How to Create a Diverse Workforce
Posted November 9th, 2015
Among the trends in the workplace today, the push toward diversity has been gaining a lot of momentum. One big reason for this is the change in the demographics of American society. According to U.S. Census data, there will be no majority racial group in the country by 2050. Some places, like New York City, have already moved past this no majority milestone.
So, diversifying just makes good business sense in this way because customer bases are becoming more diverse, and you want people who can understand and relate to various racial and ethnic constituencies. But diversity makes good business sense in other ways as well. People with varied backgrounds contribute a diversity of ideas and viewpoints as well, and when these ideas interact with each other, it can be a big catalyst for creativity. Studies have shown that companies with a more diverse leadership often outperform those without.
To create a more diverse workforce, a company needs to make it a priority. It must have the backing of company leadership. The company needs to let people know that it values diversity. This can be done in a number of ways. One of the most effective in this age of digital media is through the company web page, where the firm can highlight its diversity initiatives. It can incorporate testimonials from workers of different racial and ethnic backgrounds about what it is like to work at the company. Pictures of employees should also highlight people of various backgrounds.
Moreover, the company can advance its diversity agenda through outlets like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The company can also offer extra bonuses to people who refer job applicants of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
But most importantly, the company must have an environment that is warm and welcoming to people no matter what their background. It does no good to recruit a diverse workforce if people of a different background experience discrimination or a hostile atmosphere. To handle this problem, companies should offer training on tolerance and working with people of different backgrounds. The training needs to confront the issue of prejudices people may have toward persons of a different background, to help them recognize and deal with these prejudices.
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