Ashley Bayman's Staff Management Toolkit

Diversity Audits

 

In order to find out how to promote diversity in the workplace, it is important to understand where a company is and where it needs to go in its inclusive practices. A diversity audit can be an important strategy to develop the scope of where the company is going and how it will get there. Developing a scope can additionally help a company understand the reasons behind the diversity initiative. For example, companies may develop diversity initiatives to:

• Get government contracts

• Avoid lawsuits 

• Meet industry standards

• Build an inclusive environment

• and MANY MORE 

No matter the reason, the scope should be one clear sentence​ that explains the reason for the audit, for example "This audit seeks to understand opportunities for improvement" or "This audit aims to determine our compliance with state and federal regulations". Only by understanding why the diversity audit is necessary can one determine where to get the information.

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Ways to find and asses information on company diversity:

• Review records of grievances and investigations

• Examine recruiting, hiring and promotion practices 

• Compare company's demographics to competitors and latest US census

• Determine if mission and core values speak to inclusion

• Assess if employee benefits programs are in line with the demographics of the workforce

• Collect quantitative information through questionnaires

• Collect qualitative data via observation, interviews or focus groups

• Review company's documents such as personnel files, internal communication, marketing policies and procedures

• Review external information such as industry-related publications

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Create a Strategic Plan

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In his Executive Order to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce, President Obama said "We are at our best when we draw on the talents of all parts of our society, and our greatest accomplishments are achieved when diverse perspectives are brought to bear to overcome our greatest challenges." Creating a culture of diversity and inclusion requires planning. Below are four key steps to implement a strategic plan.

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1. Create a task force that includes members from all organizational levels

2. Review diversity audit to determine what areas need to be improved

3. Prioritize and determine key goals (these can be broken up to one-year, three-year, and five-year goals)

4. Write out action items that will achieve each goal. Action items should be SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-specific). An example of an action item for a recruitment plan could be  "By December 31, identify and partner "with at least three community colleges "that have prominent minority student demographics."

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Diversity and Inclusion Policies

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A diversity and inclusion policy:

• Outlines a company's commitment to a culture of diversity and inclusion

• Provides information on general company practices

• Defines the responsibility all employees and leaders have in treating each other with respect and dignity

When creating or updating a D&I policy, managers should collaborate and consult with employees. A policy created by employees for employees is much more likely to get buy-in than an empty statement from corporate saying "We are committed to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion". Below are five steps to implementing a D&I policy.

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1. Ask employees how they would like to be treated by their peers and managers. Depending on the size of the organization, this could be done in a company meeting or in individual department meetings.

2. Use employees' responses to search for themes among their answers. Many times these themes include gratitude, acknowledgment, and teamwork. The most occurring themes should become part of the D&I policy. Additionally, employees can feel good that they are being held accountable to a policy that they had a part in creating.

3. Write out the policy and include the themes collected from employees.

4. Determine a communication strategy about the policy's implementation and trainings being offered.

5. Deliver trainings on diversity and inclusion and use them to facilitate conversations about similarities and differences. For example, if "acknowledge each other for a job well done" appears in the new policy, discussions should be held on what that means. Some people may want to be acknowledged publicly while others prefer a quiet thank you.

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Recruiting a diverse workforce

 

Diversity in the workforce means more diversity of thought and innovation that a company can tap into to benefit its customers and attract talent. Below are three steps to encompass diversity in recruiting practices:

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1. Expand talent pool by: opening up requests for referrals to contractors, customers and vendors; seeking candidates from local community organizations; targeting high schools and universities with a high percentage of minority groups; sponsoring events related to specific minority groups.

2. Craft job postings to represent the company's diverse culture by stating the company's commitment to diversity. Include in job requirements that the company is seeking someone who demonstrates an ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse cultures. 

3. Ask interview questions that get at the candidate's ability to work in a diverse workplace such as "Tell me about a time you had to work with someone whose values clashed with yours, and how did you work through it?" Questions like this are great at understanding a candidate's ability to be flexible and open to other perspectives.

 

Performance Management

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Performance management is how a company should establish and monitor employee, supervisor, and manager achievements towards diversity and inclusion goals. There are two important steps to strategically use performance management when creating a culture of diversity and inclusion.

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1. Set clear expectations for managers, supervisors, and employees regarding their role in diversity and inclusion.

2. Empower managers and supervisors to have conversations with employees when they are not meeting expectations and also encourage managers and supervisors to reward employees who demonstrate behaviors that meet D&I expectations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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