Talent Not Tokenism

talent
tokenism
not

the business benefits of workforce diversity

filling skills
gaps
understanding our
customers
getting the best
candidate
finding new
markets
reducing
recruitment costs

Acknowledgements
The CBI and TUC are very grateful to Clare Cozens (www.clarecozens.co.uk) for her
invaluable help in preparing this report.
The CBI and TUC thank the Equality and Human Rights Commission for their support
with this project.
We are especially grateful to all companies that participated in our case studies
or gave us their “top tips”. Thank you to those companies who provided photos to illustrate this guide.

For further information, please contact:
For the TUC:
Sarah Veale
Head of Equality & Employment Rights
TUC
Congress House
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3LS

For the CBI:
Marion Séguret
Senior Policy Adviser
CBI
Centre Point
103 New Oxford Street
London WC1A 1DU

T: 020 7467 1326
E: sveale@tuc.org.uk

T: 020 7395 8282
E: marion.seguret@cbi.org.uk

Content

Foreword

3

The business benefits of greater diversity

4

Attracting and retaining talent

10

Top tips: BT, Yorkshire Water, PricewaterhouseCoopers

11

Case studies: Botanic Inns, Pinsent Masons, RBS, IHG, Arriva

12-20

Understanding customers, attracting new business

24

Top tips: Barclays, B&Q, Lloyds TSB, Shell

25

Case studies: PPDG, IBM, Serco

26-34

Filling skills gaps

38

Top tips: Manpower UK, Ford, Unilever UK

39

Case studies: Oakwood Builders and Joinery, GSK, Beacon Foods, Listawood

40-48

The law on equality and diversity

50

Sources of further information and advice

52

2

Foreword
A firm’s success and competitiveness depends
on its ability to embrace diversity and draw on
the skills, understanding and experience of all
its people.
The potential rewards of diversity are significant:
an organisation that recruits its staff from the
widest possible pool will unleash...