Achieving Success Through a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce

We’ve all heard the statistics—America’s demographic landscape is shifting from one that’s made up of predominantly white citizens, to one that’s made up primarily of people who were once minorities.

There are cities and states throughout the country where minorities are in reality the majority, and it’s up to corporate and business leaders to not only recognize this shift, but make changes in their talent management strategies that adequately address the changing face of the American workforce.

Diversity and Inclusion Go Hand-in-Hand with Growth

The terms diversity and inclusion were once thought of as something that could be addressed by HR, perhaps just as a sentence or two in the employee handbook.

That outdated way of thinking will no longer cut it.

Diversity and inclusion not only have to be a key component of talent management strategies, but these are also concepts intrinsically tied to remaining successful and competitive in today’s evolving marketplace.

The Challenge

In order to remain or become competitive, employers are faced with the challenge of attracting, hiring and retaining a diverse workforce.

There’s also a specific challenge when it comes to not only a racially diverse workforce, but the inclusion of females and people of all backgrounds, and learning how to manage them in a way that provides opportunities for and encourages success and a thriving career.

Employers are learning the importance of having a diverse workforce, but also how to manage opportunities for progression within an organization.

Similarly, employers in today’s global economy are looking for ways to attract and leverage non-American talent in a meaningful way.

Key Considerations

When approaching the challenges of creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce, some of the primary factors to be considered include:

• How can employers be attractive to diverse talent? What are the necessary things required to recruit these employees who bring a valuable set of skills and perspectives to a place of employment?
• Once employers are able to attract diverse talent, how can they best utilize the assets and abilities of these individuals and optimize them within an organization?
• Employers will have to examine how a diverse workforce can lead to not only productivity, but also innovation. How can unique perspectives drive advancement within your industry?

These are all some of the important questions employers and company leaders are asking themselves in terms of their talent management strategy, and there’s a growing focus on the role diversity and inclusion should have within any organization’s short and long-term strategy for success.