We recently ran across a May 2008 posting from the now-defunct New York Times “Shifting Careers” blog. The topic is still relevant today — exactly a year later.
Author Marci Alboher interviewed Natalie Holder-Winfield, an employment lawyer turned diversity consultant, about her book, Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce
So why do they?
“Although most diversity initiatives are designed to educate managers and employees about how to create inclusive environments, discrimination in the workplace still exists,” said Holder-Winfield, who left a traditional law firm because she felt “underappreciated.”
In reality, she said, it’s less about quantity and more about quality. “Most people in the minority are less concerned with whether there are other minorities in their company than with whether there is someone in the company who cares about their career development,” she said.
Diversity cannot, Holder-Winfield argues, merely be a series of occasional “events”; it must be a strategic business initiative — just like marketing or product development.
“If diversity — that is, an initiative to ensure that all employees have the same opportunity to contribute to the company and are supported in their career development — is positioned as a business initiative, with results and outcomes, then diversity will always been seen as important,” she said.
Excuses, Excuses
In the “Shifting Careers” interview, Holder-Winfield said that companies that argue that “there aren’t enough talented women, people of color, gays or lesbians and people of other underrepresented backgrounds to hire or promote” are just making excuses.
“I say, where are you looking? Are you dipping into your own social pool to fill particular positions? Or are you looking at alternate ways — for example, interviewing at historically black colleges and universities, tapping into women’s networks at the colleges where you are trying to interview, or connecting with professional and trade organizations that represent the underrepresented?” she said.
“Then I’d ask if you’re aware of your company’s reputation when it comes to hiring and promoting and people of different backgrounds — maybe you should be looking at blog posts by disgruntled employees or company rankings within publications that cater to diverse audiences.”
Indeed, those are better indicators than even inclusion on lists like “50 Most Diverse Companies,” said Holder-Winfield.
“Many of these surveys are mainly focused on numbers, that is demographics. While the number of professionals from different races or genders, for example, is important, rankings do not necessarily assess the critical issues that affect retention and promotion opportunities: access to quality work assignments and people who are dedicated to your professional development,” she explained.
The good news, Holder-Winfiled said, is that is happening more and more. “Some employers are starting to provide professional skills that minorities are looking for and if a firm showed me that it saw diversity and leadership development as compatible goals, then I might see a future with that company,” she said.