Your Business: Workplace diversity - Tiffany Zyp, Blastacars Drift Karts

The Auckland-based Blastacars Drift Karts team, including Tiffany and Peter Zyp at far right.

Tiffany Zyp is operations manager at Blastacars Drift Karts, which was highly commended in the Divers-ability category of the EEO Trust’s 2014 Diversity Awards NZ.

Can you tell me a bit about Blastacars Drift Karts?

We have two race tracks - one in Auckland and one in Hamilton. They're similar to go-kart tracks, but the difference with our karts is they're specially designed to drift. Blastacars Drift Karts are the only purpose-built drift karts in the world.

What's the diversity picture in your workforce?

Each track employs around 10 people and our teams are very diverse including men and women from a variety of ethnicities - European, Maori, Filipino, Samoan, South African and Indian.

Why is having that diversity important in your workforce?

Blastacars is my father's business and he's been operating it for the past 27 years. The team has always been made up of a mix of different cultures. My father never sought out to employ a team that was 'diverse'; his hiring policy was to hire people who were good for their position and it didn't matter how old you were, whether you were male or female, Maori or Pakeha. Your skills spoke for you, and as a result we've always had a mixed group of employees.

Can you tell me a bit more about your hiring process?

Following in my dad's footsteps, I only take skills, attitude and experience into consideration when hiring staff. I'm not concerned about your ethnicity or your sex. If you have the right attitude, you get the job - it's as simple as that. I'm really proud of my team, and I think they're a great example of New Zealand's amazing diversity as a country.

Your entry in the Diversity Awards last year referenced the company's experience of taking on Nathan Child, an intellectually disabled member of your staff. What's been the impact of having him on board?

Nathan is a great example of Blastacars' non-discriminatory attitude when it comes to employment. He came in full of confidence and asked me with impeccable manners if I was looking for new workers. I was totally blown away by Nathan's amazing attitude. I got him in the following week for a trial. He has now been with us for nearly two years.

He's had a really positive impact on the business. He has taught me a lot about how to manage different types of people because what works for him, may not work for another employee. So, for example, he needs his jobs to be explained thoroughly and works best when adhering to a rigid routine. With Nathan I make sure jobs are outlined carefully, and his job lists are always the same.

What are some of the challenges you've encountered in your journey to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace, and what are some of the strategies you've found helpful to overcome those challenges?

Nathan definitely gave me a lot of perspective. I learnt that you have to adapt to different employees. Understanding that your employees have different needs is so important. I think you really need to get to know each employee and find out what makes them tick. Being in a small business does make this easier, and I truly feel we are like a family here. And just like with your siblings, you get to know how your employees understand the world and you adapt your management techniques to best suit them.

I think with that does come a challenge to keep employees feeling equal. To keep a measure of this we ask each employee to self-evaluate how they are feeling in their position, whether they feel adequately appreciated, or if they're struggling with anything in particular. This really helps to identify any issues we may have.

Also, our monthly company meetings are followed by a shared dinner and often drift racing. This regular social time helps to relieve any tension that the team might have. I think it's so important that employees feel like they can be with each other in a social context away from the pressures of the job.

What's been your biggest learning as a manager about how to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace?

That being a certain age or race or sex is not as important as having the right attitude. If you make your hiring policy all about the skills, experience and attitude you want in an employee, I think diversity in the workplace just happens naturally.

Coming up in Your Business: Getting the right staff on board - and keeping them - is the lifeblood of a business. So what are some of the things small business owners do to try and keep their good staff on board for the long haul? If you've got a story to tell, drop me a note: nzhsmallbusiness@gmail.com