The CIPD’s diversity adviser, Dianah Worman, joined key leaders at Downing Street to promote workplace diversity.
- A roundtable led by the Prime Minister focused on improving recruitment, progression, and senior representation.
- Name-blind recruitment was highlighted as a method to reduce bias in hiring practices.
- CIPD aims to incorporate name-blind recruitment into its courses and promote it among members.
- Leaders from top organizations employing millions pledged to adopt name-blind hiring.
In a significant move towards enhancing workplace diversity, Dianah Worman, the diversity adviser for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), participated in an exclusive event at 10 Downing Street. She joined senior business representatives and the Prime Minister to deliberate on spreading opportunities and championing diversity within work environments. This high-level discussion emphasized the need for reforms in recruitment, progression, and senior representation across organizations.
A focal point of the roundtable discussion was the potential adoption of ‘name-blind’ recruitment practices. This system conceals candidates’ gender and ethnicity during the recruitment process, thereby eliminating biases that might arise from such information. Dianah Worman, who has over 25 years of experience in promoting diversity, noted the encouraging commitment from both government and business leaders toward eradicating workplace discrimination. She stated, ‘It was hugely encouraging to see the commitment from government, business, and other organizations to end discrimination at work.’
The CIPD is set to actively advocate for the benefits of name-blind recruitment among its members and aims to establish this approach as a standard through its training and development courses. This strategy is seen as crucial to nurturing more diverse workforces and broadening the conversation on diversity with both governmental and corporate entities.
Prominent attendees at the event included key figures from leading organizations such as Deloitte, HSBC, the Civil Service, NHS England, KPMG, and the BBC. Collectively, these institutions are responsible for employing over 1.8 million individuals in the UK and have committed to implementing name-blind recruitment as a step towards mitigating discrimination. Anecdotal evidence and recent CIPD reports underscore the advantages of anonymous CVs in fostering fair hiring practices.
Dianah Worman further explicated that addressing unconscious bias is a sound business strategy to ensure organizations do not overlook potential talent. She pointed out that organizations could extend name-blind applications beyond names to include removing ages from CVs and ensuring job advertisements are phrased in an inclusive manner. ‘If people have the skills, the potential, and the right attitude to work, then they should be given every chance to succeed, regardless of their individual characteristics,’ she added.
The commitment to diversity and bias-free recruitment at this event marks a crucial step toward inclusive employment practices.
