diversity

Forecasting for Diversity

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How can organizations address the ongoing issues of diversity gaps in leadership?

This question is one that is explored by Rocio Lorenzo in the Ted Talk posted below.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPtPG2lAmm4[/embedyt]

As identified through Lorenzo’s research, organizations have two decisions to make:

  1. Who to hire?
  2. Who to develop and promote?

These two simple questions are critical when considering the development of the HR forecasting plan. When diversity in leadership is actively embedded into strategic goals, the answers to these two questions help to build a better organization.

Not, as Lorenzo says, that changing the face of leadership is about checking the targeted hiring box. Token targets through diversity plans are not enough to bring innovative change. Instead, organizations that think and build creativity into their forecasting plans use leadership development programs, tools and pools as a solid investment for future success. In order to change what leadership looks like at the top, a commitment to filling the diversity gaps through the HR forecasting process must drive through all levels of the organization.

The content for this Ted Talk is based on evidence based research. According to Lorenzo, diversity in leadership is not just a theoretical ‘nice-to-have’. The research tells us that it is an organizational ‘must-have’. As Lorenzo points out, achieving diversity with women in leadership roles is doable.

It takes an organizational commitment and the organizational decision to do better in order to make the doable achievable. In order to be achievable, the HR forecasting plan must come into play through targets and goals which implement diversity as a plan of action.

Diversity goes hand in hand with innovation. Together they drive organizational success, for real.

Discussion questions:

  1. Do you agree that organizations should establish active and measurable targets in order to implement diversity, specifically for women, in leadership? Explain your rationale.
  2. Identify how an HR forecasting plan can address both short and long term diversity goals.
  3. What types of HR programs and policies need to be in place in order to support an HR forecasting plan that promotes innovation and diversity?

 

 

HR Must Haves: Diversity and Inclusion

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HR Must Haves: Diversity and Inclusion

We live in challenging times. Perhaps this is a statement that could have been made at any point through history. From an organizational scanning perspective, however, current political, technological, social, and global economic factors seem to be having an immense impact on the strategic Human Resources environment.

The Human Resources practitioner can access an overwhelming number of factors, resources, and pieces of information that need to be processed from a strategic management perspective. Sometimes it is difficult to discern which factors need the most attention and how they might contribute to successful Human Resources strategies. High on the list of current topics are the issues of corporate diversity and inclusion, which have had an impact on business practices around the world.

From a Human Resources perspective, diversity and inclusion are usually part of a series of Human Resources programs that are meant to align with an organization’s strategic plan. While there is nothing wrong with this type of allocation or approach, there is a growing need to move these issues out of the traditional Human Resources space and to incorporate them into the foundation of the organization as a whole.

Josh Bersin provides us with an interesting insight as to why diversity and inclusion need to move out of Human Resources and into the broader corporate strategic plan.

Click here to read the article.

As noted in the article, companies that integrate diversity and inclusion programs as commitments from the corporate level, rather than positioning them as an ‘add-on’ through the Human Resources function, have better business success.

These challenging times call for organizations to take challenging measures.

Discussion Questions:

How are Diversity and Inclusion programs identified in your current workforce?

Does your current workplace have a written statement that commits to inclusion and diversity in the workforce?

If it exists, how would you change it?

If it does not exist, write one that aligns with the organization’s business model.

How will you change HR programs so that issues of diversity and inclusion are not seen as ‘add-ons’ from a strategic planning approach?

 

What Is All the Hype about Jazz?

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A defining characteristic of many Jazz musicians is their ability to innovate, and to deliver sounds in unique and diverse ways. Jazz Aviation in Halifax is apparently very aptly named.

Jazz is delivering an HR environment for its employees that is both unique and innovative. Thus far, its HR practices have garnered a number of accolades and awards, including:

  • Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers 2017
  • Nova Scotia’s Top Employers 2017
  • Canada’s top employers for young people 2017
  • Canada’s best diversity employers 2017

Click here to read a full list of Jazz Aviation’s awards

In addition to the above awards, Jazz also has some interesting employee programs, such as:

  • Jazz Aviation’s volunteer program, “Jazz Lends a Hand”
  • “Jazz After Hours Club”, a social club for employees

Recently Jazz Aviation has added the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award to its list of accolades.

So what is the value of all this focus on comprehensive leading-edge employee programs? Well, they seem to be paying off for Jazz Aviation. Chorus Aviation, Jazz’s parent company, saw their 2017 second-quarter profits rise 72.5% over 2016 earnings, up from $23.7 million in 2016 to $40.8 million in 2017.

Click here to read greater detail of Jazz Aviation’s financial earnings.

Jazz music may not be loved by everyone, but you have to love what Jazz Aviation is doing in the HR world.

It is no longer good enough to just have an employee of the month program to promote employee engagement. As the world of business becomes more complex an organization’s HR program must evolve and touch on all aspects of employee engagement.

 

Discussion Questions:

Research two companies that have introduced employee-focused programs such as wellness, diversity, and flexible work hours. What have their successes been with those programs?

Your VP of HR has asked you to rate the potential value of several employee engagement programs.  Create a presentation on the programs you would recommend be implemented, and the benefits of each program.

 

What’s In a Name?

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The law is clear. Both federally and provincially, human rights legislation prevents discrimination for purposes of employment on the basis of prohibited grounds. The prohibited grounds, as defined within each piece of legislation, include (and are not limited to) race, religion, colour, place of origin, and national or ethnic origin.

What is also clear is the gap between the standard as expressed by the legislative requirements and the level of performance exhibited by many Canadian organizations. Unfortunately, the poor performance of these organizations confirms that ongoing discrimination based on ethnicity or race continues to exist in hiring processes and practices.

Certainly, we would like to think that most Canadian companies do not have overt discriminatory practices. The issues of unconscious bias or cultural perceptions, however, continue to get in the way of sound performance throughout the recruitment process. It does not matter if the discrimination is overt or unintended. The end result is that qualified and capable individuals may not be selected, primarily because of their ethnic origins. A candidate’s ethnic origins may be identified, quite easily, by their name.

In order to address this particular performance gap, the federal government has implemented a process of ‘name-blind’ recruitment as a pilot project.

Click here to read the article.

As noted in the article, the federal government initiated the process of name-blind recruitment based on statistical analysis from a data-based employment research project. According to the article, the research provides significant evidence that persons with Asian-sounding names have fewer opportunities to participate in the recruitment process than counterparts with Anglo names.

In this case, the data speaks for itself.

In addition to addressing the unconscious bias issue, the federal government’s move to using neutral recruitment practices shows us how data-based decision making can be implemented in order to improve organizational performance. Changing the recruitment practice is not something that should be done on intuition. It should be done with a fact-based perspective, using data-driven evidence that can be implemented and monitored to evaluate ongoing performance.

It is time to close the gap.

Discussion Questions:

  1. As the recruitment specialist for your organization, how would you convince your current employer to adopt the practice of name-blind recruitment?
  2. As a candidate, how comfortable would you be if you knew your resume was being reviewed without your name on it?
  3. Do you have experience or evidence of a candidate being excluded for a position on the basis of unintended/intended bias? What would you do differently now that you have awareness of issues linked to potential bias?

 

Diversity Matters

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Group of diverse people putting their hands together in the center of the photo.
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In Canada, Human Rights legislation, both provincial and federal, promotes and ensures that the social fabric of a particular workplace is reflective of its external cultural environment. The law is clear in stating that discrimination against individuals is prohibited for purposes of employment. The consequences of non-compliance with the law are also quite clear. They come in the form of monetary fines, negative media coverage and social shaming, and frequently lead to costly business losses and diversions such as public apologies and reconstructive public relations campaigns.

Human Rights law tells us what not to do. It does not tell us what we can do to ensure that our recruitment practices encourage and support workplace diversity. In some jurisdictions, employment equity targets may continue to be in place with varying degrees of success. How can we progress beyond compliance with the law and equity targets that come from a restrictive perspective and move into a positive, pro-active commitment that builds much-needed workplace diversity?

According to a recent Fast Company article, ensuring a commitment to diversity in the workplace can be achieved with three fairly simple, but significant, steps.

Click here to read the article.

As we note in this article, the promotion and implementation of workplace diversity must move along a continuum, beginning with the recruitment process, working through an inclusive culture and ensuring that change is driven from the top.

Changing the recruitment process does not mean that we need to eliminate job-related requirements. Instead, we can create opportunities for candidates to participate in specific recruitment practices, such as skills based testing, using neutral, non-identifiable elements for the purpose of skills evaluation. We can also create opportunities for ourselves, as the human resources professionals managing the recruitment process, by participating in bias training to reduce the risks related to potential discrimination.

When we are able to lead by implementing specific changes to  recruitment practices, Human Resources will be able to lead the need to ensure that diversity matters in all corporate practices.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the benefits of having ‘blind’ skills-based testing done prior to face-to-face or in-person interviews?
  2. How can an organization increase its diversity profile through pro-active recruitment strategies?
  3. In your opinion, what part of the recruitment process has the highest risk of personal bias and what part has the least risk of personal bias?