Diversity also refers to the ways we are different in other respects such as educational level, work experience, socio-economic background, personality profile, geographic location, marital status and whether or not one has carer responsibilities. All organisational policies, practices and processes that impact on the lives of employees need to recognise the potential benefits that can be derived from having access to a diversity of perspectives and to take account of these differences in managing the workplace. Work systems, organisational structures, performance appraisal schemes, recruitment and selection practices and career development opportunities all impact upon the management of diversity. Workplace diversity in the APS will maintain the basic principles of the EEO provisions of the Public Service Act. To that end, Workplace Diversity Programs will need to include measures to remedy any employment related disadvantage of women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people of non-English speaking background and people with disabilities.
Workplace diversity goes beyond rectifying disadvantage and correcting past actions.
In the APS, procedural fairness and legal compliance have been the main drivers of EEO Programs with a resulting emphasis on redress and correction, largely through recruitment and promotion action. Managing diversity builds upon this foundation and emphasises the importance of valuing workplace difference as good practice. This approach means that organisations must develop people management strategies to value and accommodate differences in the background, perspectives and family responsibilities of their employees. It requires them to acknowledge the positive contribution a diverse workforce, one that more broadly reflects the Australian community they serve, can make to improving productivity and generating new ideas and ways of doing things. The Programs should take into account the particular corporate goals of the agency as well as the broader legal and policy framework.