The incorporation of the Human Rights Act into the legal framework of England and Wales is likely to change, fundamentally, the climate in which legal judgements are made and conclusions reached. It follows, therefore, that the Act will be absorbed into the structures and culture of businesses. And Pauline Watts, head of consultancy solutions, learning and development for CCDU Training and Consultancy, believes that misconceptions about cultural backgrounds and traditions are among the causes of stress among employees. She says: "Failures to acknowledge the causes of stress and to manage them is part of dealing with the human rights of an individual." Watts says. "We must recognise that stress can be caused by many things and increasingly, with a more diverse workforce and population, misconceptions about cultural backgrounds and traditions are among them." Understanding different cultures is a start. "By creating greater awareness and learning to value differences in society ­ especially in the retail sector, among customers ­ we may go some way to diminishing stress." Managing diversity is critical to surviving and thriving, Watts says, and most employers want to go beyond mere compliance with human rights legislation. The retail industry stands or falls on its ability to understand customers' needs and meet them. "It is also keen to understand what makes its workforce tick," adds Watts. CCDU began life as the counselling and career development unit of Leeds University. But once it was spun off from the campus ­ which it still serves ­ the unit developed diversity training for external customers, including large retailers. "My experience is that retailers want to move away from subjective cultural values and stereotypes, by investing in training. Since joining CCDU, I have talked to clients about widening the scope of their existing equality training to include the implications of key clauses in the Human Rights Act," Watts says. {{PEOPLE MOVES }}