Problem
You just started a new role at organisation ABC as the HR manager. ABC is a wealth management and investment firm. It has offices in Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast with plans to launch operations in Melbourne within the next six months and other Australian capital cities in the years to come. Currently, the organisation has mainly homogeneous teams with a total of 160 employees. Your manager, the CEO, explains that some of its stakeholders have criticised ABC for failing to promote diversity. Shareholders are concerned that the lack of a diverse workforce is one of the causes of losing potential clients in various suburbs. Turnover rates have been increasing at 3% quarterly on average over the last two years. The number of diverse employees is decreasing at 2% quarterly. Despite the balanced demand/supply in the workforce market, the previous HR Manager struggled to replace the exiting employees within the required timeframes. Last year, a conflict between two employees was ignited when Employee A circulated an email that the other Employee, B, perceived to contain racial remarks against a minority group. A disciplinary committee issued Employee A with a warning only to address the incident, which diverse employees perceived to be a biased decision, causing more resentment against management. The previous HR Manager, and to rapidly contain the frustration and bad emotions that resulted after the email incident, designed a diversity and inclusion strategy based on his previous experience in the telecommunication sector; however, the initiatives failed.
Answer the following questions in the context of the provided scenario.
1. What objectives would you set in your diversity and inclusion initiatives?
2. List and briefly describe the possible stakeholders you need to consult with on your diversity and inclusion initiatives.
3. How would you consult with each stakeholder group?
4. How would you manage your relationship with each stakeholder group?
5. How would you gain the support and agreement of stakeholders on your initiatives?
6. Identify the reasons for which the previous HR Manager's initiatives failed.
7. How would you avoid making the same mistakes?