerial positions) found over half of respondents had either witnessed or directly experienced discrimination in the workplace. The survey revealed around a third of minority workers (35% from black backgrounds, 32% from mixed backgrounds, 30% of disabled employees and 29% of those from Asian backgrounds) also reported feeling that they had been overlooked for training opportunities compared to just one in five (21%) typical UK employees, while those from LGBTI+ groups were close to twice as likely to have experienced harassment or bullying at work (38%) compared to 22% of the general population.
In a case study for an Education & Training Foundation resource on diversifying the workforce, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust explained how its supported internships for SEND learners has helped its operations. The Trust, which employees 28,000 people across 10 hospitals in Greater Manchester has worked with SEND learners from Oldham College across the organisation, including in facilities, food and drink, pharmacies, laboratories and on hospital wards. The initiative has helped ease pressure on clinical staff and cut recruitment and retention costs for the NHS Trust – those entering employment through the supported internship programme have proved less likely to leave compared to other colleagues.
Closer to home in Stockport, local charity Pure Innovations has, since 2018, provided supported internships, connecting its service users with employers in the area, including Manchester Airport, Stockport Homes and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
Other resources in the city-region are also available to support businesses to connect with groups that are often overlooked or missed by traditional approaches to recruitment. GMCA recently launched a toolkit to inform and support businesses in Greater Manchester to be more inclusive of older people, particularly as increasing numbers are choosing to work later in life, or forced to as a result of rising pension ages. The resource builds on OECD data that revealed how even a single colleague over 50 years of age would boost the productivity of younger co-workers.
While organisations have made strides in recent years in fostering more inclusive workplace cultures, but there is more to be done to deliver long-lasting change and for businesses to feel the benefits of improve staff retention and productivity that more diverse workforces can offer.
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