Diversity in the Workplace: The Times They Are a-Changin’
- Published on Wednesday, 25 May 2011 21:33
- By Christopher Campellone
In 1953, Thomas Watson, then CEO of computer giant IBM sent a letter to all of his employees. In the letter, Watson expressed a very simple sentiment – IBM will hire people based on their ability, regardless of their race, color or creed.
IBM was ahead of its time.
The company recognized that hiring the best people meant choosing from a pool that included everyone.
Watson’s letter came a year before the landmark decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education and over a decade before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Today some employers stay ahead of the curve when it comes to evolution in workplace diversity. This may be why when Universum surveys over 350,000 students globally, the same employers are consistently chosen as being ideal by diverse candidates.
But before one looks at the benefits and necessity of workplace diversity, it’s important to consider the startling inequalities that are still prevalent today.
Diversity Challenges in the Workplace
Discrimination in today’s workforce has been well-documented. In a period of high unemployment, it is Blacks (14.8%) and Hispanics (12.1%) who are shouldering most of the burden with rates that are far outpacing that of Whites (8.3%) and Asians (7.3%) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the unemployment rate for women (7.3%) is actually lower than men (9.6%).
But the news isn’t all good for women. The salaries of women compared to men have crawled at a snail’s pace since 1979 and they still make just 81 cents for every dollar that a man makes. As a result, these realities tend to manifest themselves into expectations. The most recent Universum Student Survey found that women expected to receive a much lower salary than men at their first job after graduation ($56,248 for men versus $49,000 for women)
It’s fair to say that great strides have been taken over time to battle these inequalities. Most workplaces have become considerably more diverse over the past few decades, and employers are just now beginning to understand how truly beneficial the increase in diversity has been.
What employers are beginning to realize is that diversity is not only necessary to fight inequalities but it’s also a key component of sustained market success. Diversity is an absolute necessity for any company trying to be competitive in today’s multicultural world.
No matter what industry someone is thinking about getting into, whether it’s retail, technology or management consulting, he or she will interact with clients who are from different backgrounds and cultures. Thus, companies who foster the types of environments that allow their employees to experience different cultures before they ever meet with a client are at a distinct advantage.
The Definition of Diversity
The inequalities based on sex and race have been well-documented. But diversity relates to more than just differences of skin color and sex organs. Employers are beginning to recognize a definition of diversity that includes such attributes as, education, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military experience and more.
|
Alternatives for “Diversity” in the Universum Student Survey
|
When Universum conducts the My Future Career Survey, it includes 23 alternatives for diversity and asks students how they define diversity. Students are also offered the opportunity to write in more definitions if they don’t see the alternative they like.
Each person in an office brings a unique set of circumstances to work with them every day. By expanding the backgrounds and cultures of employees, an employer can build a brand that appeals to a much larger array of potential clients.
Translating Diversity into Market Success
It’s no surprise that the ideal workplace destinations chosen by diverse candidates are with organizations that have experienced a tremendous amount of financial success: Google, Walt Disney, J.P. Morgan and Deloitte, to name just a few.
A common thread among these employers is that they recognize diversity is not just a gimmick, but a valuable resource. Employees representing diverse cultural backgrounds bring a wide array of experiences, perspectives and skill sets to the table. A diverse staff may be better equipped to address and relate to a broader range of customers, vendors and new potential markets. The bottom line is that failing to introduce diversity into the workforce, may well cost the employer valuable business opportunities.
What it all comes down to is vision. Vision for an employer is often the biggest determining factor for achievement, and that certainly extends to how they view and handle diversity in the workplace.
An employer that tracks talent from all backgrounds to its employer brand, and that fosters an environment that is open and informed about people, is almost certain to see its efforts translate into profits.
Becoming an Ideal Destination for Diverse Candidates
In order to cultivate such an environment, employers must show job candidates they are serious about diversity and not simply talk about it. Remember, diversity is not a sales pitch, it’s a reliable and necessary determinate for achieving and sustaining long-term business goals. Getting “serious” means showing candidates and employees alike that the organization has a plan to develop and maintain an open and diverse environment, and then allocating time, funds and energy to executing that plan.
One common mistake that employers tend to make when they establish a plan for diversity is sending a targeted message to a specific diversity group in hopes of bringing in more candidates with that pre-selected background. An example of a shallow attempt at tracking diversity candidates could be placing an advertisement in a magazine targeted towards a specific race with a cheesy stock photo. People can see right through these types of communications. Moreover, this type of shallow approach to diversity will never result in sustained success.
Investing in mentorship programs however is a more substantive way employers can impact how they are perceived by candidates from a diverse background. Who wouldn’t benefit from a friend, confidant, adviser and devil’s advocate all rolled into one? By offering students and young professionals someone who they can relate to and feel connected to, an employer can ensure they are inspiring the candidate on a deep level and not a superficial one.
Also valuable to diversity efforts are more subtle things like reevaluating the company website to see if it’s a welcoming environment for people from diverse backgrounds. Employers should maintain a consistent message about diversity in all of their communications, online and offline, with recruiters, staff, customers and the public alike. Asked about their plan for diversity, any CEO of a successful company should be able to relate a clear vision.
For employers, everything boils down to the message they are sending to candidates, which in turn becomes the same message they are sending to their employees. It’s also important for employers to always keep in mind that current employees are the best ambassadors for future employees.
The Next Steps
As Bob Dylan once said, “The Times They Are a-Changin’”. Today, there are more women in college than men. We have seen substantial increases in the number of international students choosing to study in the United States, which further contributes to the fact that the very makeup of the United States has become increasingly more diverse. An employer needs to recognize these changes and adjust their strategy accordingly.
Especially among entry-level job seekers, today’s young workers often begin their careers after interacting significantly with people from different cultures -- whether at school, through previous work or travel -- and expect to continue the experience into their future endeavors.
An employer that seeks to brand themselves as the destination for the top talent coming out of universities must appeal to all talent. The strongest employer brands starts and ends with a clear vision and plan for diversity. Currently, there are very few employers that have successfully navigated a plan for diversity that is both clear and consistent. But those that do are easily recognizable as today’s most powerful, exciting and influential employer brands.
Christopher Campellone is a summa cum laude graduate of Temple University’s School of Journalism. He is a freelance writer specializing in workplace issues and employer branding.
The Workplace: The Times They Are a-Changin’
By Christopher Campellone
In 1953, Thomas Watson, then CEO of computer giant IBM sent a letter to all of his employees. In the letter, Watson expressed a very simple sentiment – IBM will hire people based on their ability, regardless of their race, color or creed.
IBM was ahead of its time. The company recognized that hiring the best people meant choosing from a pool that included everyone.
Watson’s letter came a year before the landmark decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education and over a decade before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Today some employers stay ahead of the curve when it comes to evolution in workplace diversity. This may be why when Universum surveys over 350,000 students globally, the same employers are consistently chosen as being ideal by diverse candidates.
But before one looks at the benefits and necessity of workplace diversity, it’s important to consider the startling inequalities that are still prevalent today.
Diversity Challenges in the Workplace
Discrimination in today’s workforce has been well-documented. In a period of high unemployment, it is Blacks (14.8%) and Hispanics (12.1%) who are shouldering most of the burden with rates that are far outpacing that of Whites (8.3%) and Asians (7.3%) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the unemployment rate for women (7.3%) is actually lower than men (9.6%).
But the news isn’t all good for women. The salaries of women compared to men have crawled at a snail’s pace since 1979 and they still make just 81 cents for every dollar that a man makes. As a result, these realities tend to manifest themselves into expectations. The most recent Universum Student Survey found that women expected to receive a much lower salary than men at their first job after graduation ($56,248 for men versus $49,000 for women).
It’s fair to say that great strides have been taken over time to battle these inequalities. Most workplaces have become considerably more diverse over the past few decades, and employers are just now beginning to understand how truly beneficial the increase in diversity has been.
What employers are beginning to realize is that diversity is not only necessary to fight inequalities but it’s also a key component of sustained market success. Diversity is an absolute necessity for any company trying to be competitive in today’s multicultural world.
No matter what industry someone is thinking about getting into, whether it’s retail, technology or management consulting, he or she will interact with clients who are from different backgrounds and cultures. Thus, companies who foster the types of environments that allow their employees to experience different cultures before they ever meet with a client are at a distinct advantage.
The Definition of Diversity
The inequalities based on sex and race have been well-documented. But diversity relates to more than just differences of skin color and sex organs. Employers are beginning to recognize a definition of diversity that includes such attributes as, education, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military experience and more.
When Universum conducts the My Future Career Survey, it includes 23 alternatives for diversity and asks students how they define diversity. Students are also offered the opportunity to write in more definitions if they don’t see the alternative they like.
Each person in an office brings a unique set of circumstances to work with them every day. By expanding the backgrounds and cultures of employees, an employer can build a brand that appeals to a much larger array of potential clients.
Translating Diversity into Market Success
It’s no surprise that the ideal workplace destinations chosen by diverse candidates are with organizations that have experienced a tremendous amount of financial success: Google, Walt Disney, J.P. Morgan and Deloitte, to name just a few.
A common thread among these employers is that they recognize diversity is not just a gimmick, but a valuable resource. Employees representing diverse cultural backgrounds bring a wide array of experiences, perspectives and skill sets to the table. A diverse staff may be better equipped to address and relate to a broader range of customers, vendors and new potential markets. The bottom line is that failing to introduce diversity into the workforce, may well cost the employer valuable business opportunities.
What it all comes down to is vision. Vision for an employer is often the biggest determining factor for achievement, and that certainly extends to how they view and handle diversity in the workplace.
An employer that tracks talent from all backgrounds to its employer brand, and that fosters an environment that is open and informed about people, is almost certain to see its efforts translate into profits.
Becoming an Ideal Destination for Diverse Candidates
In order to cultivate such an environment, employers must show job candidates they are serious about diversity and not simply talk about it. Remember, diversity is not a sales pitch, it’s a reliable and necessary determinate for achieving and sustaining long-term business goals. Getting “serious” means showing candidates and employees alike that the organization has a plan to develop and maintain an open and diverse environment, and then allocating time, funds and energy to executing that plan.
One common mistake that employers tend to make when they establish a plan for diversity is sending a targeted message to a specific diversity group in hopes of bringing in more candidates with that pre-selected background. An example of a shallow attempt at tracking diversity candidates could be placing an advertisement in a magazine targeted towards a specific race with a cheesy stock photo. People can see right through these types of communications. Moreover, this type of shallow approach to diversity will never result in sustained success.
Investing in mentorship programs however is a more substantive way employers can impact how they are perceived by candidates from a diverse background. Who wouldn’t benefit from a friend, confidant, adviser and devil’s advocate all rolled into one? By offering students and young professionals someone who they can relate to and feel connected to, an employer can ensure they are inspiring the candidate on a deep level and not a superficial one.
Also valuable to diversity efforts are more subtle things like reevaluating the company website to see if it’s a welcoming environment for people from diverse backgrounds. Employers should maintain a consistent message about diversity in all of their communications, online and offline, with recruiters, staff, customers and the public alike. Asked about their plan for diversity, any CEO of a successful company should be able to relate a clear vision.
For employers, everything boils down to the message they are sending to candidates, which in turn becomes the same message they are sending to their employees. It’s also important for employers to always keep in mind that current employees are the best ambassadors for future employees.
The Next Steps
As Bob Dylan once said, “The Times They Are a-Changin’”. Today, there are more women in college than men. We have seen substantial increases in the number of international students choosing to study in the United States, which further contributes to the fact that the very makeup of the United States has become increasingly more diverse. An employer needs to recognize these changes and adjust their strategy accordingly.
Especially among entry-level job seekers, today’s young workers often begin their careers after interacting significantly with people from different cultures -- whether at school, through previous work or travel -- and expect to continue the experience into their future endeavors.
An employer that seeks to brand themselves as the destination for the top talent coming out of universities must appeal to all talent. The strongest employer brands starts and ends with a clear vision and plan for diversity. Currently, there are very few employers that have successfully navigated a plan for diversity that is both clear and consistent. But those that do are easily recognizable as today’s most powerful, exciting and influential employer brands.
Bausch + Lomb
Boy Scouts of America
Chrysler Group LLC
Colorado Springs
Utilities
Eaton Corporation
Raytheon
State Farm
Tufts University, The
Fletcher School
Turner Construction
Wolters Kluwer