Supporting Change • Developing People • Promoting Ability

Real Challenges but Great Expectations:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in 2012

For Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI), 2012 promises to be a year like no other for both real challenges and great expectations.

There can be little doubt that the 2012 Games provides the UK with a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to showcase its ability to stage an event that has, historically, personified diversity and inclusion.

It will, however, be for Boris and the other UK organisers to deliver on their promise to make the 2012 Games the most accessible ever. An unprecedented number of disabled people will be visiting London in the next 12 months. Accessible transport, appropriate accommodation and high quality information and customer service will, no doubt, be the difference between success and failure in positioning the UK as ‘open for all’ for the next decade.

The Government’s continuing commitment to deficit reduction will remain a big challenge for 2012. A lot of GCL work with the public sector this year has been around fairness in deficit reduction. We have supported many public sector bodies to fully assess the impact of their deficit reduction plans and follow due process in the way these plans are carried out. We expect this to continue in 2012.

The economic climate will also have an impact on the Public Sector’s setting of equality objectives (required in 2012 by the Equality Act). These will need to be both realistic and credible and GCL look forward to working with clients to achieve this.

We are very aware that the public sector continues to shrink. We are working less and less with equality and diversity managers and more with business partners with a responsibility for ‘hardwiring’ EDI across all business functions. Again, we expect this to continue.

Over the last 12 months GCL has also detected a real shift towards the private sector taking a greater role in driving EDI and a greater emphasis on EDI needing to prove return on investment (ROI) like never before. As always, ROI in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion is not just about legal compliance or financial gain. It is also about positive, sustainable impact that comes from every member of staff, every customer and supplier being included and the creativity and business expertise that diversity can deliver.

Echoing the above GCL sees procurement as being a key area of work for 2012. We are pleased to be working with Bangor University in this area and, in particular, looking at how Small to Medium sized suppliers can benefit from setting a standard for EDI in procurement and how it can be hardwired into the procurement processes.

GCL also sees 2012 being a year of collaboration, We have very much enjoyed working with assist-Mi, Clear Kit, Shape Arts and Bangor University (to name a few). We see this partnership approach developing further as we support others to deliver core projects and objectives.

2012 will not be easy but it will be a year of potentially massive change. We look forward to supporting both existing and new clients to realise their potential through Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Happy New Year!

Goss Consultancy Ltd
January 2012