Cultural Diversity - The Civil Service

Land Registry Cultural DiversityIntroductionIn our commitment to diversity, jointly signed by the Chief Executive on behalf of theAgency Board and the DTUS Chair on behalf of the trade unions, we said“We must acknowledge, understand and appreciate the differences amongst us anddevelop a working environment that enhances rather than diminishes thesedifferences”Among our six commitments we set out to:“Ensure that all employees are aware of the Agency’s policy on managing diversityand take appropriate action to improve knowledge and understanding”and to “employ a workforce that reflects the diversity of local communities and societyas a whole, which values and respects the individual and provides all customers witha service that is fair and meets their diverse needs”.This resource booklet is designed to provide some general guidance on a range ofdifferent religions and cultures to help our understanding. Having a betterunderstanding of other religions and cultures helps us to value and respect them.We have made every effort to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date.However, it is not exhaustive and the information and guidance will not cover everysituation. We want to encourage a spirit of open and honest enquiry in the context ofmutual respect. At the end of the day there is no substitute for asking the individualquestions such as how they prefer to be addressed.It is also important to remember that valuing diversity is about acknowledging what wehave in common as much as about our differences. Increasing our knowledge of otherpeople’s cultures and beliefs will often lead us to recognise the similarities as much asthe differences. It will also help us to identify areas where there may be an impact inthe workplace such as standard hours working and religious observance duringRamazan (often written as Ramadan) or for Orthodox Jews.AcknowledgementsThis booklet has used the following sources and is grateful for their helpHM Customs & Excise booklet ‘Employing People of Different Religions’Home Office ‘A Brief Guide to Major Religious and Cultural Observance in the UK’Multicultural Matters Newsletter (www.multicultural-matters.com)COI Translations1