This is changing as the public focus on the disparity between society, where barriers of race and gender are eroding, and the workplace, where European men are still overrepresented in senior leadership positions.
Many companies are speeding up efforts to appoint senior female executives and people from different ethnic backgrounds as pressure to disclose the makeup of boards and leadership teams mounts. Pay equity is also an issue that is increasingly gaining attention, especially as robust research exposes remuneration bias in the workplace. There is also a broader drive to encourage greater diversity of thought inside organisations that transcends traditional demographic groups.
This is commendable on a societal level. Discrimination for the sake of it is unacceptable under any circumstance. But the change is also welcome on a business level. Diversity of thought will improve profitability as people from different backgrounds share new ideas, provide insights into untapped markets, and businesses better embody the values of the customers they serve.