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Addressing inequality in the workplace
Claire Mitchell, chairwoman of Brighton-based LEADER (Local Employers Acting on Diversity, Equality and Race)
NEWS that the richest 10% of UK residents are 100 times better off than the poorest 10% looks set to make social mobility a major battleground in the coming election.
While realising the long-promised "equality of opportunity" is clearly a job for Whitehall, employers also have a responsibility to give everyone a fair chance. Directors and managers play one of the most powerful roles in the practicality of socio-economic inequalities by deciding who is given jobs and who is promoted.
Business must never be expected to hire people who can't do the job. After all, they exist to make money and provide jobs and taxes while generating profits for shareholders. But looking past disadvantage isn't about charity or preferential treatment.
Harnessing the talent of people who are usually overlooked is a great route to motivated, loyal staff. When done right it results in effective and efficient teams whose diversity makes them more robust to market changes, more creative at solving problems and ultimately gives the business
a competitive advantage.
But how can you attract talented people from a wide range of backgrounds without resorting to positive discrimination? Work experience can change an individual's fortunes, but it is rarely well-managed. For a start it usually goes to the wrong people.
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