{"id":1543,"date":"2024-01-05T13:14:38","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T13:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whitecrowresearch.com\/resources\/?p=1543"},"modified":"2024-01-05T13:14:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T13:14:40","slug":"the-whitecrow-whisper-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whitecrowresearch.com\/resources\/2024\/01\/05\/the-whitecrow-whisper-2\/","title":{"rendered":"THE WHITECROW WHISPER"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A quarterly digest of facts, figures and opinion from the Talent Acquisition Sector<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sorry, but that\u2019s just me<\/strong>!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Please don\u2019t bring your whole self to work<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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We\u2019ve all met them. Those Jekyll and Hyde
colleagues who are always perfectly
pleasant out of work but a bit of a
nightmare in the office. At first encounter,
the contradiction can be jarring, but once
you get to know these characters the
explanation is usually the same: they\u2019re
basically decent people who are unable
to control their less attractive qualities
when under stress.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was thinking about this the other
day when watching an advert for a
well-known brand which encourages
its employees to \u2018bring their whole
self to work\u2019.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a lovely idea if we\u2019re just talking
about hobbies and hairstyles. But what
about politics? What about religion? What
about our flaws? If I have a bad temper
should I bring that to work or should I,
rather, try to suppress it in the interests of
a harmonious working place?

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point touches on diversity and the
oft-repeated belief that \u2018diversity is our
strength\u2019. Unfortunately, this isn\u2019t some
magically self-fulfilling statement.
Diversity might be a strength, but only if it
comes second to some sort of shared
value or ideal. And in order for that to
happen, people must occasionally hold
back some of their natural selves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In the last twenty years or so, it\u2019s become
increasingly fashionable for companies to
publish mission statements and solemn
sounding \u2018values\u2019. But recent research
from WhiteCrow suggests employees do
not always buy into these or, in many
cases, even know what they are<\/a>. This is
perhaps unsurprising when the same
companies are also telling employees to
\u2018be yourself\u2019. In short, these companies are
living a contradiction which is bound to
inhibit cultural cohesion and ultimately
harm output and revenues.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see something similar in the real
world. Whisper it, but the most diverse
countries are not the most successful.
Liberia, anyone? Conversely, countries
such as Japan or South Korea which have
very low diversity seem nevertheless to
thrive. But perhaps most interesting are
those countries like Singapore which,
though diverse, are rigorously organized
around a clearly understood set of rules
and obligations.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order for diversity to yield positive
results at corporate level, it needs not to
be a company\u2019s sole aspiration. Instead, it
needs to be subordinated to a purpose
that all employees understand and
believe in. And if that means occasionally
dialing down one\u2019s self-expression, that\u2019s
probably no bad thing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The World According to WhiteCrow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the world\u2019s largest sourcing and recruitment company, WhiteCrow works with clients
across multiple geographies and sectors. So a brief glance at what we\u2019re working on
ought to provide a clue to what\u2019s going on in the wider market . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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