Why diversity must still be a public service priority

By Ed Smith, portfolio non-executive director and chairman, (formerly senior partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Opportunity Now board member

With Government departments required to reduce annual budgets by 25% before the next election there will be inevitable and significant workforce changes across the whole public sector. There is no doubt that the emphasis on stopping activities which are no longer required and raising productivity  will change working practices and the structures of many public sector bodies. But, with four in 10 working women currently employed within the public sector, I believe it is vital that issues of gender equality and diversity are not sidelined and that women are not disproportionately affected. 

Now is not the time to take the foot off the diversity pedal. The UK is an immensely diverse society and it needs to be served by a diverse public sector that has the right leadership skills to meet 21st century challenges.

The public sector has historically been ahead of the private sector in terms of gender parity, for example it has more women in leadership roles and less of a gender pay gap than the private sector. But there is a danger now of throwing the baby out with the bath water and of losing these good aspects of employment practice as the sector downsizes and de-layers. Clearly obligations under Equalites legislation have to be met but this concern is beyond the legal compliance and reflects my experience of past workforce changes in the private sector.

 At Opportunity Now we have always positioned equality and diversity not as a nice to do, but as a business or organisational imperative.  I believe the reasons for continuing to strive for equality are even more pronounced in the tough times.  Creating workplaces that are more equal and more diverse is not only good for the individual; it is good for society and importantly the economy.

Now is not the time to take the foot of the diversity pedal. The UK is an immensely diverse society and it needs to be served by a diverse public sector that has the right leadership skills to meet 21st century challenges.

 In essence creating diverse and inclusive workplaces is about engaging with employees and ensuring that they know they matter as individuals. It is about ensuring that as an organisation you can tap into the highest calibre of talent, gain fresh perspectives and innovate. And in times of hardship engaging and motivating your employees is key if you want to deliver results and ultimately succeed.  

 The pressure for increased efficiency will mean that the public sector  will have to be even more innovative, make better use of technology and adopt more flexible and agile approaches to the way it works. Our recent report on agile working shows how this can be done and the benefits to individuals and organisations in getting it right.
The majority of workplaces are still designed around a mid 20^th century lifestyle, with an outdated approach to where, when and how work happens. We encourage employers to see work as an activity - not a place, judge people on performance not presenteeism and create cultures which are truly agile and deliver maximum benefit.
There is no doubt that employees will judge an organisation by how well it treats them in the hard times, and if you want to maintain  the respect of stakeholders and service users then that means through the good times and the bad. Creating move inclusive workplaces and valuing difference will help to boost morale, loyalty and productivity for those individuals who survive the cuts and are left working in smaller teams with reduced budgets.

 At Opportunity Now we are committed to working tirelessly with our public service employers to help them through these changing times to ensure that they come out the other end reflecting the communities which they serve and with workplaces that leverage all available talent.