A quiet revolution in equality and diversity policy does not mean painless revolution
Every news day this past week has been led by an equality and diversity story because a quiet revolution is under way. The latest Lord Davies report into the number of women on top boards (it’s reached 26% but more needs to be done), and the low number of women in senior positions in financial services despite strong representation lower down and whether publishing pay and bonus statistics and targets would make any difference - are just two of the stories attracting headline attention.
What is missing are the traditional, strident voices from business associations, the right and leading parts of the conservative party bewailing more regulation, interference in business, the cost and the burden of proof. A quiet revolution in government policy and attitude has taken place and many businesses have been caught out by the speed of change.
If a single point can be chosen for signalling the speed of change it would the Prime Minister’s speech to the Times Business Leaders Summit on July 15th.
There he declared that “transparency” - the obligation to publish - would apply to all businesses over 250 employees. There was a sharp intake of breath across the room - it was not what they expected from a conservative prime minister.
It is already happening across the public sector. Indeed, many smaller contractors to government and local authorities have concluded that they will also need to publish to get onto tender lists. Boris Johnson approves of public sector leverage to encourage new behaviours as signposted by his support for the Living Wage long before the Chancellor took it up nationally.
The transparency revolution – which has already been rolled out on every piece of expenditure over ￡250 in local government, and patient statistics in health - is the new preferred leverage and reform driver of the modern conservative. Public accountability in its rawest form.
Equality and Diversity change is to be driven in the court of public opinion as well as the court of law, and for HR, personal development and talent managers as well as company secretaries, lawyers and managers that is a big shift with big implications. No longer will winning Equality and Diversity awards and keeping out of the courts be sufficient.
But how to research, what to publish and how to measure the impact or explain the outcome will be critical questions as recognition grows that effective equality and diversity in the workforce and facing customers is a competitive edge issue.
These changes do not come out of no where. It is clear that the work of groups like the National Equality Standard run by Ernst and Young and developed with BIS, or the long campaigns of the Employers Network on Equality and Inclusion gave politicians confidence that there were templates, trainers and solutions out there.
Their work and responses to the new agenda will be on show with speakers from the CBI, WEConnect International, the executive women’s network and many more on 25th November 15 at Canary Wharf in London. How fast organisations are able to adapt to the new demands to publish and let the light shine in will be a lead story for the whole of this parliament.
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