Diversity, inclusion vital to business performance – Idris

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KUALA LUMPUR: Diversity and inclusion are some of the fundamental values that correlate with improved business performance, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

Idris, who is also Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) chief executive officer (CEO), said the definition of diversity and inclusion that  previously focused primarily on gender and race has now been extended to include  creating an environment that maximises the potential of all employees.

“Today we cannot work on trust alone, we have to earn the trust from workers. It’s about encouraging and enabling all employees to draw on their talents, skills and experience for the benefit of businesses.

“If you start doing that, you’ll be surprised with the outcome,” he said during his keynote address at the Life at Work Awards 2015 here yesterday.

Idris urged Malaysian employers to champion progressive workplace strategies in order to attract and retain quality talent, thus boosting the country’s  competitiveness.

The awards pay tribute to employers with leading workplace strategies that enable employees to achieve greater success in their corporate and personal lives, and honour a company’s drive and commitment to championing diversity and inclusion.

Currently in its third year, the event is organised by Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp) and Towers Watson in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

Award winners included Maybank Group (Best Malaysian Organisation), IBM Malaysia (Best International Organisation), IHS Malaysia (Best Lean Organisation), Shell Malaysia (Best Initiative) and KPMG Malaysia (CEO Champion).

Maybank Group chief human capital officer Nora A Manaf said a flexible working arrangement (FWA) is key to companies’ success as it allows workers to juggle both personal and working lives.

“I’m very confident that a flexible working arrangement would not affect organisational objectives. It’s flexible with some guidelines. Companies need to advocate trust and belief in workers. If you put trust in your workers, they’ll return 200 per cent back,” she told Bernama.

Meanwhile, KPMG Malaysia managing partner Datuk Johan Idris said diversity and inclusion has always been an integral part of KPMG’s DNA and its founding partners. — Bernama