Chapter 9 Managing diversity and work–life balance Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Managing diversity and work–life balance Objectives Describe the differences between diversity management and equal employment opportunity (EEO). Discuss the role of managing diversity for organisational performance. Identify the initiatives that can be used to manage diversity. (cont.) Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Managing diversity and work-life balance (cont.) Objectives Identify the challenges facing the development and implementation of initiatives designed to manage diversity. Describe the key features of the work–life balance program. Identify the costs and benefits of implementing policies that assist employees to manage their work and non-work. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Diversity management (or managing diversity) A process of managing people’s similarities and differences: it is built on a set of values that recognises that the differences between people are a potential strength for the organisation; this process of management creates an environment that allows all employees to contribute to organisational goals and experience personal growth. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Equal employment opportunity (EEO) The government’s attempt to ensure that all individuals have an equal opportunity for employment, regardless of characteristics such as race, religion, sex or national origin. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Figure 9.1 Model of diversity management Source: Adapted from Robin Kramar, 2002, ‘Equity and diversity’, in Julian Teicher, Peter Holland and Richard Gough (eds), Employee Relations Management: Australia in a Global Context, Pearson Education, Melbourne. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Diversity management and improving organisational performance Business case Competitive advantage Managing change Ideological reasons Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Initiatives to manage diversity Strategic initiatives Managerial initiatives Operational initiatives Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Challenges associated with managing diversity Concept of diversity Implementation of techniques to manage diversity Diversity enlargement Diversity sensitivity through training Cultural audits Advisory panels Demonstrating improvements Building a business case (cont.) Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Challenges associated with managing diversity (continued) Managing contradictory evidence Inexperience with the process Communication and decision making Attitudinal issues Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Work–life balance An employee’s ability to access employment opportunities and earn adequate income while at the same time attending to the caring responsibilities of family life. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Work–life balance programs Key features of a work-life balance program Promotes a work environment that encourages employees to achieve work–life balance. Leave arrangements that enable employees to have flexibility to handle family, personal and community matters. Recognises the impact of the needs of other family members and dependents on work-life balance. (cont.) Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Work–life balance programs (cont.) Enables employees’ flexibility in their career choices and options. Acknowledges the interaction between work, family and other life interests and enables tensions around this conflict to be discussed and managed. Recognises that different employees will have different needs associated with maintaining work–life balance. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

‘Family-friendly’ programs The most widely used policies in Australia are: Flexible hours Part-time work Job sharing Telecommuting or working from home Sick leave used for family commitments Employee assistance programs Relocation services Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Benefits of work–life balance programs Improved employee morale and job satisfaction Increased attraction and retention of desirable staff Improved customer service and satisfaction Increased employee commitment to the organisation Increased productivity Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Costs of work-life balance programs Discomfort associated with changing the organisation’s culture Employees and managers need to learn additional communication and decision-making skills Possible increased conflict between groups Time involved in researching and writing revised human resource policies Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Directions in diversity management The primary focus has been on two aspects of diversity Race Sex family status Initiatives aim to: Attract and retain women Facilitate work–life balance Manage cultural diversity Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Important influences on the future of diversity management Changing nature of the workforce Changing employment relationships Pressure to ‘add value’ Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.

Summary Increasing attention will be paid to managing workforce diversity and different employment relationships. Managers will need to understand diversity and its impact on the policies used to manage the similarities and differences in their organisation. Managers will also need to demonstrate the value of diversity management initiatives to the organisation, and be able to build a business case for the initiatives. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Human Resource Management in Australia 3e by De Cieri et al.