Develop a Diverse Workforce

To promote a diverse work environment is to actively attract and hire people of different cultures. There are many benefits of a diverse staff, such as gaining a variety of assorted talents and skills. If you're looking for steps on how to develop a diverse workforce, consider the following suggestions.

Steps

  1. Make it part of company policy and a core value that Spot Age Discrimination is not tolerated in your organization. Design a procedure for complaints regarding discrimination in the workplace, in addition to disciplinary action. Make sure that you are consistent in responding to complaints and executing discipline.
    • Discrimination can occur in relation to age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and disabilities or illness.
  2. Advertise job positions in locations and forums with a widely diverse audience and readership. Opt for local and regional papers, magazines, trade publications and television.
  3. Assign a person to be in charge of finding ways to incorporate or celebrate the cultural differences within the company. Your employees can offer their suggestions and even be involved in the actual planning of these events and activities.
    • It is also a good idea to expect managers to report back regularly on initiatives to ensure and sustain diversity.
  4. Celebrate your existing diversity. Recognize the cultures that may already be present in your workforce. Don't confuse diversity with minority. Make sure you include everyone in your attempts to celebrate diversity.
  5. Bolster the existing diversity of staff within your company through corporate publications. If you have a company magazine, website or Read an Annual Report, highlight your company's diversity whenever possible. When your diverse readers and web traffic recognize the diversity within your company, they may be more inclined to be a part of it.
  6. Network with various diverse organizations. Doing so will provide you with the opportunity to showcase your company and its diverse workers. Using such forums to emphasize the company's dedication to diversity will likely increase interest from diverse individuals.
  7. Create a positive association with schools in the area that have a diverse student body. Sponsoring events in these schools or Be a Teen Mentor through school programs often provides an opportunity to present your company and its mission. Additionally, creating an association with the school will increase its chances of being attractive to the students upon graduation.
  8. Get feedback and ideas from your current staff members. Understanding what attracted your current staff to your company may be the key to finding more employees. Take special heed of those who are the most productive.
  9. Monitor your efforts for developing diverse employees at work. Make notes of the various methods you have used in your attempts to increase your diverse workforce. Determine which methods have been successful, and to what extent, and decide how you can build upon them.

Tips

  • Offer internships to students at diverse schools. This will give students an opportunity to get work experience while learning what it is like to work for your company.
  • Make use of international experience and opportunities too.
  • Include the desire to build and maintain diversity as part of your mission statement. This will demonstrate how serious and significant diversity is to your company.
  • Be sure to use succession planning to keep diversity a core value within your business or organization.

Things You'll Need

  • Policies, created and shared openly

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