Is your HR department strong in DEI?
When reflecting on the last year, Candice Harris, Professor of Management at AUT Business School, notes that one common area of focus in the HR space is the incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within organisations. With the new year bringing a fresh wave of opportunity for businesses to excel in this area, Candice says it is the perfect time to spotlight the HR function itself.
“It is key for HR departments to incorporate and be comfortable with diverse voices and diverse perspectives. It’s a bit rich when you see organisations saying, ‘We really embrace diversity’ and then you look in certain occupational groupings within the organisation to see in fact there’s very little diversity.”
Though some companies may ‘talk the talk’ when it comes to DEI initiatives, HR departments are key to ensuring organisations ‘walk the walk’. So, how can companies authentically undertake their DEI journey?
“We are seeing now that HR appeals to those from a wide church,” says Candice. She notes, too, that 37% of those studying a Year 2 HRM course are male and that postgraduate courses in HR and employment relations also include a number of students from overseas.
“We talk about intersectionality and how it’s important to see people as a representation of many different things including age, ethnicity, gender, culture, sexuality, and ability. Strong HR departments would reflect a range of perspectives and voices.
“If an organisation has growing numbers of Māori and Pacific people as staff but has an HR team that knows little about them, then there could be problems when it comes to designing, implementing, and reviewing fit for purpose HR practices. It might also create a problem with employer brand and recruiting if potential candidates struggle to see how an organisation fits with their values.”
Candice says if they haven’t already done so, Kiwi businesses can also incorporate a te ao Māori (Māori world view) approach for DEI; specifically, by including te ao Māori and mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) concepts into HR policies, practices, and initiatives.
Candice also notes that DEI spans numerous areas including neurodivergency.
“It’s important that we are talking about this more in HR. Forms of neurodiversity include autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia. Further research is required to consider how talent is conceptualised when considering different employee talent pools such as the neurodiverse. There is a pressing need to understand what works to remove structural barriers to attract and support neurominorities into and in work.”
Ultimately, says Candice, a strong HR department is one that represents and responds authentically to a diverse range of employee perspectives, voices, and experiences.