July/August 2007

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

Setting an Example:
Top Companies for Diversity and
What They Do Right

Everyone wants to be the best, but it isn’t always easy to get there.  According to a 2005 study by the Society for Human Resource Management, 75% of organizations polled attempted to promote inclusiveness; however, only two thirds offered diversity training, and rarely ever to lower-level managerial staff.  Furthermore, only 21% had staff specialized for handling diversity issues. 

There are, of course, many companies going above and beyond the standard diversity practices and leading their industries in inclusiveness in recruitment, retention, and promotion.  A number of awards exist for companies going the extra mile.  Magazines such as DiversityInc, Working Mother, Black Enterprise, and Hispanic Magazine, each have their own lists of companies that excel in promoting an inclusive, accommodating environment.  More importantly, they highlight many of the varied procedures and policies that put them on the list.

Different groups have different focuses when it comes to what makes an inclusive company.  For Working Mother magazine, accommodation was key.  Flexible work schedules and on-site child care facilities were some of the factors that put companies like Wachovia and Verizon on their list.  For Hispanic Magazine, the emphasis was more on community.  American Airlines, for example, supports cultural programs such as the Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, and the Hispanic Heritage Awards.  DiversityInc, taking a more general view, emphasized CEO-involvement as one of the most critical factors in ranking companies.

With so many assorted divisions of society, it can seem daunting to try to practice and build diversity programs within your company.  Juggling the tasks of recruiting and appealing to top talent while still retaining your best workers is entirely possible and clearly worth it for any one doing workforce planning and looking at the changing demographics of the workforce and consumer base.

Striving for diversity, however, is not just an end in and of itself.  Diversity benefits businesses directly and indirectly.  According to AT&T CEO Edward E. Whitacre, “[Diversity] helps make us an employer of choice, a preferred business partner and an important contributor to the communities we serve.”

 

Diversity and Your Employer Brand

And more than that, diversity becomes a large part of a company’s identity, internally as well as externally. An employer brand that embraces inclusiveness is one that is more attractive to a wider range of new and old employees. 

Knowing the value of diversity and being able to practice it to the optimal level are two different things.  It is a long road to finding your company atop a “Best Companies to Work for” list.  Hodes Diversity Services has a wide array of solutions for fostering an inclusive environment, as well as attracting diverse candidates.  Hodes Diversity Services and Human Resources Public Relations can help you submit your company’s qualifications for high-profile national honors.  Join the best at the top; become an award-winning company for diversity!

For more on HRPR and its services, see our interview with HRPR director Stacey Havel >

 

 

List of Selected Diversity Awards

 

Fortune 50 Most Powerful Women in Business
Learn more >

 

Fortune Magazine 100 Best Companies to Work For
Learn more >

 

Human Rights Campaign Foundation, HRC Best Places to Work- Corporate Equity Index
Learn more >

 

Working Mother Magazine Best Companies for Multicultural Women
Learn more >

 

Working Mother Magazine 100 Best Companies
Learn more >

 

Hispanic Magazine Corporate 100
Learn more >

 

Hispanic Magazine Top 50 Recruitment Programs
Learn more >

 

Hispanic Business 500
Learn more >

 

Black Enterprise Magazine

• BE 100’s
• Top Blacks in Corporations
• Top Blacks on Wall Street
• Top Doctors
• Top Lawyers
• Best Companies to Work for
  

Learn more >

 

Diversity Inc.

• Top 50 for Diversity
• Top 10 Companies for Executive Women
• Top 10 Companies for Recruitment and Retention
• Top 10 Companies for Latinos
• Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans
• Top 10 Companies for African Americans
• Top 10 Companies for GLBT Employees
• Top 10 Companies for People with Disabilities
• Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity
• The 25 Noteworthy Companies

Learn more >

 

Relevant Conferences:

 

7/9/07—7/14/07
Annual LULAC National Convention & Exposition
Chicago, IL
www.lulac.org/events/convent.html

 

7/10/07-7/12/07
National Association of Minority Media Executive Annual Conference
Washington, DC
www.namme.org/events

 

7/16/07-7/18/07
Annual APSE Conference
Kansas City, MS
www.apse.org

 

7/21/07-7/24/07
NCLR Annual Conference
Miami, FL
www.nclr.org/section/events/conference/

 

7/21/07-7/24/07
National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice Annual Conference
Buffalo, NY
www.nabcj.org

 

7/22/07 -7/26/07
National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice Annual Conference
Buffalo, NY
www.nabcj.org

 

8/4/07-8/8/07
ALPFA National Convention
Lake Buena Vista, FL
www.alpfa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageID=106

 

9/11/07-9/16/07
National Black MBA Association
Orlando, FL
www.nbmbaa.org