Employers should not only combat racism in the workplace - they should also appreciate and celebrate ethnic diversity, as much for economic as for moral reasons.

According to Mr Paul Lyons, operations manager at IBM's call centre in Blanchardstown and chair of the Teleservices Forum of Ireland, managing diversity makes economic, marketing and moral sense.

He told The Irish Times: "We have a very diverse workforce because we're servicing all of Europe from the call centre. Seventy-five per cent of our people are non-Irish nationals."

IBM appreciates the richness of a multi-racial workforce and sees it as a key resource in the market-place.

"We would recognise that to appreciate diversity, to acknowledge it and celebrate it, is a proactive thing. It's not a reactive thing, stamping out anti-racism. It's about being proactive and recognising different people's contributions.

"Apart from the moral imperative to ensure everyone is treated equally, there is a real economic and market-place imperative associated with diversity. The basic philosophy of IBM at a worldwide level is that you have to appreciate diversity because it's absolutely morally the right thing to do.

"However, we have to acknowledge too that the market-place we serve and our customers constitute a very diverse environment. Unless the company internally reflects that diversity, appreciates it and has people of different nationalities and different sexual orientations, it can't really be at one with the market-place."

Specific steps taken to advance a racism-free workplace in the past week include the establishment, through the Equality Authority, of an expert panel of 22 anti-racist trainers to undertake training programmes in the workplace. The Equality Authority has also produced a handbook on best practice.

Employers and service providers can be found liable for the harassment of their employees or customers if they have not taken reasonable steps to prevent such harassment. Moreover, employers are liable for racist acts by employees done in the course of employment, whether or not the acts were done with the employers' knowledge. Employers are also liable for the acts of agents of the company.

To defend themselves, employers or service providers must be able to show that they took reasonable steps to prevent discrimination.

Mr Joe McDonagh, chairman of the recently set up steering committee of the National Anti-Racism Awareness Programme, said: "Discrimination deprives people of their basic human rights, dignity and respect. We recognise that we do have a problem in this country and it's an increasing problem. It's one that we essentially wanted to address through the various initiatives that we are embarking on now.

"We're essentially challenging people to challenge their own attitudes. Getting people to question themselves, hopefully that will happen. To a certain extent, we as a country have been in denial. We're saying: 'I'm not a racist', but racist abuse is happening."

He hopes people will question themselves and their attitudes, and come to realise that racism is unacceptable.

Describing the Equality Authority's handbook on workplace anti-racist best practice, he says: "Essentially it's collating some initiatives - some of which are here in Ireland, such as the Dignity at Work programme undertaken by Eircom - and initiatives that have been undertaken by Dublin Bus, recognising that there are 38 different nationalities working in Dublin Bus."

One of the aims of the National Anti-Racism Awareness Programme is to increase awareness of recent equality legislation. The Employment Equality Act and the Equal Status Act prohibit direct and indirect discrimination and harassment in employment and in the provision of goods and services on the grounds of race, gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or membership of the Traveller community.

Ms Jackie Harrison, director of social policy at IBEC, says racism is not an enormous problem in the workplace "but it could be unless we take preventative steps".

If employers manage and value diversity, racism will not emerge as an issue, she suggests. It is important that people be aware of any racist attitudes lest they become evident, for instance, while interviewing.

Ms Marian Tannam, a partner of Harnett Tannam Consultancy which specialises in anti-racism, says that the workplace is a reflection of the wider society.

"If we want a balanced and better society for all, I think it's important that we tackle racism in the workplace. It impacts on both the privileged group and the person experiencing racism. A society is unbalanced if it doesn't value and respect everyone. It diminishes our own dignity and humanity."

A website with information about the National Anti-Racism Awareness Programme is at: www.knowracism.ie.

Contact the Equality Authority on: 01-4173333, or The Office of the Director of Equality Investigations on: 01-4173300.

jmarms@irish-times.ie