Survey and Research Data

The following demographic trends relating to the transforming workplace in the U.S. were published in a 2004 Hewitt Associates report:

• Greater diversity in the labour pool: By 2008, women and minorities will represent 70% of the new labour force entrants, and by 2010, 34% of the U.S. workforce will be non-Caucasian.

• An aging workforce: by 2010, the U.S. will have an increase of 29% in the 45-64 age group, a 14% increase in the 65+ age group, and a 1% decline in the 18-44 age group.

• Globalisation: In the next decade, 75% of the new workers will likely be from Asia, while North America and Europe will have 3% of the world's new labour force. [3]

London’s diverse economy

London’s workforce is being changed irrevocably by demographic, global economic and social trends. The following data reported by the London Development Agency [12 ] outlines these trends:

• Londoners speak over 300 languages and belong to at least 14 different faiths.

• Approximately one third of the city’s population is from black, Asian or other minority ethnic groups; it is believed that over the next 10 years they will account for 80 percent of the increase in London’s working age population.

• By 2010, 40% of the workforce will be over the age of 45.

• London’s black and minority ethnic communities have enormous spending power, with an after-tax income of around £16 billion.

• At least 5% of London residents are gay or lesbian.

• Black and minority ethnic owned businesses generated a combined sales total of £90 billion in 2004, and made a significant contribution to the London economy in terms of job creation, GDP, income and wealth creation.

• More than 600,000 new jobs will be created in London over the next 11 years and people from London’s diverse communities will make an important contribution to filling these jobs.

However there is strong evidence of existing inequality of opportunity in the London workplace. This is illustrated by disparities in rates of employment/unemployment and in the high levels of under-employment for many diversity groups:

• Women make up almost half of the workforce but less than 10% of directors of FTSE 100 companies are women and they earn on average less than 75% of similar male incomes.

• London’s economic output would be £1.5 billion higher if part time employment rates for women with children in London were raised to equal those in the rest of the country.

• Employment rates for Bangladeshi & Pakistani men are at least 20% below those similarly qualified

• One fifth of the working age population has a disability, yet only 11% are in employment

• Government statistics show that by 2015, more than two-fifths of the workforce will be over the age of 50. People over 50 are less likely to become unemployed, but once unemployed take longer to return to work and are more likely to leave the labour force altogether.

Diversity training needed in the workplace

According to a 2005 telephone survey by the Boston-based Novations Group involving 612 US employees; sexual, racial, ethnic, ageist and other slurs directed at co-workers remained high year on year which highlighted the need for diversity training in the workplace. The following percentages of respondents reported issues:

• Sexual remarks were the most frequent type of ridicule heard at work (31%)

• Ethnic and racial slurs (29%)

• Age-related ridicule (22%)

• Physical and mental Disability slurs (9%) [13]

Diversity management not effective

A study was carried out involving an anonymous large UK organisation in which 20% of its employees belonged to ethnic minority groups. Despite much effort in promoting equal opportunity and diversity the study revealed an atmosphere in the organisation that was not conducive to the fostering of effective work relationships. Minority groups were denied the opportunity to become members of committees and had a small or marginal role in the decision-making process. This was illustrated by a rejection of their views at meetings. Senior managers seldom consulted them, and volunteered information was rejected frequently. Existing organisational power structures and resource allocation favoured senior white males over all other groups. With few positive comments and minimal support from managers and colleagues, women and minority groups suffered in career advancement. Consequently, the organisation was deprived of the contribution that a diverse workforce offered. [14]

Diversity training and follow up actions

In a survey 108 respondents representing the most senior person responsible for diversity training within their organisations reported on follow up actions associated with diversity training. The percentages below are those who rated these matters as "very important".

• Adopting formal policies against discrimination or in favour of diversity (86.9%)

• Improving specific human resource management practices (82.2%)

• Disciplining or firing employees who discriminate (68.6%)

• Including equal opportunity in managers' performance evaluations (64.4%)

• Providing an accessible discrimination complaint process (57.9%)

• Providing mentoring and similar staff development programmes (57.9%)

• Celebrating diversity in company publications (39.8%)

• Establishing a diversity advisory committee (39%)

• Establishing numerical goals for employing protected groups (34.3%)

• Employing full time diversity staff (33%)
  (Note respondents could select more than one response) [15]

Diversity planning - leadership development benefits most

In a 2004 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management concerning diversity, 310 respondents replied as follows to the question "in what ways does your organisation actively leverage the diversity of employees for the purpose of increasing competitive advantage?"

• By ensuring leadership development programmes reach all employees (40%)

• By meeting the needs of diverse customers, bi-lingual etc (39%)

• By integrating diversity into the business strategy (35%)

• By increasing innovation by using employees from al backgrounds (34%)

• By utilising diverse experience levels on projects/assignments (31%)

• By using diverse employees to recruit new employees (30%)

• By improving the performance of teams (29%)

• By attracting customers of a particular market/demographic (25%)

• By using diverse employees as mentors (24%)

• By conducting culture audits to benchmark against competitors (7%)

• Not applicable, organisation does not actively leverage workplace diversity (30%) [16]

Younger employees/older employees - perspectives

In a 2006 survey concerning multigenerational workers by Randstad which involved 2,318 US adults the following responses were received:

• 10% said that those older than 50 were "behind the times", and 52% characterised them as "valuable"

• 75% of workers aged 55 and older said they relate well to younger co-workers

• 54% of 18-34 year olds said they related well to older co-workers

• 77% of all workers said younger employees don't seek advice or guidance from workers who are older than 50

• 30% of all workers polled said that younger co-workers "energize" them and "bring new ideas to the table". While 20% of younger workers said older co-workers do the same

• 37% saw those over 50 as mentors, and 68% described them as "experienced"

• 58% aged 55 or older said their organisation treated employees of all ages fairly, and

• 54% said their company values employees over age 50. [17]

The aging US workforce

Concerning the aging US workforce Jonathan Segal of law firm Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen LLP writes [18] that employees aged 55 or older accounted for 12.9 percent of the workforce in 2000, and by 2015 they will make up about 20 percent of the workforce, according to the U.S. Department of Labour. For employers this ageing workforce creates both an opportunity and a potential liability. The opportunity arises from being able to capitalise on experienced workers' skills filling the gaps created by a declining birth rate. Liability looms should an organisation improperly exclude, marginalise, or fire an older worker because such employees have found strong allies among juries. Between 1997 and 2003, age discrimination plaintiffs recovered more compensation from juries than any other protected group [18]

The disabled and assistive technology

Modern assistive technologies have opened up many new opportunities for disabled persons and have enabled them be fully productive employees. Citing Phil Kragnes, a blind adaptive technology specialist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Frank Jossi [19] a specialist technology, HR, and business writer stated that, "assistive technology is important because it provides access to computers and it allows persons with disabilities to do a job. There has traditionally been a high unemployment rate among people with disabilities, so you find when disabled people have the right tools, they have a high motivation to do a good job and be a good employee." Dawn Carlson, a rehabilitation specialist with The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) was also cited and advised that Federal studies show that only 56 percent of American workers with disabilities participate in the labour force. However demographic shifts indicate that the use of assistive technology may be increasingly important to support the workforce of the future. According to U.S. Census data, 54 million Americans have some kind of disability, with 33 million of those in the employable population between the ages of 16 and 65, he says. About 36 percent of the working-age population that have jobs use some kind of assistive technology in the workplace.[19]