Fujitsu Services
Interview with Stephen Alford, HR Manager – Diversity, Fujitsu Services.
Many organisations face both the challenges and the opportunities presented by an increasingly diverse employee and customer base. Eg an inclusive working environment assists with the retention of employees and the development of their full potential, while services or products need to appeal to an increasingly diverse customer base.
This is partly due to a combination of changing demographics, evolving employment legislation and a shortage of skills. The age profile within the UK is becoming older while ethnic minorities, women and people with a disability will over the next decade have an increased representation in the workforce as a whole. Therefore many employers will need to appeal to a wider cross section within society in order to attract and retain the best talent.
In addition to meeting the skills requirements of the organisation research has shown that it can be very advantageous for organisations to reflect the diversity of their customer base. This not only assists customers to identify with the organisation but also the organisation is better equipped to understand and meet the needs of its customers.
The decision to implement a Diversity & Inclusion Programme (D&I) is a long-term commitment over several years rather than months or weeks. While D&I programmes will vary depending on the needs of the organisation the following questions could form part of the overall thought process when developing such a programme.
What is the business case?
- Has the organisation the relevant policies and procedures?
- Can the company articulate the desired behaviours?
- How will the organisation measure internal progress and benchmark itself against its competition?
- Would it be helpful to join external bodies such as Employers Forums in order to acquire the necessary knowledge and to understand best practice?
- Who will provide senior management sponsorship?
- Is D&I woven into all people practices and processes such as recruitment & selection, training & development, promotion and reward?
Within Fujitsu Services our D&I programme is aligned to our desire to be the Employer of Choice and the Business Partner of Choice within the IT services sector. Our current focus is on:
- Evolving the ownership for D&I from HR to business managers.
- Raising awareness of D&I as a business issue.
- Weaving D&I into our people practices and procedures
- Internal measurement via monitoring and external measurement via benchmarking.