Building And Maintaining A Diverse And Inclusive Workforce
What an employer should do?
Posted on 12-28-2018, Read Time: Min
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In today’s workplace, it is critical for an employer to understand that diversity goes beyond sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, and religion. And, it includes different work experiences, sexual orientation, educational status, marital status, socioeconomic status, physical characteristics, life experiences, background, and upbringing.
Diversity continues to create challenges for employers because it is not enough to create a diverse workplace. However, an employer must make sure it’s workplace is inclusive and tolerant and one in which all employees feel valued and respected. A tolerant workplace is one in which accommodation and flexibility is key and employees of all backgrounds and of multiple generations are encouraged to work together to solve issues in the best interests of the organization.
Employers need to take notice that diversity can have a positive impact on the employer’s bottom line and there are distinct benefits to having a diverse and inclusive workplace including:
- The best talent possible;
- Increased employee productivity;
- Reduced legal claims;
- Improved internal and public image and brand;
- Increased customer loyalty and engagement;
- Increased ability to communicate with customers;
- Increased sales and profits;
- Increased employee retention;
- New ideas, perspectives and viewpoints to resulting in creativity, innovation, and new ideas; and
- Enhanced flexibility in a changing, and increasingly diverse marketplace.
Notwithstanding this, an employer faces many challenges when it comes to diversity. In fact, the XpertHR survey recently revealed the following challenges:
- 35% were very or extremely challenged with respect to eliminating unconscious bias in recruiting and hiring;
- Recruiting a more diverse workforce was very or extremely challenging to 33% of respondents;
- 30% were very or extremely challenged by developing a workplace culture of inclusion;
- Achieving diversity and inclusion goals were very or extremely challenging to 30% of respondents; and
- 30% were very or extremely challenged with respect to moving women and minorities into leadership roles.
Further maintaining diversity and addressing the needs of a diverse workforce on a daily basis proves challenging as the survey showed:
- Managing different generations in the workplace provide very or extremely challenging to 29% of respondents;
- 28% were very or extremely challenged by managing diversity as a global employer;
- Aligning diversity efforts with business strategy was very or extremely challenging to 26% of respondents;
- 25% were very or extremely challenged by providing reasonable accommodations based on protected class status; and
- Maintaining a diverse workforce was very or extremely challenging to 24% of respondents.
Additionally, employers face challenges with respect to managing certain groups such as LGBT individuals, caregivers, immigrants, and undocumented workers, individuals with disabilities, members of the military and veterans and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Anecdotal evidence from the survey supports the fact that respondents find diversity challenging. Cited challenges include:
Anecdotal evidence from the survey supports the fact that respondents find diversity challenging. Cited challenges include:
- Team building between all levels of the organization;
- Supervisor understanding of how to manage transgender employees;
- Training on unconscious bias/micro-aggressions;
- Increased EEO complaints and wage and hour grievances which may elevate to arbitration or litigation and legal expenses;
- Maintaining work/life balance for full-time employees with children;
- Managing multilingual employees in the workplace; and
- Managing an aging workforce.
What an Employer Should Do
Building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace starts at the top with a commitment by senior management to align diversity efforts with business goals and corporate strategies. From the outset, diversity efforts should be made during the recruiting and hiring process. An employer should:
- Cast a wide net beyond its immediate geographic pool and word of mouth hires to look for the right candidates based on merit, skills and qualifications;
- Be sure that job applications, and job advertisements are neutral and free of bias;
- Avoid discriminatory questions during interviews; and
- Make sure interviews are conducted by a diverse panel with different backgrounds and experience.
The focus should be on what the individual will be able to bring to the company based on his or her experience and how that will advance the organization’s goals, mission, sales and success. Throughout the recruiting and hiring process, the employer should mention its efforts and success at meeting diversity and inclusion goals.
During the onboarding phase, the employer should stress an open, tolerant, and respectful workplace as well as an open door policy where any complaints or concerns may be raised without fear of retaliation.
Further, an employer should develop, implement, and enforce strong EEO policies that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation and ensure they are part of the employee handbook. An employer should also attempt to provide reasonable accommodations based on:
During the onboarding phase, the employer should stress an open, tolerant, and respectful workplace as well as an open door policy where any complaints or concerns may be raised without fear of retaliation.
Further, an employer should develop, implement, and enforce strong EEO policies that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation and ensure they are part of the employee handbook. An employer should also attempt to provide reasonable accommodations based on:
- Disability;
- Religion;
- Pregnancy
- Lactation
- Sexual orientation; and
- Gender identity.
Workplace accommodations should be provided if feasible and if such accommodations do not cause undue hardship for the employer. Training on EEO and diversity and sensitivity is a critical component of diversity efforts and can help individuals overcome stereotypes and prejudices.
Additionally, an employer should institute team-building mechanisms and create networking and mentoring programs where individuals from different backgrounds can work together. Individuals should focus on their commonalities and what they can share to benefit the organization. An employer also may want to consider creating employee resource groups or affinity groups where employees with similar backgrounds can share their experiences and workplace challenges. Such measures can aid in increasing employee engagement, morale, and retention.
Author Bio
| Beth P. Zoller is the Legal Editor for the discrimination, affirmative action, harassment, retaliation, employee privacy, and employee handbooks/work rules/employee conduct content in the employee management section of XpertHR. Prior to joining XpertHR, Beth practiced law for more than 10 years representing employers with respect to employment discrimination and harassment claims, contractual disputes, restrictive covenant issues, family and medical leave, wage and hour disputes and a variety of other employment-related claims. Visit www.xperthr.com Connect Beth P. Zoller |
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