How To Maintain A Diverse Workplace After The Hiring Process: Part 2

Doug Lodder is President at TruConnect, a national provider of wireless voice, messaging and data services.

Now that your company has secured a top-caliber candidate, how can it ensure the new employee will stay and feel like a crucial contributor to the company? Making conscious efforts to invest in the culture and inclusivity of the company outside of the hiring process is just as important when considering the success of the employee. 

If an employee's efforts and commitment to their job are not appreciated, recognized or supported by the company, the likeliness that they will stay or be active contributors to the workplace is low. It is also unlikely they would be enthusiastic about maintaining the values of the company if there is not much being done by the executives to instill these values. How can a company — and its executives — maintain a supportive and inclusive work environment after the hiring process has come to a close?

Culture, Culture, Culture

Cultivating a thriving and inclusive work environment does not stop the moment a job offer is accepted. The next step is retaining these valuable employees by nurturing an atmosphere that promotes inclusion, continual learning, offers mentorship and provides real opportunities for growth and upward mobility opportunities. 

There are myriad ways to achieve this. First and foremost is culture. While culture can be a nebulous idea, John Ameachi summarizes "culture" succinctly as "the worst behavior tolerated." Therefore, leaders must ensure the workplace is safe and bad behavior is eliminated. This can lead to tough decisions. Talented but toxic employees must understand results can mean far less than how they were achieved. In some cases, saying goodbye to top performers to protect the culture will be necessary. 

Organizations must emphasize anti-bias training and regularly adapt as knowledge is gained in this area. Most organizations require employees to ingest bite-sized video clips on their own time, which often takes place while multitasking on other work. This issue is far too important for such an approach. Organizations would see far better results with in-person, group sessions where members at all levels learn, discuss and take action on these topics together.  

When Everyone Is Included, Everyone Wins

Building a dedicated team responsible for ensuring diversity remains a priority is also essential. An organization wouldn't expect to have great marketing without a marketing department, and the same is true with diversity. The team itself should be well-rounded, representative and, most importantly, have the support of the CEO. If it is poorly constructed, disorganized or does not have a voice with the leadership team, all progress on this front will grind to a halt. Allow this team to critique the organization's efforts and offer new ideas on advancing its cause. The aforementioned training should be a prerequisite for everyone on this team.  

It's also wise to understand and analyze how work is allocated. Managers should ensure work is distributed equitably so all employees have chances to shine in front of the CEO and executive leadership. They can encourage an employee to showcase his presentation skills at an all-staff meeting and ensure that every person — from the most senior to the most entry-level — has a chance to voice his or her ideas during brainstorming sessions. They can also give employees more autonomy in their day-to-day schedules and allow them to assume more leadership roles over time. 

Of course, the time will come when a valuable worker outgrows the position. Whether they elect to move laterally or upward within the company or elsewhere, it is essential not to stand in the way of their professional development. On the contrary, by allowing them to spread their wings internally or externally, they will acquire valuable skill sets, ideas and insights that will make them greater assets to the department or company if they return. Meanwhile, their progress will signal the organization's strong commitment to equality.

To conclude, in chemistry, an alloy is a metal composed of two or more disparate elements to give it greater strength and resistance to corrosion. Companies that wish to emerge as strong as steel must begin fashioning a workforce that reflects the panorama of perspectives that shape the world. Those that fail to do so will likely become brittle, jeopardizing their bottom line and overall existence.  

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