March 2007

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Diversity Matters
is edited by
Annette Merritt Cummings
Vice President,
Diversity Services
800.438.9911

March:  National Women’s History Month

Since the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) petitioned Congress in 1987, the US has recognized the contributions and history of women during the month of March. Why? According to the NWHP, “recognizing the achievements of women in all facets of life–science, community, government, literature, art, sports, medicine–has a huge impact on the development of self-respect and new opportunities for girls and young women.”  

Make sure your company recognizes the achievements and promotes the advancement of women in the workplace. Visit the Relevant Diversity Websites we’ve included for ideas.   

 

April:  Multicultural Communication Month

April is Multicultural Communications Month and we can’t help but emphasize the value of understanding our multicultural, global society in order to communicate effectively. Consider publishing your materials (particularly your recruitment communications and corporate website) in multiple languages.

A word of caution:  Multicultural communication is much more than just translation from English to another language. It involves using images, language and particular cultural nuances to tell an audience that your brand welcomes them. If you’re looking to create multicultural recruitment communications, Hodes Diversity Services can help.

 

If You Build It, They Will Come:
Women and the Workforce

In 2014, women will account for 47% of the total labor force and over half of labor force growth between now and then, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To put it simply, a majority of new emerging workers and entrants to the workforce in the next few years will be women. Given these projections, it would be easy to assume that these emerging women workers will simply flock to your company.

According to Hodes Diversity Services leader Annette Merritt Cummings, this is a dangerous misconception: “There is the line of thinking that, because women will be a majority of new entrants to the workplace, companies will not need to make a special effort to attract women – they’ll just naturally apply.”

The opposite is true. Increasingly, staffing solutions must deliberately reach out and speak to the concerns of women. Topics that particularly interest them – historically, issues such as work-life balance and career development and advancement - are important messages to convey to potential employees.  

And once you’ve attracted them, your company culture must be prepared to absorb and retain them. Catalyst, a research and advisory organization that works to “build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work,” found in its 2003 survey of women executives at Fortune 1000 companies that top barriers to women’s advancement in the workplace include:

• a lack of significant management experience (47%);
• exclusion from informal networks (41%);
• stereotyping and preconceptions of women’s roles and abilities (33%);
• failure of senior leadership accountability for women’s advancement (29%); and
• commitment to personal or family responsibilities (29%).

Your company can address these barriers to women’s advancement and develop key messages now that will help build your brand as a women’s employer of choice in the future.

 

Mark Your Calendars:
Hodes Diversity Services Presentations

Multicultural Marketing & Recruitment Online Webcast 

In this webcast Annette Merritt Cummings, Bernard Hodes Group VP & National Director of Diversity Services, will discuss ways to enhance your diversity recruitment process and leverage your brand to build a diverse applicant pool. Sponsored by the British Columbia Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA).

Date:  Thursday, April 19, 2007

Time:  8:30AM – 10:00AM PST

Registration Deadline:  Thursday, April 12, 2007

Register and read program information at: www.bchrma.org/content/events/ls/details.cfm?EventID=035-803.

 

The Summit on Leading Diversity

Visit Hodes booth # 305 during the 2007 Summit on Leading Diversity, the “nation’s premiere diversity event”, April 30 – May 2 at the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta, GA. And look out for the Employer Diversity Branding learning session presented by Hodes experts Annette Merritt Cummings and Mark Hornung. 

Register to attend and learn more at: www.linkageinc.com/learning_events/conferences/div/default.aspx

 

 

Relevant Diversity Sites

Advancing Women
www.advancingwomen.com

Ivillage
www.ivillage.com

Women in Technology International
www.witi.com

Women for Hire
www.womenforhire.com

Society of Women Engineers
www.swe.org

Association of University Women
www.aauw.org

Business Women’s Network
www.bwni.com

Catalyst
www.catalystwomen.org

National Association of Female Executives
www.nafe.com

Association for Women in Computing
www.awc-hq.org

Association of Women Accountants
www.aswa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

Madrinas, A Latina Business Leaders Network
www.madrinas.org/

 

 

Relevant Conferences: March - May 2007

3/20/07 – 3/22/07
Chief Diversity Officer Forum
Greensboro, North Carolina
www.jbcinstitute.org/cdo_forum.html

 

3/21/07 – 3/25/07
Annual National Black Law Students Association
Atlanta, GA
www.nblsa.org/events/convention/

 

3/22/07 – 3/26/07
National Hispanic Medical Association
San Antonio, TX
www.nhmamd.org/

 

3/22/07 – 3/25/07
Association for Asian Studies
Boston, MA
www.aasianst.org/

 

3/24/07 - 3/24/07
18th Annual National Minority Careers in Education Expo Job Fair
New York, NY
www.deptofed.org/

 

3/28/07 – 4/1/07
National Society of Black Engineers
Columbus, OH
www.nsbe.org

 

4/1/07 – 4/7/07
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists
Orlando, FL
www.nobcche.org

 

4/11/07 – 4/15/07
National Association of Hispanic Publications 2007 Convention and 25th Anniversary
Scottsdale, AZ
www.nahp.org/index.php

 

4/21/07 -4/25/07
National Forum for Black Public Administrators – National Conference
Phoenix, AZ
www.nfbpa.org/

 

4/22/07 - 4/25/07
Women Work! National Conference
Arlington, VA
www.womenwork.org

 

4/26/07 - 4/29/07
National Multicultural Institute Annual Spring Conference
Minneapolis, MN
www.nmci.org

 

4/30/07 – 5/2/07
The Summit on Leading Diversity
Atlanta, GA
www.linkageinc.com/learning_events/conferences/default.aspx

 

5/29/07 - 6/2/07
National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education
San Francisco, CA
www.ncore.ou.edu/2007/hotel.html