HR has made a huge contribution toward adding diversity in the workplace. Here’s what we can do to keep a good thing going.
By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady
If my generation of HR managers has anything to be really proud of and thankful for in this Thanksgiving week, it’s bringing diversity to the workplace.
In the 1950s of our youth, racial, religious, and other epithets and insults were commonplace—even among “enlightened” people. I cringe when I recollect what was said—and believed—back then.
In the ’60s, with the passage of landmark civil rights legislation, improvement began, although initially at a glacial pace. Then, in the ’80s and ’90s, change accelerated, and it impacted no area of society more than the workplace, where HR has a key role.
Today, we’re not perfect, to be sure, but if you compare the hiring and promotion practices of the twenty-first century with those we inherited, we have much to be proud of.
HR managers have been in the forefront of change, despite having to face irate employees and reluctant managers. Our HR profession is now one of the leaders in diversity—and BLR is proud to be a leading resource for the industry.
Personally, I’ve grown through the experience. My prejudices have been challenged and changed, and the experience has made me more open-minded. And that’s been a really good thing.
One example: One of our best salespeople is Joe B. When he applied for a job, he made sure we talked on the phone several times before his interview. It was not until we finally met that I found out he is in a wheelchair. He later told me that his strategy was to make a first impression on the phone, where his “chair” didn’t play center stage. Only after he’d communicated the “real Joe” would he agree to an in-person meeting.
I fully understand why he used that strategy. Although his sales ability was all we considered in hiring him, that likely would not be the case at every organization.
Our Two-Pronged Responsibility
Here’s the point: If we are going to continue to improve diversity in the workplace, we, as HR people, have a two-pronged responsibility:
First, we have to train our managers, supervisors, and employees on diversity and make sure they understand the legal implications of discrimination. Second, we have to treat all applicants only on the basis of their qualifications for the job. If it’s necessary to tell hiring managers of an applicant’s disability in advance so that they can make reasonable accommodation under the law, that’s something we should do. Otherwise, job-related criteria are the only criteria that count.
We make jokes about “political correctness”—and it can get carried to extremes—but as leaders in the campaign to eliminate discrimination, the HR profession has a big role to play. Let’s keep up the good work!
What are your thoughts on diversity? Use the “share your comments” button and let us know. Or if you’d like to e-mail me direct, send to RBrady@blr.com.