FACILITIES MANAGEMENT JOURNAL JOBS
FM CAREERS - RECRUITMENT
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Achieving true inclusion within diverse and equitable
workplaces makes a significant di erence to the
bottom line. This is not just about doing the right
thing.
Research by Deloitte has shown inclusion boosts
employees’ ability to collaborate by 42 per cent and
innovate by 83 per cent. Organisations with proven
inclusive leaders are 45 per cent more likely to
increase their market share and 85 per cent of CEOs
say inclusion strategies have improved profitability.
“The Healthy profit” by IOSH has shown for every
€1 invested in safety, health & wellness initiatives
there is a return of €2.20. Within a small talent pool
the best and brightest will not stay if they feel unfairly
treated or unable to make a positive contribution
which enables them to grow personally and
professionally. No matter what their size, modern
businesses can no longer ignore mood indicators.
As a business owner, someone working with FMs,
organisations, and individuals to encourage positive
changes and a new generation of OSH practitioners
to step into this career, I believe this is a critical
thread which must run through us all personally,
professionally, and organisationally. If we can truly
embrace inclusivity we have the potential to get
o the treadmill; to live and work di erently. It will
encourage us all to be more open minded, disagree
well and start from a position of “YES” more o en.
With a focus on positive solutions rather than lists
of faults we will achieve greater productivity and
feel better about ourselves and our work. We are
empowered to become collaborative solution
focussed innovators.
TIME FOR CHANGE
We live in a world with an ageing demographic so
will have to work for longer. Women are an important
part of the workforce who expect to be treated
equitably and reach leadership positions. However,
women are still more likely to be hired on experience
rather than potential and to be criticized or talked
over. Men want to spend time with their children and
to achieve a better work-life balance too. Across the
world more men take their own lives than women - in
the UK, three times more. Traditional “breadwinner”
values along with an expectation to display a hard
work exterior and hide emotion in the workplace
means men are not being their true selves at work
either.
“Alpha” style leadership values centred around
abusive, aggressive, results-driven achievers greatly
hinders men and women from reaching their full
potential. It depletes morale and impairs teamwork.
It has also been shown to increase business risk. It is
bad for the alpha and everyone else.
Poor mental health is increasing. We cannot
continue to work in an environment which is
constantly switched on, distracted, pulled in di erent
directions and unhealthy. We know that when people
feel excluded it a ects receptors in the brain which
have the same e ect as physical pain. This makes it
an OSH issue. Feelings matter. When people are not
happy on the inside it a ects their mental health and
their competency drops which means it becomes
a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bias is real and when it is
allowed to continue unchecked the same types of
people are the ones with the best seats at the table
which continues the same cycle.
NO-ONE DESERVES TO FEEL THIS WAY
We all come from a mix of backgrounds and have
our own bias. It is time to embrace our di erences,
welcome newcomer ideas, retain corporate
memories from the experienced and learn to work
with people of di erent backgrounds, education,
experience and culture, or face grinding to a
standstill. Di icult conversations should not be
avoided but undertaken with mutual respect,
honesty and kindness.
Diversity brings with it di erent ideas and di erent
perspectives. If people feel able to express these
views in a positive way, being honest to themselves,
they will work at their best and take others with
them which makes real change happen at every
level. Good disagreement and debate are essential to
progress, but we may have to re-learn this. Everyone
is entitled to their own beliefs and thoughts. If we
listen to others we can create an environment for
solving problems in a manner which we probably
didn’t think possible - which is when extraordinary
things happen.
Everyone should feel they can be themselves
without having to edit what they say or how they
behave. Change can only come from collective
action.
A #POSH IDEA Positive Occupational Safety & Health means taking
inclusive, diverse and equal action says Louise Hosking
Director, Hosking Associates
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TIPS FOR CHANGE
Use a climate tool or staff survey to find out what
your colleagues really think and to understand
current status. Include a pay survey even if your
organisation is not legally obliged to do so.
Engage. Have difficult conversations. Talk to people
about their perceptions. Ask questions. Keep asking
questions. Consider your own potential bias and
work on it, don’t jump to conclusions.
Listen to issues raised. Really listen. Accept what is
being said in good faith.
Engage champions at a senior level especially those
within groups which are less likely to experience bias.
Review recruitment processes not only for those
coming into the business, but also how project or
task groups are chosen.
Actively mix up project groups with different types
of people.
Reflect on your organisation’s outward image
and role models. Does your website show a mix of
people? When there is a photo opportunity is there a
diverse representation?
If there is under representation in your organisation
might you need to work differently or introduce
adjustments, so they succeed on an equal footing.
If you introduce groups to look at this as a project
ensure they have the authority to influence change
in the whole organisation to avoid cliques or new
pockets of exclusion being created.
Undertake inclusion training alongside soft skills
training, so people have all the tools they need to
apply their new knowledge and handle conflict in a
manner which results in positive change. Then go
back to point 1.
64 NOVEMBER 2019
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