Types of Diversity & Demographic Characteristics

Diversity in the workplace goes far beyond gender.

Workplace diversity initiatives target specific demographics because it's socially responsible, brings in needed resources and talents, enhances the corporate brand and reputation, provides an economic return and drives the business forward strategically. Effectively harnessing this practice means going further than biological differences and racial quotas. The newest generation of diversity management gathers people of many different demographic backgrounds for the purpose of idea generation, problem solving, product development and new business initiatives. Learn how the demographics that are missing in your workplace can contribute to your bottom line.

Underrepresented Employees

Workplace diversity initiatives have been a way of taking equal employment opportunity laws, known as affirmative action, and graduating them to more inclusive practice. Companies are striving to go beyond hiring more African Americans, Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and other historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities. Although hiring has dramatically picked up, retaining, promoting and fairly compensating these employees still lags, according to research reported in the "Wall Street Journal." Moreover, hiring blacks and Latinos at the executive level in 2010 had actually regressed to levels below what they were in 2005.

Women

The hiring of women was also included in affirmative action laws from the 1960s and 1970s, and although women are highly represented in the senior management of corporate America and have equal levels of education, their pay continues to be a fraction of what similarly educated and experienced men make, according to research by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. Moreover, when hiring women as part of diversity initiatives, it's critical to remember not to discriminate against those with caregiving responsibilities. It's a best practice in workplace diversity initiative to offer flexible work arrangements to employees with this type of situation. Furthermore, discrimination against people with caregiving responsibilities is now against the law.

Disability Status

Attorney and disabilities activist John D. Kemp reported at a Society for Human Resources gathering that although getting more demographics in the door is on the radar for many employers, hiring people with disabilities remains "a small blip on that radar screen." According to the Kessler Foundation's 2010 Survey of Employment of Americans with Disabilities, only 25 percent have a policy on hiring people who are disabled, and just 12 percent have a formal program for recruiting them.

Sexual Orientation

All of the companies that make the prestigious DiversityInc Top 50 list have policies and practices that are friendly to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. These include health and other benefits offered to those who have opposite-sex spouses, as well as employee resource groups that monitor the issues of gays in the workplace and promote content like website articles and media messages aimed at gay workers and gay customers. In addition, the Human Rights Campaign releases a scorecard each year that examines the gay rights polices of large employers.

Religious Representation

Though addressed publicly less often, religious diversity is one way to represent diversity of culture, background and thought. Employees don't leave their values behind when they work, so effective diversity initiatives should seek to embrace, rather than blot out faith in the workplace. Religious diversity has the potential to contribute new ideas and improvements in work product and processes. Employers seeking to hire on this demographic must balance the accommodations needed by believers with fairness to nonbelievers. In addition, your diversity initiative should take care that no discrimination takes place against the minority religious group, such as Muslims, or those that are least understood, such as Wiccans.

Generational Diversity

Four generations are represented in today's workforce, and gaps in understanding exist between each of them. Some companies have deliberately pooled opposite generations together on work teams to provide shared learning experiences. When approaching age diversity, be sure to have a thorough understanding of each group's communication and work styles, and offer opportunities for groups to cross mentor each other.

Supplier Diversity

Supplier diversity is a business strategy to expand a company's vendor and business partner base to include more qualified small and minority suppliers. Doing so fosters an inclusive procurement system and has generated substantial savings for some companies. This may be a new type of diversity demographic for many businesses, so it requires buy-in from the executive level and the ability to prove the investment in diverse suppliers is worthwhile.

References

• New York Times: Diversity at Work --- More Than Just Numbers
• Diversity World: Workplace Diversity: Changing the Way We Do Business
• DiversityInc Magazine: Taking Supplier Diversity to the Next Level
• Society for Human Resource Management: Focus on Ability, Former Easter Seals Child Says
• Multicultural Advantage: How to Help LGBT Employees Help Your Organization Grow
• DiversityInc Magazine: Generations at Work: Facts and Figures

Resources

• AARP Workforce Training Modules: Managing Generations at Work
• Kessler Foundation: The Employment of Americans with Disabilities
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Best Practices of Private Sector Employers
• DiversityInc Magazine: How to Create an LGBT-Friendly Workplace
• Prism International: Strategically Leveraging Diversity
• Recruiters Lounge: Diversity, Discrimination and Demographics (podcast)
• Wall Street Journal:On Diversity, America Isn't Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Is