11 Hong Kong based organisations and EOC representatives
11 Hong Kong organisations pledged to establish a diverse and inclusive workplace at a charter signing yesterday.
The Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers was launched by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to provide guidance for building diverse and inclusive workplace cultures.
The charter comprised a list of nine guidelines covering policy, culture and work environment, and was signed by Arup, AXA, CLP Holdings Limited, Community Business, Fairwood Holdings Limited, Hiu Kwong Group, Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hong Kong, HSBC, Jardine Aviation Services Group, Manulife (International) Limited and Shun Tak Holdings Limited.
Prof. Alfred Chan Cheung-ming, EOC Chairperson, EOC stated, “Many businesses now attach great importance to corporate social responsibility. They hope to help the ethnic minorities to get into the workforce, integrate into society and eliminate racial discrimination.”
Chan continued, “Different cultural backgrounds of employees can also bring a positive cultural change to businesses and boost creativity as well as productivity, and eventually lead to a win-win situation for both employers and employees.”
Following the charter ceremony, representatives from AXA, Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hong Kong and Fairwood Holdings Limited discussed how racial diversity benefits businesses as part of a panel.
Michael Chan Yick-man, Chief Operations Officer, EOC highlighted, “This is important because there is still inequality around on different fronts in Hong Kong, and by promoting inclusiveness and diversity we are trying to redress the imbalance and, at the same time, bring great value to the organisation.”
The EOC expect more interest from additional organisations committed to the charter and say there will be more signatories in the near future.
Paul Arkwright
