Dialogue: Prejudice, stereotypes bar many from work

Talented workers can hunt for work for years, applying for hundreds of jobs at and below their capabilities. At the same time, the media feature numerous accounts of talent shortages in areas in which these job seekers are highly skilled.

Older workers, skilled migrants, people with disabilities, Maori and Pacific Islanders, school leavers and women returning to paid work after years dedicated to child rearing are among those who face barriers to getting jobs.

These barriers exist amid concern over the economic and social costs of higher unemployment among certain groups (three times as high for Maori as for the population as a whole), of worries about the brain drain, skill shortages and our ability to compete in a global marketplace. The barriers also exist in a climate critical of those who are not in paid work.

Equal Employment Opportunities policies will help to share work more fairly. The benefits to job-seekers and their families are obvious. But the benefits to business and the economy are just as significant because EEO helps workplaces achieve business success through valuing diversity.

EEO is not charity. It is common sense as well as good business sense. Talent abounds in groups that face real barriers to getting jobs. EEO uses relevant merit (such as experience, potential, skills and qualifications), rather than habits, stereotypes or prejudice in job selection. This increases the likelihood of employers appointing the best candidates to jobs. Far from being tokenism, EEO recognises excellence.

Employers committed to EEO aim to give applicants a fair go. They aim to give employees a fair go as well - in pay, conditions, career development, promotion and in opportunities to lead balanced lives.

Few would justify selecting someone for a job on the basis of eye colour. Yet many recruitment consultants and managers report employment decisions based on the colour of an applicant's skin, their accent, age or other equally irrelevant factors used as proxies for talent.

Employment experiences of people with disabilities (who make up one in five in our population) show the waste of talent. Data quoted in the EEO Trust publication "People, Disability and Work" shows that people with disabilities are equally or more reliable than workers without disabilities, an overwhelming percentage have above-average attendance and safety records, and employing them does not lead to an increase in compensation costs or lost time from injuries. Yet only 3 per cent of respondents to the annual EEO Trust diversity survey report employing people with disabilities.

The New Zealand Paralympians' medal tally is a reminder that people with disabilities do as well as or better than able-bodied people. It would be encouraging to see more than airport applause for such success. One meaningful translation of goodwill into action would be for employers to contact Workbridge or other specialist employment agencies for people with disabilities as well as their other contacts next time they have a job to fill.

The experiences of Sri Lankan migrants were surveyed last year by the EEO Trust. Of this highly qualified group, 92 per cent were fluent or very fluent in English and many were qualified in areas of skill shortage in New Zealand. Yet 47 per cent said they faced employment discrimination, mostly from employers and recruitment consultants.

Attempts to attract more skilled migrants to address shortages, such as those in IT and communications, will have limited success unless talented people are treated better.

One of the dramatic demographic changes in New Zealand and internationally is the ageing of our population. Not only the client base age but the talent pool will be older. Despite this and the wealth of experience that older job applicants have to offer, older people (about 45 onwards) experience barriers to getting work. Again the myths that support unfair discrimination have no basis in fact. Older workers adapt, learn, perform and remain in workplaces just as well as younger workers. Making appointment decisions based on assumptions about older workers is sloppy practice, with dramatic costs.

Those seeking work need to have confidence they will be treated fairly. It requires dedication to keep trying for jobs when something you cannot change - your ethnicity, age, disability or sexual orientation - is used in job selection. Repeated experiences of unfair discrimination erode self-esteem and motivation.

Profile and reputation as good employers are key strategies for businesses to attract talent in the fiercely competitive environment. Those workplaces wanting to give applicants confidence that they will be treated fairly are seen as employers of choice. A total of 291 New Zealand workplaces are members of the EEO employers group, members of which commit to EEO principles. The annual EEO Trust diversity index shows that while not perfect, EEO employers group members, (www.eeotrust.org.nz) perform better than non-members on a range of benchmarks including a higher level of awareness and acceptance of diversity, prevention of harassment, senior management accountability for EEO and work and life initiatives.

Business benefits result from such commitment. EEO leaders such as Heaney & Co and Woolworths have reported positive client feedback from their EEO initiatives. (In addition, Woolworths saved $6 million on staff turnover costs after implementing EEO policies.) Merck Sharp & Dohme reports recruitment has been enhanced by the positive EEO strategies it has in place for work and life balance.

Job seekers increasingly choose employers who are explicit about their commitment to EEO. Said one senior lawyer who rejected a headhunter's offer: "I told them that no extra money could compensate for a hostile work climate rife with harassment and with such long hours that I couldn't be a good father."

People are attracted to work in New Zealand by lifestyle, not pay. We have an opportunity to capitalise on this attractiveness - our climate, landscape, reputation as a great place to bring up children and as a country committed to giving people a fair go. To do this, all workplaces need to invest in the simple, practical changes that will ensure equal employment opportunities help to deliver success.

Those involved in recruitment and selection should be trained in effective, fair methods. Recruitment consultants can give honest feedback about the real reasons that clients reject applicants and can also seek feedback from applicants.

Employers should require their consultants to use EEO principles and deliver a diverse shortlist to increase their chances of hiring excellent candidates. If they develop and promote an EEO policy, they will help to show their commitment to excellence in human resource practices.

If applicants, when possible, choose employers who are committed to EEO, such as members of the EEO employers group, they can help to reward good employers.

EEO is a means of sharing the work and the rewards that it brings. It will enhance opportunities for job seekers, employees, businesses and the economy.

* Trudie McNaughton is executive director of the EEO Trust.

Herald Online feature: The jobs challenge

We invite your responses to a series of questions such as: what key policies would make it easier for unemployed people to move into and generate jobs?