Best Practices in Achieving Workforce Diversity and Multi-culturism

Many people use the terms diversity and multiculturalism interchangeably, when in fact, there are major differences between the two. Diversity is defined as the differences between people. These differences can include race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, background, socioeconomic status, and much more. Diversity, when talking about it from the human resource management (HRM) perspective, tends to focus more on a set of policies to meet compliance standards.

Multiculturalism goes deeper than diversity by focusing on inclusiveness, understanding, and respect, and also by looking at unequal power in society.

Establish a sense of belonging for everyone

For each individual to bring their best self forward, a sense of belonging must first be established. Having a connection to an organization or group of people that makes you feel you can be yourself not only results in greater engagement and creativity in the workplace, it’s a psychological need.

But these changes take time, and they aren’t always linear, Clark says. “A client once told me that you don’t just fast-forward to belonging. You have to go through the hard work of focusing on diversity and creating that inclusive culture so you can get to belonging,” she says.

Start at the Top

Just like a parent should set an example of desired behavior before expecting their children to follow, so should the leaders of your organization. A diverse management team shows that you’re committed to the cause from the bottom up and the top down. The top members of the organization should speak positively of diversity and communicate their commitment to this ideal situation. Be sure to include a business case for diversity that can be shared with your stakeholders and other interested parties.

The top leader in one of our partner organizations personally leads the diversity efforts. He holds town hall meetings and regularly goes to the employee cafeteria to listen and talk about diversity.

  • A partner’s Chief Executive Officer requires the selection panel for key positions to identify at least six persons qualified for the position and has held up key selections because of the lack of diversity in applicant pools.
  • The Chairman of the Board of one partner organization registered the corporation’s statement of commitment to diversity with an external regulatory body. Changes to this commitment do not go unnoticed. Create Organizational Diversity Goals
  • Simply having the idea of “diversity” on the minds of hiring managers isn’t enough. The human resources staff, hiring managers, CEO and others must come together to create organizational goals around diversity. Perhaps this means adding a new manager with a different cultural background or considering the addition of staff with unusual experiences. Whatever the goals are, they need to be in writing and widely shared.

Enact Mentoring Programs

A work site mentoring program shows that you’re committed to helping diverse members of your staff achieve their personal and professional goals. Mentors can be within your organization or from partnerships you have within the community, such as at local colleges and universities. The mentoring program should include activities during the workday as well as optional events during evenings and weekends.

One partner builds its diversity strategic plan upon its core values:

(1) Respect for the dignity of the individual

(2) Integrity

(3) Trust

(4) Credibility

(5) Continuous improvement

(6) Personal renewal

Recruit Widely and Broadly

While every organization has their favorite recruitment events and locations, expanding beyond these can help you achieve your goals for a more diverse workplace. Look to partnering with community organizations in your city as well as those in nearby small towns and villages where recruitment events are rare. Take your show on the road to satellite campuses of large universities. Consider recruiting from vocational schools and community colleges where appropriate.

Maximize joy and connection, minimize fear

People are wired to react with fear and distrust when their beliefs are challenged. While fear can be a powerful motivator, it also encourages people to narrow their perspective the opposite desired effect for creating a more inclusive workplace. Finding ways to frame challenges through a lens of possibility and elevating the power of shared experiences and storytelling to do so creates greater potential for positive change.

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