Why join?

How we can support gender and race diversity in the workplace

Getting gender  and race equality and diversity right within the workplace is good for business, good for women and good for society.

Why join Opportunity Now & Race for Opportunity?

Opportunity Now is the only membership organisation representing employers who want to transform the workplace by ensuring inclusiveness for women. We work to build and communicate the business case for this, to share and inspire best practice and to give employers and their people the tools to drive change.
Opportunity Now has  three campaign priorties for the year 2012 -2013.

• Balanced Boards
• Equal Pay
• Flexible/ Agile Working
  

Race for Opportunity (RFO) is committed to improving employment opportunities for ethnic minorities across the UK.  It is the only race diversity campaign that has access to and influence over the leaders of the UK’s best known organisations.

Race for Opportunity's vision is one of 'Squaring the Pyramid' and has three campaign priorities to achieve this vision.

• Diverse leadership on boards and at senior levels
• Diverse representation and progression in the workplace
• Reduction in ethnic minority youth unemployment

Both campaigns are part of Business in the Community and as such have a not for profit status.

Helen Wells Director of Opportunity Now says "I firmly believe that workplace diversity creates competitive advantage There is no doubt that having more diversity within organisations helps avoid identikit thinking and encourages a dynamic mix of experience, perspectives, attitudes and approaches. Research has proved that mixed management groups are more effective than homogeneous ones in making strategic decisions, and delivering better and more innovative business results. However, there is currently a worrying leak in the talent pipeline which filters out many talented and high performing individuals en route to the corporate suite. I believe that increasing the number of women in leadership positions is not a ‘nice to do’, but something which can offer vital business advantage.”

Sandra Kerr, National Director, Race for Opportunity says "Race diversity must continue to be championed by leaders everywhere and seen not only as a recruitment issue but also of relevance to economic productivity.  The greater challenge is to ensure that businesses understand how markedly British society is changing and becoming more ethnically diverse and how this offers huge opportunities for employers nimble enough to take advantage of that change."

Please follow this link to read the research covering the The Business Case for Diversity.