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underlying 
problems
of discrimination. 
Measures such as the following may be used as positive action initiatives. 
(a)
Putting equal opportunities 
higher on the agenda 
by appointing Equal Opportunities Managers 
(and even Directors) who report directly to the HR Director 
(b)
Flexible hours
or part-time work, term-time or annual-hours contracts (to allow for school 
holidays) to help women to combine careers with family responsibilities; terms and conditions, 
however, must not be less favourable 
(c)
Career-break or return-to-work
schemes for women 
(d)
Fast-tracking school leavers
, as well as graduates, and posting managerial vacancies internally, 
giving more opportunities for movement up the ladder for groups (typically women and 
minorities) currently at lower levels of the organisation 
(e)
Training for women-returners
or women in management to help women manage their career 
potential; assertiveness training may also be offered as part of such an initiative 
(f)
Awareness training 
for managers, to encourage them to think about equal opportunity policy 
(g)
Counselling and disciplinary policies 
to raise awareness and eradicate sexual, racial and religious 
harassment 
(h)
Positive action
to encourage job and training applications from minority groups 
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CHAPTER 13
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DIVERSITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 
 
349 
 
4
Diversity 
The concept of 
'managing diversity'
is based on the belief that the dimensions of individual difference on 
which organisations currently focus are crude and performance-irrelevant classifications of the most 
obvious differences between people. 
Diversity
in employment, as a concept, goes further than equal opportunities.
The ways in which people meaningfully differ in the workplace include not only race and ethnicity, age 
and gender, but personality, preferred working style, individual needs and goals, and so on. 
4.1 Managing diversity 
A 'managing diversity' orientation implies the need to be proactive in managing the needs of a diverse 
workforce in such areas (beyond the requirements of equal opportunity and discrimination regulations) 
as: 
(a) 
Tolerance of individual differences 
(b) 
Communicating effectively with (and motivating) ethnically diverse workforces 
(c) 
Managing workers with increasingly diverse family structures and responsibilities 
(d) 
Managing the adjustments to be made by an increasingly aged workforce 
(e) 
Managing increasingly diverse career aspirations/patterns, flexible working, etc 
(f) 
Dealing with differences in literacy, numeracy and qualifications in an international workforce 
(g) 
Managing co-operative working in ethnically diverse teams 
4.2 Diversity policy 
Ingham
 
(2003) suggests the following key steps in implementing a