Expert Advice - February 2008

Diversity in the Workplace

A Broader Scope

by Steve Conine

There has been a steady evolution in the workplace in terms of how businesses regard diversity. Historically, diversity was associated with affirmative action plans requiring some businesses to hire and promote under-represented groups of women and minorities. The goal of affirmative action was to assure that the workforce demographics of businesses were representative of the population demographics in the communities where the businesses operated.

Today, a diverse workforce has a much broader definition, including differences in ethnic and cultural groups, generational variety, language, education, sexual preference or lifestyle choices, physical abilities and even organizational position. While most employers appreciate the changing scope of diversity, there remains a great deal of untapped potential in how businesses can leverage diversity.  

To create sustainable change, business leaders must first make a personal commitment to promote diversity within their businesses and communities. A diverse workforce can help a business gain a competitive, however, the cooperation and participation of the entire management team are essential to support a culture of inclusion among employees.        

Like all quality initiatives, inclusion requires an ongoing focus. Business leaders must be more innovative in their approach to recruiting, developing and leveraging diversity to hire and retain top talent in a shrinking labor market. When diversity becomes a core value, business opportunities emerge, communication improves and collaborative work environments develop. Diversity creates an environment where employees are empowered to contribute competitive ideas and share in access to opportunities and challenges. These dynamics influence business growth and profitability while reducing attrition and absenteeism.  

Managing diversity can be complex and time-consuming. The best approach is to develop a team of employees who represent all levels of the organization and all walks of life. This team is responsible for defining the parameters of an inclusive workplace and creating a roadmap to enhance participation from a broad cross section of employees. It is critical to develop a communication strategy to help employees understand what the business is trying to accomplish and how roles contribute to the overall success of the company.

To assure that diversity is not viewed as a flavor-of-the-month employment policy, inclusive behaviors must be integrated into the heart and soul of the organization. Managers must consistently model the behaviors the organization wants to promote.  Responsibility for encouraging and supporting diversity sits with all levels of management, from front-line supervisors to the CEO. The organization should measure perceptions from employees and applicants to understand their employment experience. Conduct an employee survey prior to implementing improvement efforts to create a baseline for assessing the impact of any change that these efforts elicit.

A diverse workforce mirrors the changing demographics of our marketplace. Customers make increasing demands upon businesses to understand their unique needs. Businesses that adopt diverse perspectives and ideas from a well-rounded workforce will be positioned to build a competitive edge through new product development and growth into new markets. At the same time, the work culture will become more collaborative with an emphasis on teaching, learning and sharing information. Successful businesses move quickly to identify tools and training designed to educate their workforce about the benefits of diversity.  

Steve Conine
Steve Conine is president of Talent Framework and AccuStaff, and Connie Johnson is managing director of Talent Framework.