The thirst for belonging and diversity in Pakistan 

As a wapistani (a “returned Pakistani”), I’ve often wondered where it is that I’ve felt a sense of belonging. On the last night of my road trip through many of Pakistan’s major northern cities, I’m moved to reflect on what I’ve learned about my compatriots who may have only had aspirations about moving or working abroad. 

My brief trip to attend Future Fest unexpectedly expanded into a number of meetings with interested companies in cities like Lahore and Multan. The growing interest soon led us to organize a series of roundtable events, called ‘Diversity Data for Bottom-Line Growth’.  Our aim was straightforward: to bring together C-Suite and HR leaders from leading Pakistani companies to discuss the profitability of diversity data measurement. 

The response was overwhelming, and thanks to the support of Pakistan’s largest forum for HR professionals, Connect HR, we were able to put on engaging and insightful events in Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore, and Islamabad. Along with sharing industry practices among peers, the events involved case studies from Diversity Atlas’s many successful deployments with clients across a range of industries. The attendees included HR leaders seeking to enhance their expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as CEOs, representing eighteen different industries. 

Diversity Data Roundtables – A discussion of the Future 

Recognising the changing nature of work, and the incredible steps some companies are already taking towards creating more equitable spaces for women and people with disabilities, the groups nevertheless were clear in stating that there needs to be more done to enhance belonging – starting with collecting the right data. 

Participants had the opportunity to directly engage with Diversity Atlas by trying the survey firsthand. With customised questions inviting feedback about their industry and company, along with their anonymous diversity questionnaire, the results told a bold story about overcoming gender norms, and the need to go further. A significant discussion point was the limitation of Pakistani census data, which lists only 8 languages and a single ‘Other’ category, not fully representing our nation’s linguistic diversity. In just our group of attendees, there were 14 different languages recorded.

Participants were quick to pick up on the fact that workplaces that fail to measure the languages of their staff were going to struggle to engage those workers in meaningful and lasting ways. This leads to poor retention and monocultures in leadership as linguistically diverse talent inevitably leave to find other workplaces where they feel like they belong. This talent drain was noted as a severe headache for HR leaders, and came at a significant cost to their organisations. 

When Diversity Data is used ineffectively, it reduces Belonging 

Currently, efforts to embrace diversity in Pakistan are one-dimensional, and led by poor data collection.

A telling example was raised during the session in Multan, where a participant told the room about being the Head of HR at a biscuit production plant, who in the ‘interest of diversity’ had set up a recruitment drive in Dunyapur, Punjab. A remote sub-district with a population of less than 500,000, Dunyapur was picked for having an underemployed population with limited prospects. It was a feel-good, look-good strategy that was met with open arms by locals. All applicants hailing from the region were hurried through on-boarding and put on to the factory floor to pack children’s cookies, and things looked to be going well.

Then, as the HR head telling the story told us, a knock came at his door.

It was one of the new hires, and he had a small complaint. Of course he was grateful for the job, but you see, he had completed his Master’s degree, and had been applying for a suitable job at the head office for some time to no avail. Suddenly, he had been recruited onto the factory floor, and he was hoping he could be given an opportunity to do work more suited to his area of expertise. The HR leader was shocked, and wondered how many others had been cast into this net. He found that there were countless such cases, with local hires being overlooked for more qualified positions, purely because the mandate had come down to ‘include’ people from Dunyapur on the factory floor.

On the other hand, equally-qualified workers from the big cities were being relocated or transported daily at great expense, as it was believed this was the only way to fill the more senior positions. It took an arduous process for this leader to demonstrate the scale of the issue, but once it became clear that there was an impact on profitability, the wheels were in motion to promote locals with the right skills and expertise into those positions instead. 

This is just one of many examples of how well-intentioned but poorly informed DE&I strategies are not only costing companies money, but they’re also failing workers’ expectations to feel like they belong. As overseas employers continue to enhance their efforts to build more diverse teams, there is a new issue creeping in for recruiters here in Pakistan: talent flight.

Increasingly, workers from many Pakistani industries are being head-hunted for remote or event full-time positions abroad, recognising the immense talent that is available. As Pakistani culture opens up to the world, young graduates are more ready to move to GCC countries, Malaysia, Indonesia, and as far as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand for work. Finding that their talents are better utilised, and their cultural background celebrated and included in these workplaces, they quickly move to open up pathways for their compatriots and family members to join them. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s current economic and political instability makes conditions difficult to thrive in, creating further pressure for them to seek greener pastures. 

Improving sentiments of Belonging with Diversity Data 

Belonging is certainly the theme for DE&I in 2024 in Pakistan, and based on some of the conversations we’re having with our partners, this may well be the case for the global south. If Pakistan wants to belong on the world stage in business, its industries need to embrace data-driven strategies to drive that change. 

For more information about the roundtable series and the report findings, you go here.

Want to know where you stand on diversity data reporting? Take our diversity data health-check today to receive your results and get suggestions for your next steps to becoming a more inclusive organisation.  

Find out about how Diversity Atlas can help you and your company by contacting us here or on Linkedin.