In this article Grevis Beard, a Training and Development presenter for the Institute, talks about the challenges of managing a diverse workforce. 
 
Many Australian industries are struggling with a skills shortage. The workforce is ageing – exponentially. International recruitment is increasingly common. Meanwhile, women are still underpaid and underutilised compared to men. Given all these factors, how can you attract and retain the best staff?  
 
Are policies the answer? 
 
Written equal opportunity and discrimination policies are a good start. But their mere existence will not attract and retain a diverse employee base.  
 
Business demands can prevent managers from focusing on the worth of diversity, and a longer-term view of retention, when making decisions that impact on staff employment, recruitment, transfers or conditions. For example, a policy about flexible arrangements upon return from sick leave or maternity leave will have little impact, if an untrained line manager, with no appreciation of the company’s goals for retention and equity, is the gatekeeper of working hours and start times. 
 
So, how is your workplace faring? 
 
Auditing the effectiveness of workplace policies, procedures and practices gives you a clearer picture about the health of your organisation. Audits can be done behind the scenes, or with active employee consultation through the use of an email survey or focus group discussions. Here’s some key audit questions:

• Do you provide opportunities for staff consultation about what works best for them? 
  
• What do your employees really want with respect to working arrangements? 
  
• Do they have ideas about responsibilities, work organisation or communication methods that could make them more productive or likely to stay with you? 
  
• Have you examined how many staff resigned from your workforce over the past five years? 
  
• Are staff resignations possibly reflecting particular demographics - age, gender and/or ethnicity? 
  
• How confident are you that an employee would feel comfortable about seeking to resolve an allegation of bullying or discrimination internally?