Video replay: Diversity and Inclusion for Better Business
06 May 2021
In April we focused our NAJ Live event on the theme of Diversity and Inclusion and explored how it leads to Better Business practices.
The event was hosted by Nyasha Daley, Director at Living Content, who also gave a presentation, along with Tarnya Brink, HR expert at AdvoGroup, and Anna Blackburn, managing director of Beaverbrooks.
Watch the NAJ Live replay
Tarnya Brink shared her HR expertise in Equality Inclusions and Diversity and started by defining each term: what it’s not and what it is.
Equality, Inclusions and Diversity:
- It is not treating everyone the same
- It is not treating everyone in a common category (e.g. everyone with a disability) the same
- It is not favouring one protected characteristic over another.
Equality – is when everyone has an equal opportunity, and they are not discriminated against because of a characteristic.
Diversity – is about taking account of the differences between people and groups of people and placing a positive value on those differences.
Inclusion - inclusion is an overarching culture that encompasses diversity and equality and ensures people are not excluded.
Tarnya continued to explain the nine Protected Characteristics (pictured below), four types of discrimination and the cost of getting it wrong.
This is essential training for any business owner to make sure their business is compliant with equality, diversity and inclusion regulations.
From left to right: Nyasha Daley, Tarnya Brink, Anna Blackburn
Nyasha Daley explained how biases, beliefs and stereotypes play a major role in how we perceive groups of people that look or behave different from us, ultimately impacting attitudes towards diversity and inclusion.
Although the road towards a more diverse and inclusive workplace is challenging and may involve uncomfortable conversations, Nyasha highlighted the following benefits that make it worth it.
Diverse, inclusive organisations:
- Understand diverse markets
- Attract diverse talent
- Build trust with diverse (and homogenous!) markets
- Develop respectful, well-rounded cultures
- Harness diversity of thought and behaviour to improve efficiency, as well as profits.
The third talk was a Q&A session with Anna Blackburn and Nyasha. With multiple awards won, including Employer of the Year among others, Anna is in the best position to share how Beaverbrooks has achieved a winning internal culture.
When asked if Diversity and Inclusion was part of their recipe for success, Anna explained,
We are people-centric, we absolutely are about collaboration, inclusion. I joined the business in 1998 and the first time I met Mark Adlestone he said to me “If you work hard and you do a good job, you’ll have a very successful career”. It was at that point that the belief in meritocracy [at Beaverbrooks] started.
Anna continued to explain how even though there wasn’t a specific Diversity and Inclusion policy in place when she started at Beaverbrooks, the company culture of caring about employees, customers and suppliers drove a lot of the decisions which are now being formalised into official policies.
With running 72 stores all across the world, diversity became an important topic for Beaverbrooks. When asked about the balance between blending in with the local culture and appropriating culture, Anna stated that they always focus on taking small careful steps.
Additional resources
What are NAJ Lives?
The NAJ Live is a simple format of presentations from industry experts, introduced and questioned by a knowledgeable guest host.
When’s the next NAJ Live?
Digital NAJ Lives with bubbles take place on the last Thursday of the month, starting at 10am until 11.30am. Members can register as many employees to view and replay the webinars as they see fit.
The next NAJ Live event will focus on mourning jewellery, taking place at 10am on Thursday 27th May.
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Source: The National Association of Jewellers