LEGALFIRMA's Diversity Initiatives: A Case Study in Workplace Equality

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WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................3
SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES OF EQUALITY IN LEGALFIRMA 4
LABOUR MARKET................................................................................................................. 6
EQUALITY PAYS ACT 2010 AND LEGALFIRMA.......................................................................8
EQUALITY PLAN FOR LEGALFIRMA.....................................................................................10
DIVERSITY COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS AND BENEFIT FOR PROPOSED CHANGES...................12
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................... 14
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................... 15

INTRODUCTION
In this world, the business environment is rapidly changing and all the organizations are
ready to adopt various diversify policies and strategies which includes with the employees,
vendors, customers and material supplier. Workplace diversity reflects the differences in
individual employees in the organization which are in their age, gender, abilities, culture
background and other. Diversity in the context of LEGALFIRMA, this organization is one of
the largest law firms in the world. In this organization, they have diversified organizational
activities at the workplace. Workplace diversity is helpful to get advantages over the
competitors and also provide information about the requirement and need of customers.
Diversity at the workplace reduces the complexity and helps to improve coordination and
healthy relationship among the employees.
The workplace audit delivers necessary information of the equality and diversity at the
LEGALFIRMA. This organization has more than 4500 staff and 500business partners, all these
analysis and marketing structures make the necessary information and data for analysing.
Gender and ethnicity diversity refers to LEGALFIRMA which provides effective knowledge
about the workplace and also represents the labour market. In this assignment, also
discussed the various recommendations substitute solution for the improving diversity in
the organization.

SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES OF EQUALITY IN
LEGALFIRMA
The LEGALFIRMA organization makes some essential steps to grab the opportunities of
innovation and effective changes in the organizational process. The organization accepts as
true that diverse community makes the essential changes for organization growth and
development and it works for the enhancing growth in its services, which is to be providing
for customers. Diversity makes an effectual impact on every portion of organizational
activities, which is in the way of recruiting and selecting new employees and other
personalities (Armstrong et al., 2010).
Diversity & Inclusion Charter states that the diversity is necessary and there is a
commitment by the organization that they promoting diversity in all of the functions and
managing activities within the organization (Armstrong et al., 2010). Organization
management has confidence that promoting diversity in the organization make helpful in
diverse skills, other opinions, and their knowledge helps to build strongest law organization
and helpful for enhancing productivity (Armstrong et al., 2010). This organization recruits
potential and qualifies professionals and various lawyers, which has been by their status,
gender, age, colour, religion, disability, marital status and others. All these criteria are
helpful in this big company by diversified culture in the organizational process.
Diversity at the process of a LEGALFIRMA is more active, this organization manages various
operational activities by managing the workforce. LEGALFIRMA pushes its limits to promote
diversity in different ways to recruiting women employees and lawyers by their age, colour,
gender-structured in different ways. This organization LEGALFIRMA has various resources to
hire different peoples for the betterment of diversity in the organization. LEGALFIRMA is one
of the best law firms in the world for diversity and it is cover in under top 25 (Benschop,
2016).
Gender Pay Report stands for the changes in employee figures of the organization in 2017
that out total number of employees in LEGALFIRMA, figures say that the male employees in
the company are around 41% and the figures for the female is around 59%. This figure
represents that the organization effectively manages all the female employee retention with
an effective percentage of recruitment (Benschop, 2016).

All these figures and fact refers to the organizational process of reduction employees and
gender biases from the LEGALFIRMA, but the organization must have to manage and
balance organizational work structure and gender workforce by hiring more female
employees, which helps to enhance diversity in the organization (Belenzon and Tsolmon,
2016).

LABOUR MARKET
Labour market refers to the situation where all the rules and regulations have been set up
by the government and in this setting od proving and allocation of labour in a different area
of organization which helps to reach at the top to the management. Internal labour market
reflects the internal organizational process of providing training, development, recruiting
and selecting, managing labour process which has been coordinate the relationship of the
employees within the organization (Jenkins, 2017). External labour market stands for the
decision-making process which is to be done by the economic variables. The internal market
has been standing for the managing organizational procedures and it has been concluding
all the process of administration and management within the organization (Jenkins, 2017).
As per the observation, Gender Pay Report (2017), organization LEGALFIRMA has been
conducting a survey for the solving various issues and errors which occurs in the
organization, they include 90 senior members of human resource and also including
different top-level management personalities from different institutions for identifying the
changes, errors, gaps and challenges for gender pays (CIPD, 2015). From the various
observation s and many kinds of research refers to the gender pay gap is more productive
and effective for the organizational activities and it completely reduces the uncertain gasp
and errors which has been helpful for the organization to encouraging many activities
(Jenkins, 2017). It is essentially required to the employers and other institution to achieving
tasks and other activities, which helps to make the effectual organization by the managing
various activities of labour management. Gender gap pay is the promotional activities for
the organization to enhancing diversity and employees' management portion (Jenkins,
2017). All these activities proved that the effective and necessary position to the
organization in their working structure by completely diversifies make various changes and
these changes make the organization on top position in the market (CIPD, 2015).
From the observation towards the gender pay and it has been finding that 10-12
originations have a complex gap in gender pay and them also in the favour of the male.
There are several public organizations are managing, observing changes and allow bringing
in the business process and it also helps to make enhancing diversity in LEGALFIRMA
(Jenkins, 2017).

The keen observation of the labour structure of the organization and helps to identify the
labour workforce by exploring the age of people in different sector for different roles. It has
been analyzed through various reposts and surveys that more than 2 in 10 are above the 60
age limit and more than 2 in 5 are cross the age of 50 (Jenkins, 2017). In the tertiary sector
just like real-estate and agriculture have more than 50% of aged peoples who cross their age
above 50. From these figures, organization get measurements on the forecasting for future
employees retention is in next few years all these peoples will be retired, so that the
requirement of new skilled, potential and having diverse abilities should be required in
upcoming years (CIPD, 2015).
Labour market of diversity is not that new, it has been representing the changes in high
rates of pay to an employee for women employees, focusing on disability which performs
the effectiveness of the recruitment of effective and efficient employees (Business
&Finance, 2019). It is the biggest issue for the economy and also for the organization that
the diversity in the labour market is increasing more and more which leads to the various
changes and differences (Jenkins, 2017). In this process is also mentioning various changes
for the individual behaviours towards the group activities and this would be able to make
various changes in the organization process. All the categorized employees in the
organization such as men, women, disability, ethnic minorities and other sexual orientation
make various changes in the organizational structure (Jenkins, 2017).

EQUALITY PAYS ACT 2010 AND LEGALFIRMA
Considering if the Equalities Act, 2010 offers LEGALFIRMA the opportunities to extend its
diversity practice or policies
The Equality Act 2010 lawfully shields participants from segregation in the working
environment and in an additional large society. It supplanted past enemy of separation legal
guidelines with a solitary Act, making the legislation extra clear and reinforcing protection in
precise situations (Gov.UK, 2019; Act, 2010). It sets out the various manners through which
it can be unlawful to deal with anyone. Earlier than the Act got used here into vigour there
have been a number of bits of enactment to duvet separation, including:
 Sex Discrimination Act 1975
 Race Relations Act of 1976
 Disability Discrimination Act 1995
On the off chance that one is exposed to unlawful treatment on or after 1 October 2010, the
Equality Act applies (Wadham, 2010). For example, if a person experienced sex
discrimination on 30 September 2010, which drove forward except if 2 October 2010, the
Equality Act will rehearse, no longer the intercourse Discrimination Act. The act basically
covers several areas related to discrimination at a workplace like age, race, disability,
gender, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation etc. and hence this is one of the most
powerful and impactful act in terms of managing a god and healthy diversity at workplace
by avoiding the instances of discrimination on any mentioned basis (Equality and Human
Rights Commission, 2010).
Equality and diversity type may also be characterised as "advancing correspondence of
opportunities for all, through varied style, allowing each man or woman to achieve their
capabilities, free from prejudice and discrimination”. A diverse workforce permits an
organization to present a large scope of aptitudes, property and ideas to present the
business an aggressive facet. Some key advantages of varied form the diversity management
contain;
Cultural – knowledge of different areas of the community

Access to additional market sectors
Access to a wider talent pool when recruiting
Staffs have a better understanding and respect for difference (Legislation Gov.UK)
Similarly, for the firms like the LEGALFIRMA, the use of this Equality Act (2010) is very crucial
and essential for the betterment of their workplaces by creating a diverse workforce which
is free from any kind of discrimination and partiality. According to Armstrong, et al. (2010)
the impact of diversity and equality management on firm performance is beyond high-
performance work systems and can be achieved through a proper set of rules or law like
Equality Act. For organizations like LEGALFIRMA to settle on their decisions identified with
the utilization of rare advantages for strengthening proficiency, they should be prepared to
look at the results of select capacities activities (Hunt, Layton and Prince, 2015). The notion
to enhance the diversity at the workplace and opportunities that it can provide after
significant implementation, the companies like LEGALFIRMA can achieve their goals and
objectives easily. Since the LEGALFIRMA is operating with more than 400 partners and 4000
of staff members at their 20 offices and hence the proper implementation of the equality
policies to operate in the office, work from home, etc. is also necessary (Campbell and Vera,
2010). They have now seen the strategic value of this increased diversity at their workplace
with men, women, part-time people and those who came from ethnic minorities.
The present data depicts that there is a need to enhance the role of women at the top level
who are willing to give their flexible time to the company and help in improvising the
diversity at the workplaces (Campbell and Vera, 2010). An article on The Lawyer Portal
(2019) depicts that the legal firms are needful of "inclusivity, responsiveness and good
employers". There is a clear problem of the maintenance for gender at all levels but also
says that women are accountable of 48% of lawyers in law firms and 47% of an overall
workforce of UK (ref SRA reports). Now, women are catching up to the race and leading
their way and hence this can be very helpful for firms like LEGALFIRMA in future. While
similar to the gender gaps, the discrepancy in BAME partners and trainees in large firms is
also found in this sector. For ethnic minorities, there are signs of a slight increase in the
black lawyers and which is significant as per the needs of the customers.

EQUALITY PLAN FOR LEGALFIRMA
Focus on the retention employees, the main objective of any organization to reduce the
employee's turnover ratio which completely makes an impact on the organizational
procedure. It is necessary to use various approaches to reduce turnover and enhancing the
process of employees retaining. Retaining of potential and skilled employees in the
organization will make essential changes towards increasing diversity (Campbell and Vera,
2010).
Widen recruiting base is referred to the enhancing recruitment base of skilled,
knowledgeable employees in the organization for completion diversity tasks which have
been filled with the different portion of the organization. Employees from various fields,
culture, tradition and other communities will definitely help the organization to come over
to resolve the client problems and issues. A wider range of recruitment process helps to
increase the diversity in the organization. Recruit over a broader geographic area which
increases the scope of recruitment and selection process of an effective and potential
candidate in the institution. When the broader the geographical area of recruiting will make
the essential changes and grow the chances of diverse in the process (FA, 2018).
Offer language training programs for existing employees of the organization in a different
field, which indicates the effectiveness of communication in employees to make effective
performance towards their job and work profile. The organization should have to offer
language learning process for the employee to communicate better and able to understand
the client's problems. An employee can be women, men; disable person and sexual
orientation are able to learn various languages to make essential communication with
others and all these activities help to increase diversity (Diversity & Inclusion, 2017).
Consider providing diversity training, every organization has to provide effective diversity
problems and teach employees to manage various situations occurs during the
organizational activities id going on. Diversity training considered all the necessary
information which concluded for the managing different languages, introduced about the
culture and tradition and other essential information which should be necessary for
improving diversity in the institutions (Diversity & Inclusion, 2017).

Create an evaluation form for the monitoring and evaluate the performance of the
individual employee of the organization and guide them to achieve more objective. The
organization has to build such an effective evaluation form and in this form should have all
the necessary information about the improvement of diversity in the organization (Diversity
& Inclusion, 2017). Clarify the benefits to the employee so that they give effective in their
work performance and which helps to achieving organizational objective of the diversity
leading and developing all the necessary outcomes for the changes in organizational process
is keen to manage operational activities and all these help for the improvement of diversity
(Dobbin et al., 2015).

DIVERSITY COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS AND BENEFIT FOR PROPOSED CHANGES
An organization who improve the diversity policies at workforce are able to recognize
benefits in long term through competitive advantages and this impact on the organizational
objective and also get some more benefits in the form of short and medium-term
implementation improve the performance of an overall organization. Observation and
researches identify that the benefits of diversity at the workplace in an economical way
which has been covered in the long term befits and other than short-term and medium-
term benefits from it (Hunt et al., 2015).
When the organization invested capital for enhancing diversity policies at the workplace,
which is helpful for the organization in future organizational activities. The visible and non-
visible assets of the company are effectively allowed to organizational activities to manage
competition, stable cash flow, reduce liabilities and provide satisfaction to customers as well
as shareholders (Nielsen, 2017). Establish long-term effective drivers which have been
helpful to increase the value of manpower and capital which is invested by organization.
Effective investment is creating valuable manpower and organizational capital with the help
of managing various activities which results as the improvement of diversity policies. A
tangible and non-visible asset of the organization plays an essential role in improving the
value of diversity policies. Cost analysis and organizational capital have the strength to
improve the overall performance of the organization which helps to increase the value of
diversity. Effective diversity policies help to retain competitive advantages and these
advantages may fulfil the requirement of organizational objective. Benefits from producing
short and medium-term opportunities in the market, which is helpful for improving
organizational cash inflow and outflow (Özbilgin et al., 2016).
It can be done through by cost deduction in the process; Implementation and improvement
in the existing working structure in the current market, Resolving labour turnover issues and
maintain the balance and for enhancing diversity policies in the organization they should
have to open some new markets (Özbilgin et al., 2016).
Organization LEGALFIRMA has various cost incurred at the time of investing in the diversity
policies at workforces which have been enhancing the situation to collect more benefits
from the market. These costs are followings: Cost of legal agreement: This is internal costing