Equal Opportunities

Equality and Diversity

Equal opportunities means to eliminate unjustifiable discrimination (Wilson, 2005). Employees should be able to feel they will be supported when treated badly due to stereotyping.
This is why diversity is so important. By attempting to make sure that organisations and groups are mixtures of cultures, races, religions, sexes, and sexualities, more creative and thoughtful contributions can be made to the company.


Merit Verses Positive Discrimination

Janice Turner (2009) published an interview with Margaret Mountford in the Times. Margaret spoke about her feelings on sexism in the business world, and disapproves of positive discrimination.
Her arguments are favourable in that women ought to get the positions because they have the same accomplishments as the men. This is because both men and women obtained the jobs on equal merit. In some industries, women may find it easier to get the position simply because the organisation is trying to balance the numbers of men and women. This is arguably a disadvantage to the male applicants, who may be just as qualified for the job. Therefore, making it an unfair system.
However, it could be said that her arguments are wrong, as women may feel forced to choose between work and family life. By offering opportunities for women to balance both their job position and parental duties, the mother can still be successful.
Also, the ratio of women to men in senior positions may not reflect the national or local ratio. The more reflective the levels of diversity are of the population, the more insight a company will have of its community.


Impacts of the Age Legislation, 2006

Thanks to the introduction of the age legislation in 2006, employers may have found some beneficial changes to their company.
A wider variety of skills could be offered to the company, as different generations may have differences in levels of education or experience.
A more diverse workforce age may encourage and motivate other age groups to stay, as they will not feel the company is only suitable for a certain age group. Therefore, the company may find a drop in staff turnover.
There may be better flexibility, as different age groups may find they have other commitments or a different working stamina. Therefore, more people are likely to work part time, and can cover each others absenteeism’s more easily.

The reason for the legislation was to prevent employers being influenced by stereotypes of different age groups.
Young people are seen positively to be enthusiastic, ready to learn new skills, and in good health. However, they are also seen negatively to be inexperienced, not very committed to their tasks, and distracted with insecurities.
Workers over 50 are positively seen to be highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced, with good stability and commitment. However, they are negatively stereotyped to be stubborn, and unprepared to adapt and learn new ideas and skills. Also, they are often seen to be less physically able.

Organisations should focus on positive stereotypes when employing new staff. This will help employers to see the applicants as assets.
Forcing all ages to work together and get to know one another’s strengths will encourage the dismissal of each others stereotypes.


Equal Opportunities Within Organisations

British Airways insist that they employ within the guidelines of the equal opportunities legislation, but their employees must have specific capabilities and skills in order to do their job safely and successfully (BA, 2010). Therefore you are hired dependent on personality/behaviour, skills and knowledge.

J Sainsbury’s (2010) have a ‘you can’ program for employees, providing them with job opportunities, qualifications and skills. Therefore, it does not matter who you are, or what makes you different, as the opportunities are open to all employees that wish to excel within the organisation.


Conclusion

Equal opportunities are important, because they discourage unfair prejudices. They mean that jobs and experiences are obtainable by anyone who is prepared to work for them. When the diversity of a companies employees is reflective of it’s local population, it can more easily see and understand how to communicate with its community. This is also good for reducing stereotypes, and shows that differential features do not necessarily reflect ability or behaviour.


References:

BA (2010) BA recruitment. [online]. Available from: http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info48 [Accessed 28 April 2010]

J Sainsbury plc (2010) Corporate responsibility. [online]. Available from: http://www.jsainsburys.co.uk/cr/index.asp?pageid=25 [Accessed 28 April 2010]

Turner, J (2009) Hang in there, Margaret Mansfield of the apprentice tells women. [online]. Available at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article6830916.ece [Accessed 28 April 2010]

Wilson, J.P. (2005) Human resource development: learning & training for individuals & organizations. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page Limited