Workforce compositionand diversity
Workforce composition and diversity describes the makeup of an organisations workforce, which includes basic demographic measures and measures of diversity. Diversity in an organisation is a measure of the differences and similarities between the characteristics of people.
Common measures
Employee profile: this could include factors such as age, gender, race, sexuality
For example: % of employees between 18 and 25
Departmental ratios: these could include measures such as gender ratios at senior leadership level
For example: 60 female : 40 male
Headcount: this is typically the number of employees. The definition of headcount will be different for each organisation and should be agreed across the business functions.
Modes of employment: This is a measure of the ratio of labour types
For example: 45:1 full-time to part-time labour split
Leadership diversity: this measures the diversity of senior leaders in the organisation against defined measures in the organisation’s diversity strategy.
For example: % LGBT employees in senior/leadership positions
Further research
Research suggests that only one in nine FTSE100 companies are reporting on their workforce composition. This paper from the PLSA describes the increasing pressure from investors and their clients for more open reporting of the composition of a company’s human capital.
Read the full paper: Where is the workforce in corporate reporting?
Resources description
For more information diversity in the workplace, tips for managing diversity and developing a business case for investment read the CIPD factsheet below.
Diversity in the workplace: an overview
For a practical checklist on how to manage diversity in your organisation download the CMI guidance:
Managing for diversity
Improving the female balance of senior talent remains a key challenge for organisations across the economy. Survey findings from the CIPD reveal that the proportion of female employees decreases with seniority in two-thirds (67%) of organisations and just three in ten (31%) have taken action to improve the gender diversity of their board. This research report explores HR practitioners’ perspectives on gender diversity in the boardroom and offers practical strategies for improving female representation at the top of organisations.
Gender diversity in the boardroom: reach for the top
Values in the workplace often differ from one culture to another. Geert Hofstede’s research in this area posits five different dimensions of cultural difference. His model can help managers and leaders understand cultural differences and adjust individual behaviours and people management strategies accordingly. Download this model for a summary of Hofstede’s model of cultural dimensions.
Hofstede's cultural dimensions
Resources
Case study
Employing over 180,000 people across 40 countries, CapGemini relies on the expertise and skills of its workforce to deliver high organisational and financial performance. Faced with challenges such as siloed departments and reporting of often disconnected data, CapGemini sought to create a tool that would offer access to key human capital data such as headcount, diversity, and attrition, in one place. Read the full case study to find out how they developed a tool house and illustrate their data in a clear and coherent way.