How to Handle Diversity in College and the Workplace Successfully

6 Elements of a Successful Workplace Diversity Program

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These practices are not exclusive to diversity and inclusion efforts but are considered particularly important to the successful engagement and retention of diverse talent.

Managing Workplace Diversity

When individuals feel that they cannot be themselves at work, they will not engage fully as part of the team or in assigned work. For example, an employee may feel that sexual orientation or a hidden disability cannot be revealed due to fear of reprisals.

Organizational leaders play an important role in setting the tone for the shift towards increased diversity and inclusiveness in an organization. Open, effective communication, as well as clear channels for feedback optimizes the opportunity for discussion of issues related to inclusion and discrimination.

Every organization starts from a different place and in a unique context, but all have room for improvement. An educational approach can help to negate many fears that people have when it comes to addressing diversity. Both managers and employees fear that they may say the wrong thing, be perceived as discriminatory or be stifled by rigid rules of political correctness.

The Next Step

Diversity and inclusion is best nurtured in an open workplace where mistakes can be used for learning — not for embarrassing or shaming individuals. Ideas for embracing diversity in the workplace. Towards a better understanding of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons in the workplace.

This online resource aims to:. Building inclusion for employees with disabilities All employees should be able to participate in, and contribute to, the progress and success of an organization. When an employee identifies a need, they should be asked how the environment or means of communication can be adapted to ensure inclusion. When a transgendered person presents as a female, use feminine references she, her, hers. When a person presents as a male, use masculine references he, him, his.

In uncertain cases, use the person's first name. The list below outlines some additional practices for supporting a transgendered employee through the transitioning stage:. Local advocacy groups and organizations that provide services to people with disabilities or websites for national organizations like the Canadian National Institute for the Blind or Canadian Mental Health Association can also provide helpful resources about understanding or accommodating specific disabilities.

An inclusive environment requires both individual diversity awareness skills and effective organizational systems that support diversity and inclusion. Diversity training is one way to develop awareness and to increase employee knowledge and sensitivity to diversity issues. It also provides workers with a set of skills that allow them to deal effectively with workplace diversity. Cultural competence is a set of attitudes, skills and behaviours that enable organizations and staff to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.

Below are some common areas that exemplify how cultural differences impact how people work and interact with each other. There are many local training providers, as well as on-line training resources that include video series, webinars and facilitated on-line courses. Some examples of training resources include: Beyond online tools and information, they also provide information sessions for employers and cross-cultural competency training modules. Aspire — Stay informed by seeking out information about what other colleges and universities are doing to advance DEI.

Share your institutional best practices on DEI. Reach out to your professional network when you need inspiration or when you need to set aspirational goals for your institution. This year HERC members will enjoy a new member benefit — a robust document library that will enable members to share and access policies, practices and programs that support DEI. Plans must be both broad in scope and specific in detail and must integrate DEI into the very fabric of the institution and all its processes — whether that is recruitment, development and advancement opportunities, or how fiscal resources are distributed across the campus in a way that reflects institutional priorities for DEI.

Assess — The first step to solving a problem is to name it, understand the extent and determine who it affects. Conducting regular organizational assessments to measure DEI on campus will help guide institutional planning and resource allocation. If your campus has an office of institutional research, they can play an important role in supporting the evaluation and planning efforts of your institution by initiating and conducting studies on DEI policies, programs and environment. Outside experts can also help measure central aspects of DEI as they relate to the workforce and general campus climate.

Important organizations to be aware of for faculty job satisfaction surveys are: Questions about DEI are integrated into both of these survey instruments, and campuses can include custom questions as well.

Survey data provide participating campuses insights that can be used in strategic planning, faculty recruitment and retention, and faculty development activities. This survey is one of the largest and most comprehensive workplace studies in higher education and provides senior-level administrators and academic leaders with insights on the quality of the workplace experience and the competitiveness of their policies and benefits. Key indicators for DEI are included in the survey such as fairness, respect, safety and appreciation of differences. If you are uncomfortable standing up alone, contact your campus ombudsperson, Title IX director, HR officer or other professional who can help support you in taking action and making a difference.

Citation Tools

Be Accountable — Even the best laid plans can go awry. When any outcomes are unfavorable to DEI on campus it is imperative to be transparent, take swift and meaningful responsibility, and have a plan to get back on track. Also, when any outcomes are favorable to DEI on campus, take the time to communicate about and celebrate the people and the processes that helped make a change for the better.

Top 10 practical steps for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education Diversity guide: Top 10 practical steps for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. Want to learn more? A PeopleAdmin representative will contact you shortly. Faculty Affairs Diversity Hiring. Analyzing and advancing diversity in higher education.

Engaging faculty and leveraging the power of search committees at UAB. How the University of Memphis improved faculty recruitment. Texas State University streamlines processes to ensure fair, consistent and defensible faculty hiring. Was what you expected? The key to competing with corporations for top talent. Why PeopleAdmin customers are raving about SelectSuite.

What do higher education talent management teams really bring to the table?

Diversity at Work

Empowerment … and we can help. How 3 universities increased their solution ROI. Higher education experts agree, begin tracking performance to boost talent management effectiveness. Engaging potential faculty and staff through social media. Expanding talent management improvement: Simplifying hiring for work-study students and stakeholders. The University of Arkansas uses hiring data to empower diversity initiatives.

The secret to better recruiting — Tips from Aims Community College. How Emerson College facilitates strategic faculty recruitment. Rice University shares 4 diverse recruiting strategies. Rice University uses 3 tools to promote a diverse workforce. Advance diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education to promote peace, justice and progress.

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