Another fail for diversity: don’t ignore your company’s policy!

61 per cent of New Zealand employers admit that they don’t have a diversity policy in place for hiring new staff, according to findings in the recently released 2015 Hays Salary Guide.

Of the 39 per cent that do have a diversity policy in place, 19 per cent said it is not adhered to. The remaining 81 per cent say it is ‘generally’ adhered to.

“There are many barriers preventing real diversity in New Zealand workplaces, but the failure to put a diversity policy in place is right up there at the top,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand. “Even if organisations have a policy in place, if hiring managers ignore it then it is mere lip service.

“It still surprises me that despite years of enthusiasm, commitment, policies and strategy development all aimed at improving gender diversity on corporate boards, equality for women still remains out of reach.

“There are many benefits to be gained from a diverse workforce. From increasing the candidate pool and creating a workforce that better reflects your own customer base, to recognising and valuing the varied skills, knowledge, backgrounds and perspectives that people bring to their work, a culture that supports diversity will breed a workforce that is innovative, respectful and solution-orientated.”

The benefits of workplace diversity in New Zealand are explored further in Hays’ soon to be published white paper ‘The Balancing Act: Creating A Diverse Workforce’.

“None of these benefits can be achieved however if an organisation does not put a policy in place or embed the principles within its culture,” says Jason.

“Establishing and implementing a diversity policy takes time and the commitment of senior executives, but doing so ensures jobseekers can secure work and realise their full potential, while helping organisations achieve their goals, which has benefits for us all.”

The Hays Salary Guide includes salary and recruiting trends for over 1,000 roles in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. It is based on a survey of 451 New Zealand employers, representing 374,007 employees.

Get your copy of the 2015 Hays Salary Guide by visiting www.hays.net.nz/salary-guide, contacting your local Hays office or downloading The Hays Salary Guide 2015 iPhone app from iTunes.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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