Partner Article

Workplace Equality Demands Lead to Unqualified Hires

Ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8th), surprising research reveals that gender equality initiatives could result in poor hiring decisions and even lead to unfair treatment towards male workers.

The news comes from CV-Library, the UK’s largest job site, which conducted a survey amongst over 2,000 UK employees to uncover workers’ attitudes towards the gender pay gap and gender equality initiatives. The findings revealed:

• 54.1% of UK workers think that equality policies lead to unqualified candidates getting jobs because hiring managers are more focused on diversity than qualifications
• Almost half (48.3%) of professionals believe less focus should be placed on gender discrimination in the workplace
• Perhaps this is because 38.8% of workers believe that constant hype around the gender pay gap is actually having a negative effect on men

While there’s no denying that the gender discrimination is an issue in today’s society – 76.4% of respondents believe gender inequality exists in the workplace and a further 72.3% agree there is a gender pay gap – the data suggests that the hype surrounding gender equality issues could actually be having a negative impact on the workplace.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments: “Gender equality is a real issue that needs to be taken seriously, but initiatives that promote equality simply cannot get in the way of business productivity. When UK employers are hiring new workers, it’s essential that the best candidate gets the job, regardless of gender. The data shows us that enforcing diversity quotas or equality initiatives can actually have a negative impact on the business and its workforce.”

While 33.5% of workers believe the root cause of the gender pay gap can be attributed to old gender stereotypes, respondents cited a variety of other possibilities, including: weak employment laws, men choosing higher-paying jobs, and men and women holding different types of jobs.

Learn more about CV-Library at www.cv-library.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Michelle Smithson .