DCU’s Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion has created a new ‘practical and actionable’ guide to help Irish workplaces become more equitable.
The Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion at Dublin City University (DCU) has developed a new guide to help employers in Ireland hire for more equitable workplaces.
The Race Equality Guide for Hiring is sponsored by Bank of Ireland and features tips and insights on the steps employers need to take now to overcome the systemic bias that may exist in hiring processes, practices and attitudes.
The centre’s director, Sandra Healy, said that despite the diversity that exists in Ireland today, hiring processes haven’t been keeping up.
“Ireland has become an increasingly diverse and multicultural society with over 18pc of people from migrant descent,” she said. “Diversity sparks innovation, and migrants bring a richness in terms of new perspectives, values and ideas – all of which are in high demand by so many employers.
“However research reveals many challenges and barriers in terms of how fairly migrants are being treated through hiring processes and in the labour market.
“There is a need for employers to examine the approach they are taking to enhancing race equality and to take action now in terms of removing the systemic bias that may exist in processes, practices and attitudes in the workplace. Removing these barriers will lead to a stronger, more diverse and ultimately more reflective workforce and society.”
Healy added that the guide has been “crafted and informed by lived experiences of people in the workplace in Ireland”, and supported by DCU Race Equality Forums, specialist organisations, academic experts and employers. She described the guide as “practical and actionable”.
Bank of Ireland’s chief people officer, Matt Elliott, commented: “We want all of our people to reach their potential and feel valued in an environment that supports diversity and inclusion. Our aim is that this guide will support our own endeavours to build a more diverse and inclusive workplace that supports our colleagues and represents the customers and communities that we serve.”
The guide can be downloaded on the DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion website. DCU said that it is just the first in a series of resources to help Ireland move towards greater workplace equality.
Another organisation, Employers for Change, is also taking action for more inclusive workplaces in Ireland. The initiative was launched earlier this month to make hiring practices more inclusive of people with disabilities.
