CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN

THE WORKPLACE

PINO MIGLIORINO
MANAGING DIRECTOR
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES
CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE
WORKPLACE

SHOULD WE EVEN CARE?

Important for what

we want to achieve

Important to how Important for how we

we maximise the need to interact with
value of our human local residents
resources

Cultural Perspectives | 2
 SKILLS FOR EXCELLENCE

Equal Employment Opportunity Practices

EEO can sometime conversely disadvantage those without

recruitment system experience; and those recently arrived

Wrong assumption that all skilled migrants fully understand the

workings of the Australian job recruitment system

Non-recognition of overseas qualifications

Personal bias in the recruitment process

Cultural Perspectives | 3
 PERSONAL BIAS

Australian National University study:

Chinese named applicants need to submit 68% more applications for a call
back
Middle Eastern 64%
Indigenous 35% more and
Italian 12% more except for Melbourne where they required 7% less

The potential loss is skills, international experience and

innovation.

Cultural Perspectives | 4
PERSONAL BIAS

when managed workplace

diversity delivers enhanced
creativity, flexibility and
problem solving skills.

Cultural Perspectives | 5
 CAPACITY FOR RESPONSIVNESS

Workplace diversity from equity consideration service

capacity and client responsiveness consideration.

Structures in which the profile of staff reflects that of clients.

HR perspective- considering the inclusion of language/cultural

sensitivity as either essential or desirable criteria

Ongoing resistance to linguistic or cultural identification in

recruitment

Cultural Perspectives | 6
 CROSS CULTURAL COMPETENCY

Morphed from cross cultural sensitivity cultural

competency

HR - considering the inclusion of language/cultural sensitivity as

either essential or desirable criteria

To realise this- resources and commitments must be allocated

to:
Enhanced staff training
Cross cultural communication resource development
Budget allocations
An organisational recognition of these skills and applicability in the
workplace Cultural Perspectives | 7
FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

Cultural Perspectives | 8
FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

Council leadership must take initiative

Newcastle City Council

Where this works best:

Valuing diversity and multicultural
responsiveness embedded in policy &
programs

Managing diversity responsibilities embedded

in position descriptions and performance
indicators

Organisational performance measures for

Cultural Perspectives | 9
diversity established and reported against
FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

Acknowledged as delivering enhanced

creativity, flexibility and problem solving skills

Enhancing the effectiveness of working with

CALD clients and colleagues

Risk mitigation value in developing good

workplace diversity management skills and
addressing workplace race based discrimination
and harassment.

Cultural Perspectives | 10
FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

Councils need to develop an overall approach that

will support and promote the value of workplace
diversity.

Assessment of Councils structural and individual

cultural competence and a programmed response to
cover:
Vision
Leadership
Planning
Organisational diversity management
Organisational capacity and resources
Community engagement
Cultural Perspectives | 11
Program enhancements for accessibility
CULTURAL DIEVRSITY IN
THE WORKPLACE