7/25/2005
Metrics convince management to move on diversity
When building a business case for a diversity workforce planning proposal, what metrics are the most important to benchmark and measure in order to convince senior management to support the initiative?
We have found that it is the metrics - numbers, data and statistics - that will convince senior management of the value of moving forward with a diversity initiative. You will want to collect data about people of color and women in your organization and, perhaps, information about other dimensions of diversity, such as people with disabilities or the foreign-born.
First, analyze the present day make-up of your workforce. What are the percentages of people in each category of interest? And what are the percentages of people in each category in mid-management and senior management? It is powerful to contrast your statistics with those from several comparable companies in your industry as well as with the national averages. This information is usually available with research.
Statistics about retention at your company are also critically important. Is the rate of voluntary turnover for people of color and women, for example, higher than the rate of others? How about at management levels? An estimate of the cost to the company to replace those who have left voluntarily is often stunning. You will also want to look at the percentage of new hires in various categories. Other metrics of interest are the results of diversity initiatives at comparable companies. With a one-year initiative, for example, a local financial services company was able to increase the percentage of its new hires who were people of color from 9% to 30%.
Also, you should review the diversity of your customers and gather information about the growth of various groups within the base. In general, the number of people of color and Hispanics is expected to increase dramatically through the year 2050.
-- KATHARINE ESTY
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Tips and resources for cross-cultural training
We are a four-season employer. We jump from 150 employees in the summer to 700 in the winter. We hire H2B and J-1 employees for both seasons from a variety of countries. We do an employee orientation and talk about respect for other cultures and introduce ours to them. We talk about diversity and harassment issues. Do you have any other suggestions for diversity training? Are there exercises that could supplement the talking heads and employee handbook?
According to a recent study released by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, between 2000 and 2004, over 172,000 foreign nationals immigrated to Massachusetts. As the American workforce becomes more global and diverse, understanding global cultural etiquette and protocol will be an imperative for HR managers.
With your H2B and J-1 employees, diversity training combined with cultural protocol would be the way to go. While diversity training tends to focus on valuing, appreciating and accepting cultural differences in the workplace, misunderstandings, embarrassing gaffes and inadvertent cultural miscues can still occur if your American employees and foreign employees do not fully understand each other's cultural norms.
Working with a global cultural protocol expert to develop a training session that is tailored to your industry and employees could be very helpful. In addition, your own employees - particularly those representing the cultures and countries of your seasonal employees - can serve as an invaluable internal resource, giving insight and guidance into how best to create a workplace that both adheres to and is reflective of the etiquettes and protocols of a globally diverse workplace.
Two books I often recommend are:
1. Developing Intercultural Awareness: A Cross Cultural Training Handbook by L. Robert Kohls and John M. Knight. This is a basic guide to cross-cultural training that contains simulation games, case studies, icebreakers and other training activities. The authors have mapped out one- and two-day workshops for those looking for a preplanned program. In addition, appendices include guides to simulation games, videos and films, and further readings.
2. Figuring Foreigners Out: A Practical Guide by Craig Storti. This is a user-friendly workbook with exercises that readers can work through on their own or in a training group. The book addresses intercultural communication in a step-by-step manner and includes individualism and collectivism, monochronic and polychronic concepts of time, verbal and nonverbal communication styles, and power distance relationships in the workplace.
-- COLETTE PHILLIPS
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Getting started in HR, diversity
I just received my degree in human services. If I wanted to work in HR, where would my degree be useful? I'm not exactly sure where I would like to go at this point, but I know I want to get into diversity development in some way.
Human resources, unlike some professions, is generally made up of people with varying backgrounds and skill sets. Some people grow up thinking they would like to be a lawyer, doctor, pilot or maybe a teacher. Very few of us think of human resources as a profession until we either fall into it or are influenced by others in the field. So please feel encouraged and not discouraged with your degree choice.
A degree in human services shows that you are interested in working with people, better known as the human capital of an organization. That's a great place to start! I would suggest you do a few things to begin a rewarding profession in human resources:
- Schedule informational meetings with other human resource professionals to discuss the various functional areas. You will find that most human resource professionals love to mentor and reach out to newcomers.
- Work as an HR assistant or in some other support position within a human resource department. This will greatly enhance your skills. Seek exposure to as many of the functional areas of HR as possible - benefits/compensation, recruitment, diversity, employee/labor relations, and others. By partnering closely with others in the HR department, you will soon be on your way to becoming a generalist or honing in on a functional area. This is where you can begin to specialize in your area of interest, diversity development.
- Membership is important as you get established in the field. Becoming a member of NEHRA (Northeast Human Resource Association) or a similar HR or diversity trade group is a great way to have access to current information and start to establish a network of contacts in the HR field.
- Credentialing is also important. SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), the national HR trade association, offers the PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification recommended for those with less than three years experience. Many colleges also offer certificate programs that will increase your human resources knowledge base.
- Finally, if you plan to further your formal education, you could consider a Master's Degree in Human Resources offered by a number of colleges, or a master's with a concentration in human resources.
The most important thing is to get started so that you can be mentored and developed in the field of human resources. Human resources is a wonderful field for those who like to work with people, enjoy strategic planning, dislike a humdrum workplace, and appreciate diversity and creativity of thought.
-- DELORIS TUGGLE
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