As Ireland approaches full employment and the war for talent intensifies, diversity and inclusion (D&I) policies have become more important than ever. "The business benefits of D&I are multifaceted, one being to enable organisations to recruit and retain top talent," says Ciara Ruane, employment associate with Pinsent Masons Dublin.
“D&I is clearly the right approach in any modern business, that is a given,” she continues. “However, there is a compelling business case for meaningful D&I engagement. D&I is not simply a question of compliance or a ‘nice to have’, it is a business imperative.”
Actions speak louder than words in this respect, she says. “Doing the right thing and being known for doing the right thing is crucial in creating a diverse and inclusive environment.”
According to Ruane, D&I will mean different things to different employers and can include widening the available talent pool, moving to merit-based appointment systems, and living up to the expectations of the workforce.
Under-representation
Fishing for talent in the widest possible pool means understanding where there may be under-representation and considering more inclusive recruitment methods including social media channels to encourage applications from those who may previously have been discouraged, she explains.
Choose on merit rather than bias requires a break away from everyone being chosen from the same mould and considering what the person should bring to the role instead of tick-box criteria such as specific academic qualifications or experience which may not be relevant.
“People want different things from work, be it flexibility, commitment to D&I, social structures, or a commitment to wellbeing,” she adds. “It is important to meet those expectations.”
Ruane advises employers to showcase their D&I credentials. “Employers who gain traction in one area of diversity, such as gender or LGBT, develop a D&I reputation, making it easier to attract and retain talent across the board,” she says. “Employers should audit their D&I practices and their D&I strategy, anticipating developments in the area, such as mandatory gender pay gap reporting. They should also be visible by encouraging role models and providing mentoring and training for all levels of the workforce.”
Unconscious bias
Training is also crucially important in tackling issues such as unconscious bias, she says. “Individuals tend to see the world, and other people, through the lens of their own unconscious bias, leading to people being unintentionally excluded or ‘overlooked’ in the workplace,” she points out.
"Diversity and inclusion consultancy Brook Graham, which partners with Pinsent Masons in developing strategic D&I, believes that this is one of the key reasons why, in most organisations, certain groups are under-represented in the talent pipeline. Understanding and providing training on this topic can therefore be a key enabler of fully developing an organisation's talent."
Pinsent Masons practices what it preaches in the D&I space. “We do not sit on the fence on D&I matters,” Ruane notes. “We are committed to creating a level playing field and an inclusive working environment where all of our people can truly be themselves. Our D&I steering committee oversees our internal D&I strategy across a number of areas and initiatives.
Better gender balance
“The LGBT+ Allies Network was one of the first initiatives introduced and serves the interests of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and helps to promote diversity within our firm. In 2013, we launched Project Sky which strives to create a better gender balance across the firm’s partnership and senior leadership team. Most recently, we implemented our mental health strategy, which focuses on the importance of helping our people to maintain good mental and physical health and reducing the stigma attached to mental illness.
“We are passionate about championing D&I, be it LGBT+ awareness, breaking the gender glass ceiling or embracing faith, race and ethnicity,” she says. “We want to join with other organisations in pursuing these objectives. We are not inward looking and we share our initiatives with the communities in which we operate; be it through Women in Business, LGBT equality charity Stonewall, or simply by getting our message out there. We are delighted to have won a number of awards including being named the most inclusive employer in the UK by Stonewall, taking number one position in its Top 100 Employers list for 2019 the Workplace Equality Index. While this is a UK index, we see it as a reflection of the D&I commitment of the firm as a whole.”