great{with}diversity focuses on diversity & inclusion in the workplace, with an audit toolkit which provides demographic and employee opinion data across all diversity groups throughout their journey through your organisation.

Ron Eldridge, a partner at great{with}talent, tells us more about this exciting new venture:
“I wish we could claim all the credit for the great{with}diversity portfolio. Truth be told, this is almost entirely driven by our clients. Over recent years more sophisticated organisations have been moving past the creation of posters with their Values on (and plastering these around the building, soon to be ignored!). They have been working on how they can really turn these aspirations into action. Diversity has been a particular focus for many. Interestingly, this is often driven from the Values work but has many additional benefits; to be specific, there is a growing body of empirical evidence that shows the more diverse the organisation, the more likely they are to excel. It’s great to see that doing the right thing has an unexpected reward. We capture people insight at every stage of their relationship with their employer (assessment during recruitment, onboarding, engagement and, ultimately, why they leave). Our clients recognise that we can help them to really understand what different group want, need and value as part of their employment. Over the last few years we have been working collaboratively with a number of forward thinking organisations to develop a unique portfolio of tools that provides a complete diversity and inclusion analysis at each stage of the employee lifecycle.” 

So it’s a truly unique proposition?
“There is so much creativity and innovation in the working world these days that I am a touch hesitant to say we are the only people that have created a full toolkit to measure diversity and inclusion at each point of the lifecycle, but, yes, we do believe that great{with}diversity is unique.   One of the most exciting elements is that the more we work with clients, the more innovation occurs; this is a very young field, and being at the forefront is personally very exciting. Another unforeseen benefit of doing the right thing, I guess.”  

Who can benefit from accessing the great{with}diversity tools?
“Just about everyone – I have yet to talk to an organisation or individual who doesn’t see that encouraging, understanding and making diversity and inclusion a reality is the right thing to do.”

How can we find out more about the general topic of diversity and inclusion?
“It’s such a hot topic right now, that it’s hard to miss the buzz across social media, the internet and current affairs.  On our newly launched great{with}diversity website, we will be packaging all this up together in one place, so that you can keep on top of what’s current, the issues that affect you and your business, and what you need to be doing to make a positive difference (both from a legal and a moral standpoint). We’ll be blogging, tweeting, sharing and posting regular advisory articles and documents. Follow our profiles on Twitter, Linked In and Facebook, and keep checking into our website for updates.”

And finally … 

  • Who is your most inspirational icon from a diversity perspective, and why?
    “There are a number of stand-outs that you would all predict  – Mandela, King, etc. However, I have become more and more interested in people on the other side of this, and I would really urge you to look at less conventional heroes. Take FW de Klerk, for example. De Klerk brokered the end of apartheid, South Africa’s racial segregation policy, and supported the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy. The courage to give up power in that era is a true inspiration. “
  • What’s on your iPod most played list (no cheating!)?
    “I go through phases! I tend to obsess on one artist for a month and then move to another. I’m not sure if that reveals a very healthy psychological profile! My current muse is Ella Fitzgerald.” 
  • Would you rather exist in a world with no internet, or no mobile phones?
    “No phones without a doubt! Imagine what a relief it would be.” 
  • If you could only either read minds, or read the written word, which would you choose?
    “Reading minds is a terrifying idea.. let me stick to the written word please.”
  • Finally, back to diversity …what one thing would you change to impact diversity and inclusion in today’s world?
    “Education from a very young age . We are trying to make changes, which is great, but it needs to start at the very beginning of future generations.”  

If diversity and inclusion matter to your organisation, stay up to date by following great{with}diversity’s blogs via http://www.greatwithtalent.me, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.  For more information on products and services, visit http://www.greatwithdiversity.com