As countries go the United Kingdom is, by most standards, fairly diverse and it is for this reason why diversity training has been high on the business agenda for a number of years. Whilst we have come a long way over the decades, issues surrounding discrimination are still apparent so the need for continued development is an obvious one.

As we move closer to the London 2012 Olympics, the countdown is on and with less than two years to go it got me thinking about the issues surrounding diversity; after all you can’t get a much more diverse event than the Olympics!

The brilliance of the Olympics is the different nationalities coming together to support and celebrate the sporting achievements of the best in the world; a true and apt demonstration of the beauty of diversity.

As the different sporting teams come to stay in the UK during the games, UK businesses have a unique opportunity to capitalise but in order to do so issues surrounding diversity need to be considered and fully understood. The worlds’ media will have the UK under the spot light so any negative experiences or discriminatory situations will be for all to see.

So whilst many see diversity training as common sense it makes me ask the question; can UK organisations really afford not to invest in up-skilling and enhancing their employees diversity knowledge? Personally I think not!

By Gemma Middleton | Righttrack’s Marketing Manager