The best placed people to promote diversity and equality in the workplace stand accused of blocking the way of change in many organisations.
HR professionals are one of the biggest barriers of fairness and inclusion at work, argues Stephen Frost, head of diversity and inclusion at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Speaking at the annual Wainwright Trust event in London, he blamed HR professionals for playing a part in a ’scandal’ and called on them to lead change.
In a scathing response to a question during a debate, he also slammed people “masquerading” as diversity heroes who are really managing the status quo.
Frost advocated judging people on achievement rather than their public pronouncements.
“There has been a lot of progress on improving equality in the last 30 years, but there is still more to do,” said Frost. “My job is to create change and that is what I’m driven by. I think it’s a scandal that HR professionals who should be the biggest agents for change in the workplace are often the biggest blockers. So I would like to get HR to focus on and lead on the issue of diversity and inclusion.
“Anybody doing diversity work will know that by necessity it is hard,” he continued. “There’s a real tension between doing the necessary creative best to encompass all the variables and people and diversity and on the other hand needing rigorous outputs including bringing about change. This tension has to be managed and I don’t think HR and diversity people are doing a great job of that. I’d say if you can create change you have to.”
Frost urged employers to seize the forthcoming London 2012 Paralympics as a chance to push for better jobs opportunities for the disabled.
The Wainwright Trust campaigns for equality in the workplace.
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