Case study: Birmingham Professional DiverCity

Interview

The case study below is based on an interview with Davinder Khaira, Senior Consultant. The views expressed are those of the interviewee, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department.

Background

In 2002, the demographics of Birmingham showed a 30% black and minority ethnic (BME) population. However, this was not reflected in the financial services sector, which only had 17% employees from BME backgrounds. The objective therefore, was to create an organisation that would be able to provide employers, employees, recruitment agencies and other organisations with best practice recruitment, retention and progression guidelines, and to identify barriers into work, especially for underrepresented groups. The aim was to provide employers with the necessary tools to access talented individuals regardless of their background.

BPD has grown since 2002 and is now also working with organisations, employers, recruitment agencies and employees outside of the financial services sector and across the UK. BPD arranges organisational health checks and consultancy services, organises awareness-raising events on recruitment issues, administers a certification process for recruitment agencies, and works with various community organisations to promote corporate social responsibility.

Promoting the business case for diversity

Davinder maintains that the work BPD undertakes is based on the philosophy that equality is not about creating a diverse workforce for marketing and public image purposes, but is about creating an inclusive workspace that supports all employees. She says having this philosophy has helped to dispel myths that BPD is a diversity ‘police force’ aiming to name and shame employers. Its aim, she says, is instead to promote the business case to employers for having a more equal, inclusive and diverse workforce:

"There isn't [a] generic business case which will fit all scenarios. It's about being honest, upfront and telling employers they have to determine the individual business case. There is no employer that can say that diversity, equality or demographic change isn't impacting on their business. The question is, ‘how is it impacting and what am I going to do about it?’ If they're not aware that it is impacting their business, then there is a bigger problem".

Davinder says many employers with whom BPD work have felt that diversity was not a problem for them, because they have good employees, or their order books are full, or their customers are happy with their workforce configuration, and therefore all stakeholders were content. BPD has had to promote the business case for equality, diversity and inclusion. It has had to indicate to employers that future public sector contracts are likely to require tenders from employers who can prove they are embracing equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

The case for future business extends to customers. Although a business may have full order books at present, it is potentially missing emerging markets for its products and services. Employers wanting to explore new markets will require talented employees that have the ability to think ‘outside the box’ and employers only looking in traditional locations are likely to be missing out on a greater pool of talented individuals. Davinder uses the example of China as an emerging market for employers:

"One of the best ways to engage with China or to understand how to do business in China is perhaps to recruit people with a Chinese background… This is a very good business case for recruiting".

Certification for recruitment agencies

BPD provides the Recruitment and Employment Confederation with a certification process for recruitment agencies. According to Davinder, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development says that 76% of employees are recruited in this way. To enable employers to access a more diverse pool of talent, they had to provide potential candidates with access to a fair recruitment process. So far, 100 recruitment agencies in the UK have gone through BPD's certification scheme. Davinder thinks it is good for employers to have standards of recruitment that are demonstrable, sending positive messages to future employees and customers from all backgrounds.

Outreach

Although BPD works primarily with employers, it also works with community and voluntary organisations, schools, universities and colleges:

"[This] is so that we can support our clients around corporate social responsibility, so that when employers say ‘we are really underrepresented in the Afro-Caribbean community’, for example, we say, ‘why don't we link you with the local church group?’ It provides employers with a platform to reach the community, a venue to hold an event, [and] the community feels engaged with business. What happens as well is that everybody knows the employer and that the employer wants them to come and work with them, because sometimes people don't access the sector or don't think that the sector wants them".

Therefore, BPD's aim is not only to assist employers in best recruitment practices, but to challenge public perceptions of employers and the sector in which they operate.

Conclusion

Many employers have begun to see the benefits of working with organisations like BPD, although there are others who are still to embrace a more equal, diverse and inclusive workplace. BPD says that its task, therefore, will be to continue to work towards enlightening future employers by promoting the business case and the potential benefits that arise from an equal, diverse and inclusive workplace, in a business environment where employers' customers are becoming ever more diverse.

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