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Enterprises Sign Charter to Promote Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

06/12/2018

The first batch of eleven enterprises have pledged to establish a diverse and inclusive workplace by signing the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers (Charter) launched by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) today (6 December 2018).

The Charter is developed by the EOC for providing guidance to employers who intend to build a diverse and inclusive workplace. It consists of a list of nine guidelines that cover three broad areas, namely policy, culture and work environment. The EOC will act as an advisor to the participating companies to help with the formulation and implementation of the suggested good practices on racial diversity and inclusion. The EOC hopes that it will encourage businesses in adopting measures and recognise the racial diversity and inclusion commitment of the organisations. Since the EOC embarked on this Charter, much interest has been expressed and it is expected that there will be more signatories in the near future.

While officiating at the Inaugural Ceremony today, EOC Chairperson Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming said, “Many businesses now attach great importance to corporate social responsibility. They hope to help the ethnic minorities to get into the work force and integrate into the society, and eliminate racial discrimination. Different cultural backgrounds of the employees can also bring a positive cultural change to the business and boost creativity and productivity, and eventually leads to a win-win situation for both employers and employees. The EOC hopes that more businesses will join the Charter. Together we create a pluralistic and inclusive society free of discrimination where there is no barrier to equal opportunities.”

Mr Watson CHAN, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Policy & Business Development) of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce delivered a keynote speech on “How racial diversity benefits business.” At the panel discussion, representatives of AXA and Holiday Inn Golden Mile looked into the challenges and benefits of promoting racial diversity and inclusion in the workplace, while ethnic minority employees from Fairwood Holding Limited shared their work experiences.

Companies registered with Business Registration (the business must be in operation in Hong Kong for at least 1 year), charitable organisations, education establishments, medical institutions, chambers of commerce and professional bodies, etc. are eligible and encouraged to sign the Charter. As a signatory of the Charter, company can display the official signed Charter in the office and use the dedicated Racial Diversity & Inclusion logo on their publications, job advertisements, etc to identify itself as a signatory of the Charter. Interested companies can contact the EOC at 2511-8211 for enquiries about signing the Charter. For details of the Charter, please visit the EOC's website at
https://www.eoc.org.hk/en/news-and-events/events-and-programmes/eoc-events/inclusion-charter.

At present, 11 participating organisations which have signed the Charter, include (in alphabetical order):

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
Shun Tak Holdings Limited

Photo caption: EOC Chairperson Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming (Middle) in a group photo with representatives from participating organisations

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Equal Opportunities Commission

6 December 2018