Minister for women and equalities, Jo Swinson, has claimed that a diverse workforce lead to company growth.
Swinson made the comments when speaking at the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) at the House of Lords, which took place last night. The event was taking place in the hope of highlighting equality and inclusion barriers which still exist in many UK workplaces.
Ms Swinson claimed that employers need to be guided to make sure they have diversity measures in place at every level for more 'inclusive workplace'.
Denise Keating, CEO of The Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (ENEI), who was also at the event, agreed, stating, according to hrmagazine.co.uk: "All the organisation we work with know that a diverse employee base bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the workplace, which results in a better understanding of their customer and client needs and ultimately, improved business performance."
The comments may convince many employers to re-think their equality measures, as this could help them in prospering in austerity, if it can lead to profitable results, such as business growth.
The ENEI came after a new standard for equality in the workplace was launched last month by businesses in conjunction with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) last month. According to personneltoday.com, the National Equality Standard (NES) is the first diversity and inclusion initiative which has been developed by businesses to tackle inequality and promote inclusion.