No abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to assess the Australian approach to managing a culturally diverse workforce by examining the outcomes of this approach.Design/methodology/approachThe paper applies Syed and Özbilgin's relational, multilevel framework for managing diversity to study policies at three interrelated levels. At the macro‐national level, the paper examines legal and public policy initiatives for managing cultural diversity. At the meso‐organisational level, the paper discusses a variety of workplace diversity management approaches. This discussion encompasses the legal requirements for organisations to remove discrimination, and to create an equal employment opportunity workplace. A voluntary management approach known as “diversity management” is also outlined. At the micro‐individual level, the paper examines unique employment‐related issues faced by ethnic minority workers because of their ethnic, linguistic and religious identities. The multilevel perspectives are synthesised in a model labelled “the Australian model for managing cultural diversity”.FindingsThe legal framework in Australia places only limited obligations on organisations to manage cultural diversity. As a consequence, while a range of organisational responses have proliferated, an integrated approach towards managing culturally diverse workers is absent. The paper argues that, unless cultural diversity is tackled at multiple levels and in a more integrated way, any attempt to either understand or manage such diversity may prove unrealistic.Originality/valueThe paper offers helpful advice to decision makers at the macro‐national and meso‐organisational policy levels vis‐à‐vis developing a realistic understanding of managing diversity through a multilevel framework.

A B S T R A C TThe purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual framework to describe 'socially responsible diversity management'. This framework seeks to demonstrate that the desired social justice outcomes of affirmative action programs and the business benefits of diversity management programs can be achieved but only by undertaking initiatives at a number of levels. Traditional approaches to affirmative action have been unsuccessful in achieving their goal of equitable labour market outcomes and it is unclear that diversity management programs have contributed to business outcomes. The article argues that neither affirmative action nor diversity management has been able to fully achieve its objectives because of a number of limitations. The article argues that organisations can achieve better business outcomes, as well as equity outcomes associated with a diverse workforce, by adopting a relational, multilevel framework of managing diversity. Such a framework provides for the creation of what is termed 'socially responsible diversity management'.

Sustainable human resource management (HRM) has been evolving for more than 15 years. It builds on strategic HRM (SHRM). Sustainable HRM is built around broad organisational goals in a number of areas, not just 'business' goals. Central to this approach is the link between HRM and sustainability. Sustainable HRM seeks to achieve positive economic, social, human and environmental outcomes simultaneously, in the short term and the long term. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development established Sustainable Development Goals. These provide strategies, goals, activities and management practices which human resource practitioners can apply to further sustainability outcomes. This link with sustainability has contributed to studies in areas very different to SHRM and required consideration of additional theories for insights into Sustainable HRM. This article identifies six characteristics of Sustainable HRM which explain the divergence with SHRM. These characteristics are contradictory outcomes, concern with capability development, the need to recognise potential and actual positive and negative outcomes, attention to the development and implementation of HRM activities, the explicit statement of values informing Sustainable HRM and the design of metrics to promote sustainability.

Despite prior research on the influence of national regulatory and cultural factors on sexual harassment (SH) at the workplace, few studies have examined SH, its impact on victims and redress processes in Muslim majority countries (MMCs) such as Pakistan. This study uses neo-institutional theory to develop a more comprehensive framework to explore SH experienced by women at the workplace in Pakistan. Qualitative methodology is adopted to examine employees' and managers' perceptions of SH. Drawing on interviews with working women and human resource managers in six Pakistani organisations, the study demonstrates that even when there are formal policies designed to prevent SH, cultural factors influence policy implementation. It reveals that there is a tension between traditional culture and behaviour consistent with SH policies in the workplace. The study identifies three major factors which influence SH redressal; these are socio-cultural factors (e.g. female modesty), institutional factors (e.g. inappropriate redress procedures), and managerial expertise/ bias.