Clients need to create a diversity culture REC says

The REC - The Recruitment & Employment Confederation issued a Press Release on the 15th April entitled "Clients need to create a diversity culture, says REC"

The REC held a meeting of its Diversity and Inclusion Forum yesterday for all members with an interest in improving their recruitment of diverse talent.

At the meeting, the Forum heard from Stephen Frost, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at LOCOG, the organisation responsible for staging the Olympic Games. He said that including paid staff, volunteers and contractors, there will be nearly 200,000 people working at the Olympic site. Diversity and inclusion is already at the very heart of LOCOG’s recruitment strategy.

Commenting on the meeting, Sarah Gordon, Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion said:

“Clients expect high standards to be embedded in the practices of the suppliers they use and there are many things recruiters can learn from LOCOG’s example. It is also important for clients to recognise that they need to embed diversity and inclusion throughout all parts of their organisation.

“More often than not, recruiters find that decisions made at the top to improve the diversity of an organisation do not filter through to the rest of the organisation. Line managers who ultimately make the recruitment decisions need to understand why diversity is important. Through using a network of diversity champions within the organisation and asking line managers to report to HR on the diversity of their teams each month, LOCOG has shown a positive example from which others can learn.”

The forum also heard from Kate Headley of the Clear Company who discussed a new toolkit for businesses recruiting people with disabilities. She identified that many employers are fearful of recruiting disabled talent but there is a real opportunity for the recruitment industry to play a role in helping employers overcome this. The tool will be published within the next few months both online and via hardcopies. Kate will also be speaking at the REC’s public sector resourcing summit in June.

The REC is the representative body for the UK’s £27 billion private recruitment and staffing industry with a membership of more than 8,000 corporate members comprising agencies and businesses from all sectors and 6,000 members of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP) made up of recruitment consultants and other industry professionals. All members must abide by an REC Code of Professional Practice.

Recruitment impacts on every sector of the UK economy. REC's Mission is to be recognised as the informed choice of the recruitment community, influencing government and business today for the benefit of Members and the employment market of tomorrow. Source: REC

If your organisation is looking for Diversity and Inclusion training , visit the jml Training website at the following link http://www.jml-training.com/Diversity.htm and contact us for further information of our in-house courses.