Effective Diversity Policy Implementation Essay For Australian Hardware." (70 Characters)

You must submit a report that includes the following points:
A.Provide analysis of the existing policies in relation to diversity.
B.Include descriptions of diversity policies from similar organisations and considerations.
C.Describe Key stakeholders consulted about their requirements.
D.Identify potential benefits of diversity for the workplace in relation to business objectives.
E.Attach the new draft diversity policy.
F.Comment on key stakeholders’ feedback on the draft policy.
G.Point out any revision you have made after consultation.
H.Attach an action plan to implement the new diversity policy.
 

Background of Australian Hardware

The study focuses on the formation and effective implementation of diversity policy within the given organization, Australian hardware. The company is engaged in the sale of tools, house ware, outdoor, paint and hardware. The store was initially established as Percy’s home goods by founder Percy Greenwright with 4 stores in Sydney. It was later developed as a hardware store by his son Eric Greenwright. The business currently has expanded to 138 stores across Australia and has a good expansion and development rate. In line with the rapid development of the business it has become necessary to implement an effective diversity policy. The intended diversity policy of the company will be focused towards achieving greater work life balance for diverse group of employees. 

The existing employment and diversity policy of the company is good and provides essential opportunities for growth to people of diverse backgrounds. The company has in place an anti-discrimination policy and a remuneration policy. The policy of the company for anti-discrimination has to some extent been able to control instances of discrimination. The remuneration policy is unbiased and recognizes the achievements of people from all backgrounds (Australian Hardware 2014). The company has a counselling program for providing assistance to the employees and the families. There is also an educational study leave to incorporate those employees that are students. Apart from this there is an employee share plan to help employees to take part in the business share of the company.

A similar company to the Australian hardware is Masters Home Improvements. Masters Home has a large number of employees from diverse backgrounds. The diversity policy of Masters is focused towards providing opportunities to local communities. They want to develop a diverse workplace that consist of the people belonging to the local culture. Hence, this can contribute to the greater development of community identity in the workforce (Lambert 2016). Moreover, the company provides greater emphasis towards providing equal employment opportunities for all. The company also engages in minority engagement programs. Through these programs the company visits the various fairs and events organized by minority groups and provides opportunities to minorities to join the organization. Masters have been able to particularly engage the local communities like the aboriginals and the Torres Strait islanders in their organization. 

The key stakeholders of the company are the CEO, the board of directors, the CFO, The COO store managers, the operations general manager, the sales assistants, sales consultants, checking staffs, staffs from administration and all other employees. The local communities in the vicinities of the stores are also the essential stakeholders. Moreover, the banks are very important stakeholders of the organization providing support in regards to the financial activities. The suppliers are also significant stakeholders of the organization. It is essential that all these major stakeholders are consulted when making the strategies for better diversity plans for the organization. This will help in the formation of better policies. The opinion of stakeholders will be key in determining the effectiveness of the diversity policy. 

Diversity Initiatives by Masters Home Improvements

The need for workplace diversity is more as the Australian society is greatly multicultural. Hence, the organizations essentially need to provide a clear image of a multicultural society. This will essentially contribute towards the growth of the organization. The benefits that the organization will receive will include a larger more skilled customer base. The multicultural customer base of the organizations will be greatly motivated and attracted to businesses that boast of employees from diverse background. The organizations will acquire a diverse range of skills in this way. This helps towards effective talent management.

The purpose of the policy is to ensure the equal treatment of all people that are connected with the organization.

The company will be safeguarding diversity in the workplace with respect to:-

• Age
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Disabilities
• Marital status
• Educational Status
• Religion
• Culture
• Ethnicity
• Financial Status

The policy covers all employees, contractors, suppliers and stakeholders of Australian hardware.

The responsibility for the implementation of the policy is vested with the management, employees and contractors of the organization

The relevant legislature that affect the policy are

1. Equal opportunity for Women at workplace Act 2011
2. Workplace and gender equality Act
3. The age, sex, racial discrimination and racial hatred act
4. The disability discrimination Act

Inclusion of safe workplace strategy for the LGBT community.

Procedure

To make complaint-

Level 1 complaint to manager, Level 2 complaint to senior manager, Level 3 complaint to the HR head

To receive complaint-

The complaints can be received directly or through email

Investigation of complaint-

The investigation of complaint will be done by the managers, senior managers and the diversity management team.

Outcomes- 

Diversity objective-

Achieving zero discrimination throughout the organizational levels.

Measures/ performance target-

The performance target will be to recruit people from more ethnicities at all the significant positions of the organization.

Actions-

Diversity awareness sessions, formal introduction of employees, communicating diversity strategies

Responsible personnel-

The CEO, The COO, The store managers, the operational managers, the store managers, the diversity management teams.

Timeframe-

The first phase will be 6 months, the second phase will be 12 months and the third phase will be 18 months

Review of policy for diversity- The policy will be reviewed in accordance of its significance in regards to the development of the organization post the implementation.

Progress report- The progress report will be viewed in accordance with the achieved targets with regards to diversity.

Reporting of the action plan- Action plan will be implemented across the hierarchical divisions of the organization.

The evaluation strategy will be through the creation of data charts that will put the achieved targets against the expected achievements. The evaluation will be done through gathering essential data regarding the diverse number of publics that have been recruited and the elimination of any case of discrimination.

• Formation of diversity management team
• Formation of policies to address diversity
• Formation of strategies to implement the diversity policy
• Dissemination of information concerning diversity management
• Formation of groups to communicate diversity requirements
• Ensuring the proper representation of multicultural workforce
• Organizing events to celebrate diversity 

Conclusion

In conclusion it can be said that the diversity policy that has been formed by Australian Hardware can only be properly implemented through better strategies. This will require the optimization of the leadership in accordance of the strategies. The success also depends on the essential participation of the workforce. Hence, the policies and the strategies need to be better established through the organizational framework. 

Reference

Australian Hardware official website, viewed 17 July 2014

Guillaume, Y.R., Dawson, J.F., Otaye?Ebede, L., Woods, S.A. and West, M.A., 2017. Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of workplace diversity?. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), pp.276-303.

https://simulations.ibsa.org.au/australian_hardware/

https://simulations.ibsa.org.au/australian_hardware/ Wollongong_General_Operations_Manual

Lambert, J., 2016. Cultural diversity as a mechanism for innovation: Workplace diversity and the absorptive capacity framework. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 20(1), p.68.

Ng, E.S. and Sears, G.J., 2018. Walking the Talk on Diversity: CEO Beliefs, Moral Values, and the Implementation of Workplace Diversity Practices. Journal of Business Ethics, pp.1-14.

Rice, M.F., 2015. Diversity and public administration. ME Sharpe.

Student Workbook 2010 BSBDIV601A Develop and implement diversity policy, Precision Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, Australia

Wollongong General Operations Manual, Australian Hardware, viewed 17 July 2014