Strategies for Retaining Diverse Employees
- Involve all staff. Make sure that
the commitment to diverse employees involves every member of the business
or organization, especially those in top management positions. The point
of having a diverse workforce is not simply to have diverse skin colors
in the building, but to take advantage of the presence of diverse ideas.
If peer-level employees are left to struggle with different ideas, with
no support or involvement by management in the incorporation of those
ideas and the emergence of a stronger whole, the minority employee is
going to feel like an outsider and is never going to feel welcome or
accepted.
- Follow through. Follow up on the
introduction to the community that you made during the recruiting phase.
Orient the employee to the community. Support the employee’s efforts
to obtain housing, register children for school, find employment for
a spouse, and locate local stores and services. Introduce the employee
to people in the community who can help him or her become involved in
activities of interest. Recognize that your personal involvement is critical,
since an employee who is not familiar with the majority culture or is
uncertain of a welcome may not feel comfortable striking out on his or
her own. Include the employee’s family in your orientation and
continuing support, because their comfort level with the community environment
will have direct bearing on your employee’s satisfaction.
- Designate mentors. Continue efforts
to welcome the new employee beyond the first week. Recruit mentors for
the new employee, from both the employee’s minority group and the
white majority. A minority mentor would be particularly effective at
sharing experiences and serving as a sounding board. A majority mentor
could interpret hidden rules and provide networking opportunities. Both
can help by supporting the adjustment to “Minnesota nice” and
pointing out community resources.
- Open communication lines. Recognize
that differences will arise AND that differences can lead to positive
growth rather than conflict. Create structures that encourage and support
conflict resolution. Convene periodic focus groups of minority employees
to find out what is working for them and what is not. Acknowledge that
differences and misunderstandings will arise, but build a culture that
supports openness, listening, and the active resolution of issues.
- Avoid “tokenism.” Don’t
make diverse employees feel like their only contribution to the organization
is their skin color or their representation of a minority group. Encourage
their involvement on committees or in decision-making groups based on
their interests and strengths, not their diversity. In addition, do not
assume that the minority employee speaks for or represents his or her
entire minority group.
- Be open to new points of view. Don’t
assume that “the way it’s always been”
is the best way. New people bring new ideas and perspectives to the table
that create new revenue streams and different business opportunities.
Diverse perspectives are healthy for businesses and organizations in
our global economy, even though it’s sometimes hard to change.
- Support upward mobility. Support
continuing education and be sure that promotion opportunities are transparent
and open to diverse applicants. Demonstrate that diversity is welcome
in all levels of the business or organization.
- Provide staff training. Promote
collegiality by requiring regular diversity training that promotes understanding
of different life experiences and points of view. All employees of a
business or organization—both majority and minority—need
to increase their ability to work as a team with people from different
backgrounds. Recognize that many in your workforce have not come into
contact with people culturally different from themselves and need relevant
education that emphasizes understanding, empathy, and critical thinking
skills and builds their ability to succeed in a multicultural environment.
- Respect different experiences. Recognize
that the cultures and experiences of people from other backgrounds are
just as valid as yours and just as important to them as yours are to
you. Synergy happens when all people believe their opinions are respected
and their perspective is valued.
- Walk the Talk. Demonstrate
by doing. Realize that diversity needs to be woven into all aspects
of the organization. It is not a one-time or a “flavor of the
month” occurrence.
Developed by George Thompson.
Strategies for Recruiting a Diverse Staff
