The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report

LOCATING ASIA’S UNTAPPED

INNOVATORS:
GETTING BELOW THE
SURFACE OF THE D&I ICEBERG

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

Introduction 03
Asia findings snapshot 04
Asia insights 06
Local insights across Asia 08
Expert insights 30
Recommendations 38
Richard Eardley, Managing Director Asia

Welcome to the 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion report. In our report, employees
and employers from right across Asia share their views about diversity in the workplace and
relate what is happening in their organisation on this most current, and important, of topics.

It seems hard to believe now, but there was a time in the quite recent past when many employers saw Diversity & Inclusion
as being, at best, something to which lip service must be paid; and at worst, a nuisance that interfered in how they ran their
organisations.
However, our 2018 report provided evidence that Asia was emerging as a region that not only took notice of these issues but
was tackling them head on and improving standards. The findings of the 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
show that employers and employees alike have developed an even greater understanding of not only the moral necessity of
their organisations reflecting society, but also how critical diversity of thought is the way a successful business is run.
It is clear, both from the findings of our report, and from the increasingly vast and frequent array of events, seminars,
workshops and conferences that take place, Diversity & Inclusion has moved on from being thought of as an HR policy piece
to being a mainstream strategic imperative to drive many aspects of business performance.
Sixty per cent of employees across Asia cite innovation as an outcome that can be positively impacted by Diversity &
Inclusion, making it their second ranked benefit behind company culture. Asia already has a global reputation for its ability to
develop innovative new concepts, ideas and products, so unleashing the power of diversity into this dynamic should lead to
further competitive advantage.
Change to metrics measuring diversity are generally, albeit only gradually, trending upwards. The overall percentage of
female line managers rose from 39% to 40% this year. At that rate it might be 2029 before parity is achieved, but at least
that particular milestone is now in sight. Where organisations might want to work a little harder is on the second part of
the Diversity & Inclusion equation – inclusivity. Despite generally more positive sentiments around diversity, those diverse
voices are perhaps not being heard. Nearly two thirds of employees report being excluded in some way at work, with over
half saying this has happened in the past 12 months. Having a more diverse workforce creates the ingredients for innovation,
creativity and more informed decision making, but if we’re not listening to the full range of views and opinion is in our
businesses, we’re surely missing the point.
Agensi Pekerjaan Hays (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Company Registration No: 955738-T) One important reason for producing this annual report is to give a platform to those voices and to seek views on what is
EA License Number: JTKSM 229C (KLCC), JTKSM 229C-1C (SUNWAY) being done, and what more should be done, in order that companies not only build upon the impressive advances that they
have made in the past twelve months, but look to the future in order to cultivate an environment where the future innovators
and leaders of Asia not only feel included, but are able to thrive.
Nearly 2000 working professionals from across Asia were surveyed from April - May 2019. We want to thank all those who completed our survey and
profiled interviewees.

Disclaimer: The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion report is representative of a value added service to our clients and candidates. Whilst every care
is taken in the collection and compilation of data, the guide is interpretive and indicative, not conclusive. Therefore information should be used as a guideline
only and should not be reproduced in total or by section without written permission by Hays.

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 As our knowledge of workplace D&I matures, employees
are engaging on a level never seen before, evolving their
comprehension of not just how their working lives can be
enhanced, but how the organisation too can be improved.
For the third year in a row, respondents to our survey felt
that ‘company culture’ was most positively impacted by
D&I, with 76 per cent answering in this way. However, in
2019 ‘innovation’ climbed from third to second choice
(59 per cent), reflecting not only the greater need for
innovation in the region, but also employees’ better
understanding of how it is intrinsically linked to D&I.
While there is an appreciably improved perception and
implementation of D&I practices, impediments to its
continued success remain; primarily the nature of bias
– conscious or otherwise – displayed by leaders and the
gatekeepers to recruitment.
A NEED FOR UNBIASED AND DIVERSE LEADERSHIP
Respondents in all five of our Asia locations consider
‘making sure the language used to describe vacancies and
organisations is unbiased’ to be a positive step, with 88
per cent of employees in China and 87 per cent in both
Singapore and Malaysia feeling so. For the most part,
they agree that their organisations ensure this is the case,
though the figures are around ten per cent lower right
across the board.
However, there is a suspicion that those in leadership
positions are biased towards others who look, think or act
like them, with 60 per cent and 59 per cent feeling that
there is prejudice in promotion and recruitment procedures
ASIA FINDINGS respectively. It could be argued that this results from a
lack of unconscious bias training for hiring managers
gender diversity was the key reason behind this preclusion,
as it is the best-known and most highly-publicised of
D&I concerns. However, our report shows that gender
diversity is just the tip of the inclusion iceberg, and below
the surface there are a wide array of concerns that fail to
garner the same levels of attention.
As a chief example, all locations across Asia surveyed
cited cited ‘level of seniority’ (32 per cent) as the primary
reason for exclusion. In some cases this may reflect
strict, societally-ingrained workplace hierarchical orders,
though it could also highlight cases of institutional
workplace bullying or power harassment. Either way, it is
not conducive to fostering an atmosphere of respect and
encouragement.
Ageism, too, is a major issue that concerns workers across
Asia. Only 48 per cent of our respondents told us that their
job-selection chances had never been hindered due to D&I
issues, with Hong Kong’s 56 per cent the best response in
this area. However, 34 per cent said that age had been a
barrier to their landing a role. Aside from ‘disclosure of a
disability’ – an issue around which remains a high level of
uncertainty that perhaps touches on ignorance – ageism
has the lowest levels of perceived equality when it comes
to career progression (32 per cent) and financial reward (34
per cent). By comparison when it comes to gender, we have
seen definite improvements, with respective equality levels
of 38 and 39 per cent, the highest levels of all metrics.
That is not to say that the battle against gender
discrimination is won, however. After age it is the second-
highest reason that our respondents cited for being
excluded from their work (19 per cent), highlighting the

SNAPSHOT and interviewers. 72 per cent of employees consider this

Asia has witnessed
impressive advances in
Diversity & Inclusion (D&I),
and in 2020 we expect
to see companies right
across the region advance
their understanding of
how D&I can benefit their
organisations. But there is
still some way to go…
training to have a positive impact on the selection and
necessity for diligence in all D&I issues.
DATA DRIVEN RECRUITMENT: A D&I GAME CHANGER?
hiring of more diverse talent, yet only 49 per cent of
The employees we spoke to recognise this necessity too,
companies provide such training – a figure that is skewed
and 82 per cent noted the positivity in proactively sourcing
by the high 64 per cent in China.
diverse candidates. In order to do so, most companies
The key to implementing a successful D&I strategy is that currently ask existing employees for referrals (61 per cent)
it comes from the top down, a task made easier when a and analyse job application data to understand which
diverse leadership team is in place, something that most advertising channels produce a diverse mix of applicants
respondents told us was the case. Though the average (34 per cent).
across Asia was 57 per cent, this has been dramatically
In fact, the use of data is becoming an important tool in
reduced by Japan, where only 27 per cent of respondents
agreed that their leadership team was diverse. By
the battle against Asia’s D&I related problems. 67 per cent
comparison, China had the most diverse teams, with 70 per
of employers capture the workforce diversity data of those
they select and hire, and 74 per cent of employees believe
cent. Though most across Asia claim impressive diversity
in leadership – and 79 per cent of employees feel that this
that the usage of workforce feedback for understanding
demographic engagement is a positive thing. However, only
is key for the retention of more diverse talent – there is a
50 per cent are confident that such data is being effectively
feeling that more should be done, as only 35 per cent agree
that their organisation actively works to develop under-
used to inform their candidate attraction strategy, with
those in Japan (22 per cent) being least confident.
represented groups into leadership roles.
Although the use of data is on the rise, companies are still
GENDER EQUALITY IMPROVES BUT AGEISM ON THE RISE
falling in the implementation of D&I targets. 71 per cent of
85 per cent of respondents told us that the key to retaining employees believe that the setting of diversity recruitment
diverse talent is building a positive workplace culture that targets for senior managers and line managers has a
encourages respect for diversity of opinion. This, being positive impact on the attraction of new and more diverse
such a high figure, should be a concept that is impossible talent; yet only 57 per cent of companies have targets
for employers to ignore. However, it seems that they are at all, with just 48 per cent setting them specifically for
managing to do so, as only 40 per cent said that they management.
had never felt excluded from participation at their current
Despite the impressive steps that companies have taken
place of work due to D&I reasons. Although 57 per cent
over the past year to mitigate concerns over their D&I
of respondents from Singapore said that this had never
levels, it is clear that there is still some way to go. But with
happened, some 17 per cent of Japanese employees
the usage of data, the setting of targets and continued
told us that they were excluded in this way all the time.
proactiveness and vigilance, we can expect to see yet more
Furthermore, 55 per cent told us that this has happened in
improvement in the year to come.
the last twelve months.
It would be understandable to jump to the conclusion that

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 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
The language we use to
Imagery and branding in PRACTICES AND INTERVENTIONS
describe our vacancies,
organisation and culture
our recruitment material APPLIED TO TALENT ATTRACTION
reflects a diverse workforce
are unbiased
78% 83% 64% 78%
Our organisation is proactive in its efforts to source
diverse candidates from a variety of backgrounds

ASIA
61+39
61% We ask existing employees for referrals

34+66
We analyse job application data to
INSIGHTS 34% understand which advertising channels
produce a diverse mix of applicants
67% 80% 64% 82%

28+72
We work with specialist recruitment
We profile our commitments We are proactive in agencies and leverage their access to
to D&I in our recruitment our efforts to source 28% underrepresented groups/specialist
THE BENEFITS OF GREATER materials to show we value D&I diverse candidates communities
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IN Organisations strongly/agree with
THE WORKPLACE Organisations believe there is an extremely positive/positive impact of *Top three answers highlighted
RESPONDENT the following actions to the attraction of new and more diverse talent

PROFILE
In which areas do you believe greater
diversity & inclusion (D&I) in the workplace DIVERSITY & INCLUSION DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
could have the most positive impact? * PRACTICES AND INTERVENTIONS PRACTICES APPLIED TO FOSTER
APPLIED TO TALENT SELECTION AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

87% 76+24 76% Company culture

Organisations strongly/agree they mitigate bias in their
CULTURE AND RETAIN TOP TALENT

59+41
recruitment selection process by

63+37+A 61+39+A 57+43+A 38+62+A

Organisations strongly/agree that they
are born in Asia
59% Innovation 66%
63% 61% 57% 38%

53+47
62%
56%
53% Retention of talent
37%
Organisations believe there is an extremely
54% *Top three answers highlighted Organisations believe there is an extremely positive/ positive/positive impact of the following actions to

85+15+A 76+24+A 79+21+A 71+29+A

positive impact of the following actions to the selection the retention of more diverse talent
are female
All locations polled believe greater D&I practices would and hire of more diverse talent
have the most positive impact in ‘talent attraction’.
In terms of ‘least impact’, all countries/regions 74% 85% 76% 79% 71%
58% nominated ‘training & development’. 75%
say their immediate line manager is male
69%
Have a positive workplace culture which encourages
Demographic group(s) our organisation would benefit 61% respect for diversity of opinion
55% are aged between 26 – 40

55
from attracting, selecting and retaining more of: * Support key D&I events such as multi-cultural religious
Involving a range of diverse stakeholders for the review observances, International Women’s Day etc
Those from a variety of ethnic and selection of CV or application forms Have a diverse leadership team
40% backgrounds Ensuring interview panels are diverse Actively work to develop under-represented groups,
39% Capturing workforce diversity data (i.e. ethnicity information)
specifically into leadership roles
are at manager level 36% Women of those we select and hire
Introducing name-blind recruitment into stages of the
21% Those who have a disability selection process to mitigate bias in decision making
40%
said there hasn’t been any occasion where
87% None—I believe my organisation's
strongly agree/agree that the they have felt excluded from participation
don’t consider themselves 21% workforce demographic is a fair
leaders in their organisation have at work because of their age, gender,
to have any disability
reflection of today's society
59% a bias towards hiring people who ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or
*Top three answers highlighted look, think or act like them. socio-economic background

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 LOCAL INSIGHTS
ACROSS ASIA

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 D&I IS HELPING BUILD THE WORLD’S LARGEST INNOVATION ECONOMY
The Chinese government has long considered D&I a key step in driving both the
country and its economy to the top of the world stage. Cementing this outlook
at the APEC Business Advisory Council in November, President Xi Jinping told
gathered dignitaries that, “We should reject arrogance and prejudice, be respectful
of and inclusive toward others, embrace the diversity of our world … and remove all
institutional obstacles holding back innovation.”¹
President Xi’s correlation between diversity and innovation is not unfamiliar; but with
China looking to build the world’s largest innovation economy,² the concept of D&I is
one the nation’s companies are taking seriously.
According to the results of the 2019/2020 Hays Diversity & Inclusion Report,
employees in China are very aware of the growing importance of D&I in the
workplace and its impact on innovation. When asked where D&I can have the most
positive impact, ‘company culture’ has been the continued top choice for Chinese
respondents in the last three years. And while 80 per cent selected this once again
in 2019, ‘innovation’ notably rose to become the second choice. 70 per cent of
respondents recognised its significance, making them the largest group to do so in
Asia by some distance.
However, a few results highlighted by our report may raise concerns in some
companies, as there appears to be growing disquiet amongst candidates applying
for jobs. 44 per cent of respondents said their age was a factor in not being selected
for a job, the highest figure across Asia. A further 25 per cent of respondents said
their gender was the cause of not being selected for a job, also the highest figure

44+56+A 25+75+A
across Asia.

believe their
believe their age

INSIGHTS
gender lowered
lowered their
44% chances of being 25% their chances of
being selected

CHINA
selected for a job
for a job

1 China Daily, “President Xi calls for inclusive, rule-based world economy”, 2018
2 Forbes, “China Is Building the World’s Largest Innovation Economy”, 2018

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GENDER BIAS IN LANGUAGE, AGEISM BEING
PRACTICED IN PURSUIT OF INNOVATION
Gender discrimination has historically been an issue that
impedes professional growth and success, but positively
for China, 43 per cent of respondents told us their
line manager was a female. This is the highest figure
amongst all locations in Asia surveyed and higher than
the Asia average of 40 per cent. This is a clear indication
that organisations in China have clear initiatives and
development plans in place to retain and promote their
top female talent.
91 per cent of respondents in China believed building a
positive workplace culture that encourages respect and
regard for diversity of opinion has a positive effect on
the retention of diverse talent. A total of 86 per cent of
our respondents in China also agreed that the language
their companies used to describe vacancies, organisation
and culture were unbiased (up from 70 per cent last
year).
The last statistic reported is some way reflective of
a new rule put in place by the Chinese government
whereby employers can no longer ask potential
female employees questions on their marital status or
3 China Briefing “China bans questions on marital, childbearing status during hiring”, 2019
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childbearing intentions.³ A better understanding of the
perceptions and experiences of both men and women in
the workplace will help organisations in China to inform
policies and actions in the name of gender diversity.
35 per cent of respondents felt that to better reflect
today’s society, their organisations should attract, select
and retain more women. Yet, 25 per cent felt their
gender lowered their chances of being selected for a
job. In addition, 28 per cent reported that gender had
been a cause for their being excluded from participation
at work or their voice being not heard or respected.
When it comes to equality in the workplace, 17 per cent
believed that gender affected their career progression
opportunities – the highest number across Asia, up from
ten per cent in 2018. 12 per cent felt that they were not
paid or rewarded in an equal manner to their colleagues
with comparable capabilities.
That is not to say that the gender gap is being
disregarded entirely. 82 per cent of those we surveyed
regarded flexible working practices – considered key in
returning more mothers to the workforce – as a positive
action in attracting more diverse talent. 67 per cent
agreed that their organisation offered this option to
some extent.
4 Agediscrimination.info, “China”, 2018
5 Reuters, “China tech firms, seeking passion and energy, promote younger staff”, 2019
6 China Daily, “China’s big data sector to expand rapidly in 2019”, 2019
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However, the gap does remain; and when women are struggling to advance in their careers
at the same speed as their male counterparts, ageism becomes an even greater concern.
In China, ageism garners little attention when compared to the more prominent concern of
gender bias. There is currently no law on age discrimination,4 and companies are increasingly
on the lookout for younger staff who they feel are better equipped to cope with the demands
of the so-called “996” schedule – one that requires employees to work from nine to nine, six
days a week, particularly in the innovative tech sector.⁵
Age discrimination is a factor that impacts both genders, something that can be seen in our
report’s results. More respondents claimed that their seniority had seen them excluded from
participation at work (39 per cent) and had their chances of being selected for a job reduced
(44 per cent) rather than their gender.
NATURAL BIAS DERAILING THE BEST INTENTIONS IN DIVERSITY FURTHERMENT
To redress the D&I imbalance, it is imperative that direction comes from leadership teams and
individuals involved in recruitment. China respondents agree with this sentiment, as 81 per
cent stated it was important that the review and selection of CVs be undertaken by diverse
stakeholders. 75 per cent also felt that reviewing job descriptions and person specification for
bias would have a positive impact on hiring more diverse talent.
Although 81 per cent agree – including 29 per cent who strongly agree – that their company
is proactive in its efforts to source diverse candidates (up from 61 per cent in 2018), there is an
underlying belief that those with the ability to recruit and promote staff possess a natural bias.
This may hinder the acquisition of more diverse candidates.
72 per cent of respondents, the highest number in Asia, felt that leaders in their organisation
had a bias towards promoting people for promotion who look, think or act like them, amongst
whom 18 per cent strongly agree. These figures are comparable when hiring new recruits, with
73 per cent concurring that organisation leaders display a similar bias during the recruitment
process, with 19 per cent strongly agreeing.
An impressive 70 per cent indicated that their leadership team was diverse, including 19 per
cent who strongly agreed – the highest number to do so in Asia. This figure has potential to
increase even further with a recommendation for senior line managers to be set individual
diversity recruitment targets, as the number of respondents who believe that this is currently
the case (67 per cent), a figure that has not altered since 2018.
USING DATA IN THE ACQUISITION OF TALENT
39+61 61% of Chinese respondents
believe their organisation uses captured diversity data to inform
their candidate attraction strategy, the highest % in Asia to do so
According to Wei Kai, a researcher with the China Academy of Information and
Communication Technology, China’s impressive Big Data sector is expected to continue its
rapid growth.6 As such, it should come as no surprise that the nation’s companies are using
this to their advantage when it comes to recruitment.
48 per cent of those who responded to our survey are confident, with an additional 12 per cent
being extremely confident, that the diversity data sought and captured by their organisation is
effectively used to inform candidate attraction strategy – the highest percentage in Asia.
Furthermore, 41 per cent (also the highest in the region), stated that their organisation is
proactive in its efforts to source diverse candidates through the analysis of job application
data. This analysis helps identify which advertising channels produce a diverse mix of
applicants. Three quarters of employees also agreed that their organisation captured
workforce feedback for the purposes of understanding which demographic groups are
engaged. This further strengthens the importance of data in improving D&I practices.
 HONG KONG SAR BUCKING THE GENDER DIVERSITY SLOWDOWN
According to South China Morning Post CEO Gary Liu “There’s no specific singular
category of diversity that is important, and general diversity of thought is really
crucial for the next stage and for innovation, and for pretty much all of our
businesses.” ¹
Liu’s point is one that most companies throughout Hong Kong have taken on board,
a reflection of which can be seen in findings of the 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity
& Inclusion Report. The results show that for most companies in the territory,
when compared to the rest of Asia as a whole, overall statistics point to a general
sentiment of equality in Hong Kong, as well as an understanding of the benefits
of inclusion. When quizzed on employer actions to attract new and more diverse
talent – from ‘ensuring websites effectively capture and accurately represent the
workplace culture’ (76 per cent), to ‘profiling commitments to D&I in recruitment
materials to show value placed on a diverse workforce’ (79 per cent), and ‘flexible
working practices’ (81 per cent) – all signifiers were overwhelmingly positive.
The majority of employees in Hong Kong (75 per cent) understood that more diverse
talent would positively impact company culture the most, while 56 per cent said that
it would also benefit innovation. The latter is testament to the intensified necessity
for innovation in the workplace and its undeniable connection to D&I.

HONG KONG SAR

Top voted strategies for attracting new and more diverse talent

Offer & promote flexible working for all staff 81%

Profile commitments to D&I in recruitment materials to show value 79%

placed on a diverse workforce

INSIGHTS
Ensure website/careers site effectively captures and accurately 76%
represents the workplace culture
Imagery and branding in recruitment materials shows value placed 76%
on a diverse workforce

1 South China Morning Post, “Diversity more important than ever in attracting talent in changing tech landscape, say industry leaders”, 2019

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EQUALITY ON THE RISE
2019 has seen an increase in diversity recruitment
targets for Hong Kong businesses – a necessary
movement as just 19 per cent of Hong Kong respondents
thought their organisation’s workforce accurately
reflected today’s society (the second lowest in Asia
behind Japan’s two per cent). A total of 56 per cent
said that their companies have such targets, up from
38 per cent in 2018. 48 per cent of respondents said
that they have never felt excluded from their current
places of work due to diversity reasons, above the Asia
average of 40 per cent. In fact, of those that said that
they had, 61 per cent reported that it had not occurred
during the previous year, the highest number in Asia to
say so. Similar conclusions are made with potential job
selection, with 56 per cent saying they have never felt
discriminated against, and of those who have, 81 per
cent have not been so in the last 12 months, once more
the largest percentage in Asia.
When it comes to career progression, by all indicators
– Including age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual
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orientation and socio-economic background – more
responders in Hong Kong than anywhere else in Asia feel
that equality has been realised, the 48 per cent who say
so showing a definitive increase on 2018 (38 per cent).
Comparable improvements can be seen in pay equality
over the same indicators, with more employees in Hong
Kong (43 per cent) saying that salary and rewards are
equal, posting an even greater improvement on last
year’s figure of 29 per cent.
In light of these continued advancements, when asked
what organisations can do to seek and support diversity
of opinion, there is no definitive consensus. The top
voted actions were ‘ideas and contributions from
diverse employee groups are rewarded and internally
communicated’ (45 per cent) and ‘employee feedback
surveys’ (44 per cent). Both, however, are well below
the Asia average, perhaps signifying that for many Hong
Kong employees there is no one standout inclusion
issue, pointing towards a general overall impression of
contentment.
2 Community Business, “Singapore has surpassed Hong Kong in the representation of women on listed boards. What will it take for Hong Kong to
seriously address this issue?”, 2019
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WORKING TOWARDS ELIMINATING GENDER DISCRIMINATION
The last 12 months have been viewed by many as a period of stagnation in Hong Kong’s
progression to improved gender diversity. According to the Egon Zehnder Global Diversity
Tracker 2018, the average Hong Kong board included just one woman (compared to the global
benchmark of two), while one third of the territory's listed companies had no female director
and only one per cent of its CEOs were female. The Hong Kong chapter of the 30% Club, an
international gender diversity foundation headquartered in the UK, had previously announced
its intention to eradicate all-male boards in Hong Kong by the end of 2018. But despite this,
ten of the 50 Hang Seng Index listed companies still had no female representation on their
boards as of January 1, 2019 – the same number as the previous year. The overall percentage
of women holding board positions also remained the same at 14 per cent.²
Contrary to these reports, our report reflects an overall sentiment of gender equality in Hong
Kong workplaces. Only six per cent of respondents cited gender as a reason for diminished
chances of being selected for a job – the lowest such response in Asia. 54 per cent of
employees believed that regardless of gender, equally-capable colleagues had the same career
progression, while 50 per cent said gender was not an impediment to equal pay. However,
a total of 38 per cent felt there was a lack of transparency about pay levels across seniority
levels and genders, including 16 per cent who strongly felt this.
Part of this may be engendered from the disparity in leadership roles, with just 36 per cent
of those surveyed saying their line managers were female. While this represents the lowest
number of women in authority across Asia, it is a marked increase on last year’s 31 per cent,
meaning that further steps can be made to improve the inclusion of women at the highest
level and retain more diverse talent in the year to come. The latter could be positively
impacted by promoting flexible working for all staff, an opinion held by 80 per cent of their
employees.
BATTLING BIAS IN LEADERSHIP GROUPS
If there is one area that could be improved upon, however, it might regard company
leadership. Many employees agree that organisation leaders have a bias towards promoting
(61 per cent) and hiring (59 per cent) people who look, think or act like them, numbers that
correspond with most countries in the region. This is perhaps unsurprising, considering 29
per cent of organisations do not provide unconscious bias training for hiring managers or
interviewers.
This situation is something that should concern companies as overcoming it would provide far-
reaching benefits. 77 per cent of respondents felt that the recruitment of a diverse leadership
team has a positive impact on the retention of more diverse talent, while 75 per cent consider
the provision of bias mitigation training to be a positive action.
But while this should be something that organisations can continue to improve upon, Hong
Kong companies have taken positive steps in bias mitigation. Our 2018 D&I Report showed
that 93 per cent of employees believed that their leaders displayed bias, and this appreciable
progress suggests that managerial training itself may not be the only weapon in the battle
against unconscious bias. One reason for such a dramatic fall may be due to a majority of
employers (63 per cent) actively reviewing job descriptions and person specification for bias,
with an impressive 19 per cent of employees surveyed strongly agreeing that this is the case.
Another step being taken is in the promotion of company imagery and branding as a diverse
working space. 78 per cent of employees considered the language used to describe vacancies,
organisation and culture as being unbiased, and 65 per cent felt that their website and careers
site accurately represents their working experience. Both of these actions our respondents felt
have a positive impact on the attraction of diverse talent (76 and 71 per cent respectively).
If employers can continue such improvements concerns over bias should fall further in the
twelve months to come.
 GENDER DIVERSITY IS IMPROVING, BUT SOCIAL BIAS REMAINS
Although the topic of D&I covers a broad range of issues, there can be no doubt that
the primary focus in Japan, both in society and the workplace, is on gender.
Since “Abenomics is Womenomics” became the rallying cry around which the
Japanese government sought to increase women’s workplace participation, the
country has seen steady improvement in this area. According to the World Economic
Forum’s 2018 Global Gender Gap Report, Japan rose to 110th place¹ from 114 the
previous year,² with educational attainment and economic participation cited as key
factors behind this climb. Japan’s female labour participation rate, which was once
amongst the lowest in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) countries, has overtaken both the U.S. and Europe as it rose to 71 per cent.³
However, despite these impressive gains, there remains a strong prejudice in society
around perceived gender roles. This was typified by a 2018 scandal in which at least
nine medical schools were found to have interfered with the admissions of female
students.⁴ An unnamed source told the Yomiuri Shinbun newspaper that officials
at the illustrious Tokyo Medical University had adopted a “silent understanding” to
reduce the number of female entrants as, “Many female students who graduate end
up leaving the actual medical practice to give birth and raise children.”
It had been hoped that the drive towards gender diversity in Japan would eradicate
such outmoded preconceptions, with the adoption of flexible working practices
going some way to allay these fears. However, there is evidence that such practices
are causing problems of their own. “In the past, companies were reluctant to accept
a large number of female employees because they were likely to quit after giving
birth,” Yoko Yajima, principal research analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and
Consulting, told the Financial Times.⁵ “Now they are reluctant to do so because
female employees will continue to work but often with restrictions to working
hours.”

INSIGHTS
“Female discrimination won’t be addressed unless companies can provide an
environment where employees can get promoted even if they have restrictions

JAPAN
to their working hours,” Ms Yajima added. “They need to realise that diversity is
beneficial for the organisation.”

1 World Economic Forum, “The Global Gender Gap Report”, 2018

2 World Economic Forum, “The Global Gender Gap Report”, 2017
3 Financial Times, “Why Gender Diversity Really Matters For The Japanese Market, 2019
4 BBC, “Japan medical schools ‘rigged women’s results’”, 2018
5 Financial Times, “Japan’s Culture of Discrimination Saps ‘Womenomics’”, 2018

19 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report


MORE WOMEN IN POWER, BUT LOW LEADERSHIP
DIVERSITY ACTS AS HINDERANCE
40
33% of line managers in
30 Japan are now female.
20 While this is up from
28% in 2018 and 21% in
10
2017, it is still the lowest
0 percentage in Asia.
2019 2018 2017
Despite continued discrimination issues, there has been
significant progress in Japan’s drive to appoint more
women to line manager levels. Results of the Hays
Diversity & Inclusion Report Asia 2019/2020 showed that
33 per cent of line managers in Japan are now female, a
rise from 28 per cent in 2018 and 21 per cent in 2017.
This comparative paucity of women in leadership
has led to 53 per cent of survey respondents saying
their leadership teams were not diverse, while 44 per
cent did not think their organisation was working to
develop under-represented groups into leadership roles.
Almost three quarters of respondents also believed
that recruiting a diverse leadership team would have a
positive impact on the retention of more diverse talent,
6 Japan Times, “Proactive actions crucial to attain workplace diversity”, 2019
20 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
though it should be noted that seven per cent also
felt it would be negative. Overall, it is apparent that
if government-led diversity goals are to be attained,
efforts in the leadership area need to be improved.
Failing to act could prove detrimental for companies
in a number of areas. As Kaori Sasaki, a speaker at the
24th International Conference for Women in Business in
Tokyo, noted: “Firstly, diversity is about having multiple
perspectives, which is exactly what is needed to inspire
innovation.”⁶ It could also be argued that when diversity
is in absence, not only does innovation suffer, but the
potential for bias is heightened.
60 per cent of Japanese employees agreed that leaders
in their organisation had a bias towards promoting
people who look, think or act like them, including 19 per
cent who strongly agreed – an opinion outnumbered
only by respondents in China (72 per cent) and Hong
Kong (61 per cent). When it comes to hiring, 50 per
cent think that their leaders are likewise biased, with a
further 38 per cent unsure. This view on bias is perhaps
enhanced by the fact that 47 per cent of respondents
did not feel their companies were transparent about pay
levels across seniority levels and genders, including 30
per cent who ‘strongly disagreed’.
7 Japan Times, “Ministry says record 82,797 cases of workplace bullying reported across Japan in fiscal 2018”, 2019
21 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
As a result, it is not surprising that 77 per cent of employees felt the provision of training
for leaders to help mitigate bias would have a positive effect on retaining diverse talent. In
addition, 73 per cent also considered the development of under-represented groups into
leadership roles as a positive move, highlighting two tactics that companies could adopt to
improve their gender diversity.
USING DATA TO IMPROVE DIVERSITY
As society becomes increasingly comfortable with the collection and utilisation of personal
data, the usage of data analysis as a tool for greater workplace diversity is gaining traction.
Some 63 per cent of Japanese respondents felt that capturing workforce diversity data has a
positive impact on the selection and hiring of diverse talent. However, when compared to the
rest of the region, Japanese employees seem to be at best ‘unsure’ as to whether diversity
data collection is effectively used to inform candidate attraction strategy (38 per cent, the
highest level across Asia). At worst, they are extremely unconfident that it the data is being
adequately used, with the 13 per cent who feel that way being nearly double the figure of the
next highest (Malaysia, seven per cent) and more than five times higher than China (three per
cent).
Only 35 per cent of Japanese employees said they have never been excluded from
participation at their current work or had their voice not heard or respected due to
discrimination. This number was the second lowest in Asia, behind China’s 32 per cent.
Furthermore, 17 per cent said that they are excluded all of the time, which is by far the highest
result of this type in the region. The most likely reasons for exclusion include seniority at 48
per cent and ethnicity at 44 per cent, both of which are the highest percentages for these
answers in Asia. The former signals that workplace bullying, a topic that Japan’s labour
ministry received a record 82,797 complaints about in fiscal 2018, remains rife.⁷ To make
matters worse, 52 per cent said their exclusion has occurred in the last 12 months which is,
once again, the highest percentage in Asia.
TARGETING DIVERSITY AND HEIGHTENING ACCOUNTABILITY
If Japan’s companies are to successfully integrate diversity & inclusion across the board they
will need to set targets that can not only be measured, but also pursued and attained, an
opinion with which 66 per cent of employees are in agreement.
This year, 56 per cent noted that their companies have diversity recruitment targets, a rise
from 34 per cent in 2018. While this number compares favourably with other surveyed
countries, setting broad targets that may or may not be implemented is not enough.
Accountability is key, particularly for those in positions of authority, with 50 per cent of
employees saying their managers have individual diversity recruitment targets. 49 per cent
also added that their organisations set diversity targets for the recruitment agencies with
which they work.
In addition to being set, targets and the procedures surrounding them also need to be
effectively communicated to staff so they can be implemented, monitored and improved,
particularly during the selection of potential new employees. In the section of our report that
assessed a company’s efforts to mitigate bias during recruitment, most Japanese respondents
were ‘unsure’ about each measure mentioned – a striking difference from the surety displayed
by those from other nations.
Employees believe their organisation would most
benefit from attracting, selecting and retaining more:
69 58
69% 58%
Variety of ethnic background Women
 A NATIONAL D&I CONVERSATION SPARKED BY CONTROVERSY
In early 2018, checks by Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources revealed that
several hotels in the country had banned female staff from wearing hijab while on
duty. The resulting furore not only ignited a conversation about workplace D&I, but
was also a spark that led to change in the nation’s labour laws. According to Human
Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran, the move to amend Malaysia’s Employment Act
of 1955 is intended to further safeguard the rights of workers, with special attention
to workplace discrimination.¹ As the results of the 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity &
Inclusion Report go to show, these changes cannot come soon enough.
The report found that 63 per cent of Malaysian respondents had, on some occasion,
felt excluded from participation at their current place of work due to discriminatory
reasons. More than half of them (51 per cent) had experienced this within the last
12 months, making them the second highest majority in Asia to have done so after
Japan (52 per cent). Furthermore, 51 per cent felt that discriminatory reasons
had lowered their chances of being selected for a job, with a third saying this had
happened to them in the last year.
TACKLING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION TO IMPROVE SALARIES AND CAREER
PROSPECTS

54% of Malaysians

think they are paid/rewarded in an equal manner regardless of

ethnicity—the lowest score in Asia.

While there a few reasons why employees or candidates could be discriminated

against in the workplace, the standout reason in Malaysia is ethnicity. A recent study
by Kuala Lumpur-based think tank, Centre for Governance and Political Studies,
found that Malays and Indians face significant obstacles in securing job interviews

MALAYSIA
when compared to Mandarin-speaking Chinese applicants.²

INSIGHTS
In response to the study, Malaysia’s Minister of National Unity and Social Wellbeing,
Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy announced that his department was to be tasked
with developing an action plan to tackle racial discrimination in the job application
process. “There should not be any form of discrimination in Malaysia,” he stated.

1 New Strait Times, “Human Resources Ministry to amend, update labour law”, 2019
2 Malay Mail, “Survey: Malay, Indian jobseekers likely to face discrimination”, 2019

23 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report


But it is apparent that discrimination remains. In April
this year, two major employer federations in Malaysia
defended the appearance of discrimination as “probably
unintentional”.³ But intentional or otherwise, that such
bias exists is evident. 28 per cent of our respondents
believed they were excluded from participation at work
or faced a lack of respect due to their ethnicity, well
above the Asia average (17 per cent). In addition, 25 per
cent cited ethnicity as the reason why their chances of
being selected for a job were lowered, which was also
the highest number to say so and some distance above
the Asia average of 15 per cent.
This situation has manifested itself in falling perceptions
of equality in career progression and remuneration. In
the case of career opportunities, 31 per cent felt that
there was an inequality due to ethnicity, a figure that has
risen from 13 per cent in 2017 and 19 per cent in 2018;
making it the highest in Asia alongside Japan. For salary
and rewards, the view that ethnicity is a discrimination
factor is at 29 per cent, again the highest response in
Asia, having also risen over the past two years by 19 and
23 per cent respectively.
3 Free Malaysia Today, “Employers deny there’s racial discrimination in job market”, 2019
4 Malay Mail, “Senator: Formulate anti-discrimination laws to prevent oppression at workplace”, 2018
5 World Economic Forum, “The Global Gender Gap Report”, 2018
6 World Economic Forum, “The Global Gender Gap Report”, 2017
24 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
However, there is some cause for optimism for the
future. In addition to the aforementioned governmental
action, 50 per cent of survey respondents said their
organisation would benefit from attracting, selecting
and retaining more individuals from a variety of ethnic
backgrounds – once more the highest number in Asia to
say so.
GENDER EQUALITY IMPROVES IN PAY AND CAREER
ADVANCEMENT, BUT NOT IN MANAGERIAL POSITIONS
Although issues surrounding ethnicity make Malaysia
stand out across Asia, gender diversity in the workplace
is still a major concern. A significant 35 per cent of our
survey respondents believed their organisations could be
best improved by recruiting more women.
The government is leading by example, with the last
general election seeing the highest involvement of
women at the decision-making level ever.⁴ In 2018,
according to the Global Gender Gap report, Malaysia
rose to number 101,⁵ up from 104 the year before.⁶
However, some Malaysian politicians, such as Senator
Lim Hui Ying, noted that the country was still far from
achieving its 30 per cent women participation target.
25 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
The Hays D&I Report reflects Senator Lim’s concerns. In 2017, we noted that 43 per cent of
those interviewed had a female line manager, a figure that climbed to 46 per cent the next year.
However, in 2019, this number dropped to just 40 per cent. Although this is the second highest
level across Asia – only China’s 43 per cent is higher – it is still a slide that should ring alarm
bells. This is especially since 60 per cent believed gender diversity and inclusion could have the
most positive impact on organisation leadership, as compared to the Asian average of 44 per
cent.
Despite this drop in the number of women in power, belief in the equality of career progression
has risen. Two years ago, 19 per cent felt that gender inequality impacted career progression
opportunities, and by 2018 this had climbed to 23 per cent. This year, however, the number
dropped to 14 per cent.
A similar progression can be seen when it comes to salary levels, with 19 per cent thinking these
were impacted by gender inequality in 2017, 23 per cent in 2018, but only 18 per cent in 2019.
Despite these improvements, there is still a notion that pay levels across seniority and genders
lack transparency. 42 per cent disagreeing that that their organisations practiced transparency
in this respect, including 22 per cent who strongly disagreed.
That said, there seems to be an appreciation of the necessity to address this imbalance. Some
88 per cent of those surveyed said that promoting flexible working for all staff would make
a positive impact on the retention of diverse talent. 62 per cent told us that their companies
already promote this, which is laudable but still shows room for improvement.
DIVERSE LEADERSHIP TEAMS AND A DESIRE FOR MORE PROACTIVE D&I CONVERSATIONS
When it comes to promoting D&I within a company, direction must come from the top. There
is a mix of opinion from Malaysian respondents as to whether organisation leaders have a bias
towards selecting people who look, think or act like them for promotion. 56 per cent agreed
that this was the case to some extent, with 20 per cent strongly agreeing – the highest number
to do so across Asia. However, 34 per cent said that they disagreed with the statement, which is
also the largest number in Asia to answer in this way. When it comes to recruitment, 31 per cent
disagreed that there was some kind of bias, again the highest number in the region.
In terms of leadership, 72 per cent said their leadership team was diverse, and 80 per cent
considered a diverse leadership team to have a positive impact on the retention of more diverse
talent. But when it comes to developing under-represented groups into leadership roles, 40 per
cent disagreed that their companies did so, a rise from 30 per cent in 2018, with a further 27
per cent unsure of their organisation’s position
Looking to the future and for ways that companies can better support diversity of opinion,
Malaysian respondents (47 per cent) were well above the Asia average (40 per cent) in thinking
that collaborative roundtable employee forums and discussions are an important strategy.
Other suggestions include:
54
Seeking, rewarding and internally
54% communicating ideas and contributions
from diverse employee groups
These responses
47
prove that Malaysians
are in favour of
Offering employees an opportunity to more proactive
47% comment on organisational culture in communication on
career review and appraisal cycles D&I issues.
 A REGIONAL HUB FOR INNOVATION AND CULTURAL ACCEPTANCE ALIKE
Singapore has long cultivated a reputation as a nation that stands for cultural
tolerance and understanding. It is on the back of this status that the city state
has been able to attract talent from all around the world, making it the globally-
renowned business centre that it is today.
One by-product of this ability to attract a diverse workforce is that Singapore
has established itself as a regional hub for innovation. It is a position that the
government is keen to encourage through fiscal backing, with Finance Minister Heng
Swee Keat announcing, “We will continue to invest in R&D to support the push to
make innovation pervasive.”¹
This focus on innovation and how it is influenced by diversity can also be seen
in the 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report. Although 82 per cent
of respondents based in Singapore said that company culture would see the
most positive impact through D&I – the same top choice in 2018 and the highest
percentage in Asia – 55 per cent also saw how innovation could be positively
impacted, raising it three places from last year to become the second most-popular
selection.
Attaining higher levels of innovation requires companies to attract the right talent,
a position that 38 per cent of respondents agreed with, having chosen ‘talent
acquisition’ as the biggest aspect of talent management that D&I practices could
positively impact. Singapore is, of course, a mixed society with a long history of
welcoming talent from overseas. It then makes sense that respondents felt their
organisations would better reflect this society by attracting talent from a variety of
ethnic backgrounds (44 per cent) with only Malaysia (49 per cent) and Japan (69
per cent) feeling this more strongly. 82 per cent believed that recruiting a diverse
leadership team would have the most positive impact on retaining diverse talent,
while 86 per cent thought working to build a positive workplace culture which
encourages respect and regard for diversity of opinion can achieve this aim.
PREJUDICE-FREE WORKPLACES, BUT THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID OF THE

SINGAPORE
RECRUITMENT PROCESS

INSIGHTS
57 % of Singaporean respondents have never experienced
exclusion due to D&I reasons in the workplace

Reflecting Singapore’s openness in the workplace, many respondents felt their

day-to-day work life was relatively free from discrimination. 57 per cent said that
they had never been excluded from participation at their current place of work for
D&I reasons, the highest proportion to say so in the region. Of those that had felt
excluded, 60 per cent said that it had not occurred in the last 12 months, with only
respondents in Hong Kong (61 per cent) showing a higher proportion.

1 Straits Times “Singapore Budget 2019: Continued investments in tech, innovation and enterprise to make Singapore regional and international No. 1”, 2019

27 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report


However, when it comes to attracting talent, it is
a slightly different story. Although 77 per cent of
respondents said the language their companies used
to describe vacancies, organisation and culture was
unbiased, and 71 per cent said that job descriptions
and person specifications were reviewed for bias, only
47 per cent said that they had not felt their chances
of being selected for a job being lowered due to D&I
considerations. Furthermore, only 63 per cent said that
this had not occurred in the last year, the lowest figure
across Asia.
So, what has happened to create this disparity between
the inclusive workplace culture and the comparatively
prohibitive recruitment process? The first place to look
would be to those involved in the hiring of new staff,
and any potential bias that they may have. However,
only 56 per cent feel their leaders have a bias towards
hiring people who look, think and act like them, which
compares well across Asia and is a drop from 65 per cent
in 2018. But only 58 per cent agree that leadership teams
are diverse (the second lowest figure in Asia behind
Japan’s 27 per cent), with 34 per cent disagreeing. In
addition, 38 per cent disagree and a further 27 per cent
are unsure as to whether their organisations work to
develop under-represented groups into leadership roles.
2 Straits Times, “Parliament: MOM took action against 521 companies with unfair employment practices from 2013 to 2017”, 2019
28 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
This makes clear that there is still room for improvement
in this area.
AGEISM IMPACTS CAREER PROGRESSION AND
SALARIES
One area of discrimination that may be strongly evident
in Singapore is ageism. In a country where the pursuit of
‘innovation’ – a concept indelibly linked to the dynamism
of youth – is paramount, the chance of employees and
candidates being discriminated against due to their age
is heightened. Singapore has historically had a problem
in this area, with the Ministry of Manpower and the
Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment
Practices receiving an average of 450 unfair employment
practice complaints per year from 2015 to 2017 – most
of which were linked to age discrimination or favouritism
towards foreigners.²
Our research confirms that it remains an issue today,
with one third of surveyed respondents saying age
was a factor that could lower their chances of being
selected for a job. In comparison to the rest of Asia, only
respondents in China (44 per cent) saw it as a greater
concern. In addition, 28 per cent said that age affected
the equality of career opportunities, while 28 per cent
said that salaries were influenced. Both figures were the
highest in Asia.
3 Straits Times, “Pass anti-discrimination laws to protect older workers”, 2019
4 agediscrimination.info, “Retirement and re-employment ages in Singapore will be raised beyond 62 and 67”, 2019
5 Business Insider Singapore, “Singapore ranked worst place for women to work among top ‘gender-equal’ nations, with about 20% less pay and savings
than men”, 2019
6 Today, “No discrimination against LGBTQ community at work, in housing and education here: Ong Ye Kung”, 2018
7 Channel News Asia, “4 allegations of workplace discrimination against people with disabilities in past 5 years: MOM”, 2018
29 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
The Singapore government has long acknowledged the issue of ageism, and there are calls for
legal statutes to be put in place. However, the nation’s leaders maintain that introducing anti-
discriminatory laws could raise business costs and undermine economic competitiveness.³ But
with an increase in both retirement and re-employment ages currently under consideration,⁴
the likelihood of future instances of ageism is intensified.
GENDER EQUALITY SEES IMPROVEMENTS, BUT FEWER FEMALE LINE MANAGERS
Another regularly-addressed D&I issue is that of gender, an area in which Singapore has seen
vast improvements in recent years. The city state is considered one of the world’s best nations
for gender equality, a claim backed up by our report, where 67 per cent of those surveyed said
genders were equal when it came to pay and rewards – up from 48 per cent in 2017.
However, a study published by Australian finance website Finder found that women in
Singapore are still paid 20 per cent less than men, with the country ranked in the bottom three
positions for percentage of women in board positions.⁵
Our report confirms these concerns, with just 38 per cent of respondents saying their line
managers were women. This is a mark down from 45 per cent last year, but still above the
33 per cent recorded in 2017. Returning to salary, though many respondents believe that
remuneration is equal, 19 per cent still think otherwise – a statistic that puts Singapore behind
only Japan (24 per cent) across Asia.
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY EVENTS TO EDUCATE AND INFORM ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION
AND DISABILITY ISSUES
Last September, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung told the annual Singapore Summit that there
is no discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community “at work, housing (and) education” in
Singapore.⁶ With such a bold statement, it was perhaps inevitable that Mr Ong faced some
backlash, especially since homosexuality is still legally a criminal offence in Singapore.
Our research tells a somewhat complicated story on this issue. Regarding both equal career
progression and equal pay, Singapore reported some of Asia’s lowest figures of ‘not equal’
(seven and six per cent, respectively) for sexual orientation. However, the fact that the number
that chose ‘equal’ (43 and 42 per cent) still lags behind Hong Kong (54 and 48 per cent),
shows that there is room for improvement.
Discrimination against those with disabilities and impairments is a comparable situation.
Speaking in Parliament of allegations of discrimination against people with disabilities, Minister
of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said that “The main reason for such complaints was due
to poor communication and a lack of sensitivity when working with persons with disabilities,”7
something that is borne out in our research.
Although respondents mostly agreed that ‘making interview venues accessible for those
with particular impairments’ and ‘making adjustments to assessments and work-related tests
ensuring they are accessible for those with particular impairments’ are generally positive
(55 per cent and 44 per cent respectively), most answers betrayed uncertainty surrounding
concerns for differently-abled and impaired people.
Companies looking to perhaps educate or inform employees on these issues may wish to
support key diversity events, such as multi-cultural religious observances, International
Women's Day, Pride or Mental Health Awareness week – something that 82 per cent of
respondents believe to be positive in the retention of diverse talent, but only 67 per cent of
companies currently do.
82 per cent of respondents believe supporting key diversity
events will positively impact the retention of diverse talent,
82% 67%
but only 67 per cent of companies in Singapore currently do.
 EXPERT
INSIGHTS

30 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report


Alex Kopitsas,
Head of Human Resources,
Johnson & Johnson,
China
Who do you think should be responsible for the effective planning and implementation of Diversity & Inclusion
(D&I) in an organisation, and why?
Both business leaders and HR leaders should have a shared responsibility to drive, plan and implement D&I strategy
together within the organisation. In Johnson & Johnson, Our Credo guides us to put people first. We seek to
promote and foster an inclusive, diverse workplace where individuality is celebrated and every person feels that
they belong. Our global D&I strategy has three pillars that reflect our strategic priorities: “Advance Our Culture of
Inclusion and Innovation, Build a Diverse Workforce for the Future and Enhance Business Results and Reputation”. To
raise awareness and enhance engagement business leaders and HR leaders need to be co-leading the D&I strategy
to create a deep sense of belonging where everyone is valued and their ideas are heard.
What are some of the common challenges incorporating D&I into talent attraction and selection activity? How
should leaders address these challenges?
Unconscious bias is the most common challenge when identifying the right candidate during the talent attraction
and selection processes. We need to build and develop inclusive strategies that leaders can readily apply to counter
the unintended consequences of unconscious bias. For example:
• Reviewing job descriptions – be sure that the language used does not incorporate unintentional biases and
don’t assume that what we needed in the past is what we will need in the future.
• Broadening the recruiting strategy – be a talent scout.
• Structured behavioural-based interviewing – train interviewers on best practices.
• Ensuring that the interview panel is diverse and provides data-based feedback on the candidates.
• Providing effective, differentiated, and individualised onboarding to maximize each new hire’s potential.
• Enhancing the diversity within the team and organization to build a diverse working environment.
• Using a standardised assessment and evaluation system during talent review and succession planning.
32 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
What are some effective data capturing and analysis methods? At which stages should they be
implemented?
Data can be very powerful in helping to identify trends; allowing decision makers to understand the full
picture of their organization. In Johnson & Johnson, we have WorkforceDNA and DiversityDNA, which are
internally created data portals that meet the strategic data analytics needs of our HR professionals, delivering
purposeful data and insights tied to key workforce and diversity questions. Additionally, we leverage industry
insights from external partners to understand trends across or within our industry.
What role should D&I data take on where career development programmes are concerned?
Insights such as gaps in diverse representation of talent in leadership pipelines, at certain levels of the
organization or within certain functions can help you to shape your career development programme agenda.
Focusing on closing those gaps through targeted career planning including acceleration of talent such as
advancing women leaders to the C-suite level through comprehensive leadership development strategies will
advance the overall talent agenda.
What can leaders within organisations do to gain the trust and confidence of their employees that they are
true advocates of the D&I agenda?
Role modelling inclusive behaviours at all levels of their organizations on daily basis is critical to gaining the
trust and confidence of their employees. Engaging in transparent conversations with their employees and
creating a safe environment for their employees to share their thoughts will also build trust. Consistently
bringing D&I into all company meetings will demonstrate the importance of a diverse and inclusive culture
from leaders. Providing employees with opportunities to get involved through Employee Resource Groups
(ERGs) and ensuring the proper leadership presence, funding and resources are in place to support such
initiatives.
What are some examples of successful D&I initiatives carried out by your team/ organisation?
ERGs are a voluntary & employee-led groups that focus on leveraging shared identities, affinities and
experiences to lead initiatives that create value. We have established three ERGs - Generation Now to
represent the various generations in our workplace, Women Leadership & Inclusion to represent our female
employees and Alliance for Diverse Abilities to represent mental health ambassadors. ERGs enable us to
attract and retain diverse talent, provide employee leadership development opportunities, and contribute to
advancing our culture of belonging by fostering employee engagement, which positively impacts business
outcomes.
Raising awareness amongst our employees about the unconscious biases we all have. We have organised
webinars delivered by Harvard Professor. Dr. Banaji over the past three years, covering 260+ employees. These
webinars highlight that we all have unconscious biases and although it is not possible to eliminate our biases
it is possible to bring them to our conscious awareness so we can effectively manage our biases. We have also
launched an online training version to all employees for self-learning; encouraging line managers to have a
follow-up dialogue with their team members for reflection.
D&I related activities and events are regularly scheduled throughout the year, such as:
• Women leadership forums to unleash women’s potential in the workplace
• One Johnson & Johnson China Family Day to enhance the sense of belonging for Johnson & Johnson
employees and create One Johnson & Johnson community
• Conducted mental health first aid certification training sessions to promote mental health awareness
and provide practical skills to support those who suffer from mental health issues; enhancing an inclusive
environment where diverse abilities work together
• TEDx JNJ annual conference for the past three years inspires great ideas and drives an innovation culture
33 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report

Sophia Leung,
Chief Information Officer,
Asia Pacific,
J.P. Morgan
What are some of the strategies/initiatives J.P. Morgan currently adopts to attract and retain more women in its IT
and/or digital department?
J.P. Morgan’s strategy to promote greater diversity, inclusivity and accessibility is focused on engagement, education
and empowering.
When it comes to attracting talent, especially women technologists, our goal is to:
• Ensure that our tech workforce is representative of our customers, clients, and the communities where we work
and serve
• Attract and retain tech talent with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and experiences
• Showcase our commitment to women across Global Technology and more broadly across the firm
• Provide unique development opportunities
• Promote a continuous learning culture
• Foster a culture of inclusion, community and conversation amongst employees once they join our tech
workforce
When it comes to retention the firm has a number of initiatives to support women representation not only in
technology but more broadly across the firm:
• Women on the Move (WOTM) is a global, firm-wide initiative within J.P. Morgan with the mission of providing
access to tools that enable the successful development, advancement and retention of women. The many
events we hold help to increase awareness throughout the firm’s population, address topics that matter to
women as well as provide a forum for women’s voices at the firm. WOTM also enables women the opportunity
to learn first-hand from senior women who are driving and leading our businesses.
34 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
Specific to technology we also have a number of initiatives focused on strengthening women representation
across all levels of the organisation including:
• Women On The Move - takeITforward: Program designed to have a direct impact on building J.P.
Morgan’s pipeline of women in technology, creating awareness of career pathing, enhancing skill sets, and
embedding a holistic approach to building a culture of accountability and development.
• Tech Executive Leaders and Transformational Leadership: Two courses aimed at accelerating the
professional development of Global Technology’s high performing talent. They also recognise women's
unique contributions to organisations and offer careerdevelopment strategies and insights to help women
become exceptional leaders.
• Winning Women in Tech: A program aimed at providing female undergraduate STEM students from
Singapore's and Hong Kong's universities with first-hand views of our technology organisation as well as
an understanding of the firm’s technology development and investment.
• Future-ready Talent Incubation Program: In collaboration with Vocational Training Council in Hong Kong,
J.P. Morgan has provided US$1.5 million to support a three year pilot program to help around 600 higher
diploma students from VTC pursue STEM-related careers.
Over the last decade, how has J.P. Morgan evolved as an employer in relation to gender diversity?
Diversity & Inclusion underpins everything we do: Over the last decade J.P. Morgan's approach to diversity
has continued to evolve in terms of the way we drive it, communicate about it and measure it. The firm
understands that it is critical to our continued success and sustained growth. The firm’s Operating Committee
is now comprised of 50% women and women representation within Asia Pacific now stands at 43%.
Diversity has been built into how we do business: Creating and promoting diverse and inclusive teams within
our businesses is a key objective for all managers and since it’s regarded as so, it’s therefore tracked like all
other business objectives.
We track qualitative factors: The firm’s biennial firm-wide surveys collect information on the quality of work
and development of our culture. This data is assessed at an aggregate level as well as by managers and teams
in order to offer insight into what’s working and what isn’t. D&I teams work with the business and functions to
listen to and create action plans in order to drive improvements.
J.P. Morgan has increased the positive reinforcement of ideas and behaviours: J.P. Morgan understands
the importance of consistent education with regards to inclusive practices and language, as well as finding
commonalities and celebrating and accepting differences.
Examples of these efforts include:
• More Than A Label: A program for all colleagues aimed at heightening awareness and the importance of
inclusion by encouraging everyone to connect and understand people for who they are.
• Sit With Me: Fireside chats and panel discussions that use a red chair to symbolise that greater numbers
of women are needed in technology and that men and women can sit together in support of this agenda.
• Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day: The month and day are celebrated across the
firm globally with specially organised events. The engagement and active participation of senior leaders
help promote the understanding that our diversity agenda has the support of executives at the very top
of the firm.
• Women on the Move: Men as Allies: Men’s support is recognised as crucial in ensuring the success of the
diversity agenda. In APAC, over 1000 male employees have signed up as allies.
We are expanding the definition of diversity: The definition of diversity is broad and is not meant to exclude
people. With this in mind we will ensure diversity moves beyond the traditionally viewed diverse communities
such as women, black, hispanic, LGBT+, veterans and persons with disabilities, to include cognitive and
experiential diversity.
35 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report

Do you hold senior and line managers accountable for gender diversity in your organisation? If so, how do
you ensure they achieve desired outcomes?
Managers across J.P. Morgan are the primary stakeholders of the D&I agenda: Throughout the employee life
cycle—from hiring and on-boarding through to career progression and development—managers play a key
role in ensuring positive outcomes for their employees.
Training:
• Our people-manager development program, Leadership Edge, supports managers in their personal
growth and covers various ways in which they can strengthen Inclusiveness.
• For more consistent messaging through shared communications and centralised metrics and reporting,
the firm launched unconscious bias and inclusion training for Managing Directors. The training focuses on
defining and understanding bias and exploring ways to improve inclusion efforts and reinforce a culture
where people feel that they can do their best work. A 90-minute virtual instructor-led training designed
to help managers break bias in everyday decisions and implement key habits for inclusion has also been
introduced.
• In APAC, our Inclusive Leadership Program is a 12-month program that prepares diverse talent at
Executive Director and Vice President levels for their next stage of careers. 65% of the program alumni
are women talent.
Diverse Leadership: Diverse managers grow diverse teams. The emphasis lies on diversity in all its forms:
gender, race, orientation, disabilities, cognitive and experiential diversity.
CONGRATULATIONS TO
J.P. MORGAN ON WINNING THE
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
We were honoured to be proud sponsors of the Women in IT Awards Asia held in
Singapore in May 2019.
It’s a sign of how far women have come in the world of technology when we have
an awards ceremony that acknowledges the achievement and accomplishments of
female executives in the sector.
Our sponsorship of the awards was the latest initiative we have taken in the region
to promote diversity not only in IT, but across all sectors in the world of work.
As the world’s leading recruiter, we have an opportunity and responsibility to
champion the building of more diverse workforces and inclusive workplaces. We
do this by regularly creating and curating a number of dedicated diversity and
inclusion marketing materials and activities as well as purposefully including
diversity and inclusion insights into our core ‘set piece’ recruiting expert activities.
This aspect of our service to our customers is a unique selling point for Hays and
never fails to delight them.

• Technology Executive Leaders Program accelerates the professional development of senior high- It is well known that diverse organisations not only outperform those which are
performing talent, including invaluable opportunities to network and grow further as strategic technology less diverse, but are also more likely to attract and retain talented professionals.
leaders.
Recognising and harnessing the dynamism of diversity is an essential element of
• Programs such as the Transformational Leadership Program, Vice President Bootcamp, and takeITforward our expertise, enabling people and organisations to fulfill their potential. These
incubate diverse leaders. awards not only recognises the valued contribution made by women, but is also
Firm-wide initiatives: Most firm-wide initiatives are deployed leveraging the effective manager. Manager- a clear message that women are indeed leading from the front in the technology
excellence packs, facilitation programs and communications ensure that the messages remain undiluted, that sector.
managers buy in to the importance of these programs and that they understand why they are key change
makers within the firm.
Feedback Loops: Managers receive comprehensive feedback from their colleagues at all levels during their
performance reviews and the biennial Employee Opinion Survey, both of which help assess and identify areas
of improvement and help to advance the D&I agenda in the workplace.
Who are your important stakeholders in ensuring the success of attracting and retaining women in your IT
and digital departments?
Every employee is a stakeholder in advancing the D&I agenda at the firm. In addition to collaboration with
functional partners, clearly articulated mission statements and business principles, create the foundation with
which to ensure the success of attracting and retaining women.
Recruitment teams work in collaboration with businesses and functions to ensure that a diverse slate of
candidates is considered for all roles. In spaces where diverse talent is not robust, our corporate teams create
and deploy alternate pipelines, encouraging and building out learning paths and opportunities to attract and
retain talent.
Business teams play a key role in this space. In addition to manager effectiveness, teams ensure that fulfilling
careers opportunities are available, work-life balance is encouraged and continuous learning opportunities are
leveraged to help women build fulfilling careers.

36 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report 37 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report

RECOMMENDATIONS
Encourage understanding and loyalty by hiring
differently abled candidates
The differently abled are amongst the most
discriminated against members of society, as they
are often ignored, becoming virtually invisible. This
is backed up by our data, as the levels of surety
surrounding disability are by far the lowest of any
group. However, one fifth of respondents feel that
their organisation would benefit by the inclusion of
more differently-abled people.
As studies show that disabled people are less likely
to take sick days and are more likely to remain at
a company, the advantages of hiring differently-
abled individuals are clear. Try reaching out to
vocational rehabilitation centres for referrals for
qualified candidates. In addition, provide your able-
bodied staff with training so that they will be more
understanding when you begin hiring more people
with disabilities.
38 | The 2019/2020 Hays Asia Diversity & Inclusion Report
Diversify your diversity data and put it to work
Most companies understand the benefits of capturing
employee data, but only half of employees are confident
that the data is being used effectively, meaning there is a
likelihood that companies do not understand how to best
put that data to work.
There are a number of ways that data can be
implemented, such as utilising employee surveys to
gauge where potential problems may arise. But by
diversifying the data and breaking it down further, you
can discover how smaller groups are affected. We often
talk about ‘gender’, ‘ethnicity’ or ‘age’; but by breaking
this down even further, companies can uncover the
issues that, for example, older women from an ethnic
background may be facing.
Retain, advance, encourage
Although most respondents said that their leadership
teams were diverse, they also noted their organisation’s
reluctance to actively work towards the promotion
of those from a diverse background into positions of
authority.
It is a commonly-held belief that the creation of
role models is one of the most successful ways of
empowering employees. Focusing on the retention
and advancement of diverse individuals should be a
key element in companies successfully reaching their
diversity targets.
And once they are in authority, encourage them to
openly discuss diversity issues. Studies show that
individuals from diverse backgrounds who speak out
on inclusion are often penalised, while those from the
majority culture are often praised. Foster an environment
where everyone can speak freely.
Take more proactive moves to canvas opinion
When it comes to seeking out diverse opinions, most
companies tend to rely on employee impact surveys and
exit interviews. While both present great opportunities
to uncover systemic failings, the latter is problematic in
that any issues an employee may have had, it is already
too late to do anything about them.
As such, it is essential to further garner opinion from
employees while they are still in your employ. This
can be done by holding informal lunches or coffee
breaks with cross-company employees so that they
can better understand any issues that the other is
facing. Collaborative roundtable employee forums and
discussions are informative, while offering employees
an opportunity to comment on organisational culture in
career review and appraisal recycles is also helpful.
Breaking down recruitment barriers
The greatest impediment to diversity in your workforce
can be found in the recruitment process, and our report
shows that organisation leaders retain a bias towards
people who think, look and act like them. Furthermore,
while companies generally impose diversity recruitment
targets, senior managers and line managers are less
likely to have individual targets of their own.
Setting managers targets and ensuring that they
undergo bias training is a great first step; but it is also
important to launch this advancement throughout the
organisation so that the rest of your staff are aware, thus
engendering accountability.
Another idea is to look at your recruitment sources.
Could a referral program work at your organisation?
One effective approach is to set diversity targets when
working with recruitment agencies.
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