The Agri-Food Diversity & Inclusion Forum (AgDif) is a collaborative initiative led by Bord Bia and Aon in partnership with the 30% Club. Formed to advance the diversity and inclusion (D&I) agenda, the initial focus of the group is on gender balance.

The most recent event hosted by the AgDif forum was a webinar – A spotlight on inclusion in a time of crisis.

Participants heard from CEO of pork processor Oliver Carty Ted Carty.

It has grown from 11 employees to 150, with an annual turnover of €48m

Oliver Carty, an Irish SME food supplier, is representative of the target audience AgDif want to see engaging with the toolkit it has developed. Oliver Carty has been in business for over 30 years, during which time it has grown from 11 employees to 150, with an annual turnover of €48m.

Ted took over the family business in the 1980s and calls out innovation as a key driver of their success. This, he said, goes hand in hand with having a fair and open-minded policy when dealing with people.

I have been quite fortunate in the decisions that I have made

When questioned on his recruitment philosophy, Carty said it was only recently that D&I became a tag online. “I don’t set out when interviewing someone that it has been a male or a female. A business is not built by one person but by a team. I have been quite fortunate in the decisions that I have made.”

As a result, a natural diversity has arisen, with Oliver Carty employing people from nine different nationalities. It’s 60:40 male to female in production and 80:20 female to male on the management side of the company.

Innovation

Carty claims the benefits of this have been tangible in that the diversity saw them challenge each other and this brought innovation. “If you don’t innovate, you will stagnate. We look at things in a very different way. A woman may have a different way of looking at things than I would.”

Ted is a believer in the best person for the role as opposed to a quota system. Although each gender brings a different skillset which is vital, the North Star is getting the best person for the job.

Younger people coming into the industry see things differently about how people live and eat

“When you meet people, you get a sense about how someone will fit. You need people to buy into the culture of the business and everyone brings something new that adds to the culture. As your business grows, you bring in new talent. Younger people coming into the industry see things differently about how people live and eat.”

Oliver Carty also has broadened its diversity initiatives. The company approached St Hilda’s, a school that works with adults with special needs, to set up tag rugby which happened every Wednesday pre-COVID-19.

The people, who work with you and work for you, are the people that make your business work

When asked about COVID, Carty said: “We have a responsibility to look after each other. We had to build a new canteen for social distancing, increase signage in the factory and increase the outdoor areas. We set up a COVID committee across all sections of the business. We meet once a week and what is needed is always embraced.”

“This has massively changed the way that we work. But the people, who work with you and work for you, are the people that make your business work.”

Key Takeaways from pulse survey

• 85% of business leaders state that attracting, retaining and developing talent either somewhat or significantly impacts their growth prospects.

• Flexibility still matters most to employees. Making flexibility work for your organisation can be a key recruitment win and employers should explore options that make sense for them.

• There is a disconnect between business leaders and employees on the importance of the D&I agenda:

– 84% of business leaders state that gender equality and D&I are priorities for their organisation, yet only 63% of employees believe this is true where they work.

– 20% of employees believe that gender equality and D&I seem like ‘a box to be ticked’ by organisations.

Industry leaders should know;

• There remains a risk that the talent gap will not be closed, adversely affecting the reputation and sustainability of the sector. The AgDif Pulse Insight 2020 offers insight into the views of key talent working in the sector and lessons for organisations to consider.