In this session that I delivered at the 2014 Louisiana SHRM Conference on Human Resources on April 7th I merged my own personal story of a person living with a severe hearing disability and speech impediment and workplace diversity & inclusion strategy. Diversity & inclusion is no longer just a legislative requirement, it also significantly contributes to employee engagement and top and bottom line business results. Further, the definition of diversity has broadened during the past 10-15 years, and is not limited to sex, race, nationality and persons with disabilities.
I talked about my own personal story --- the good, the bad and the ugly, the business case for workplace diversity and inclusion, how diversity and inclusion plays into the employee experience, and how organizations can create a real diversity and inclusion strategy that truly works.
19. “I LEARNED THAT COURAGE WAS NOT THE ABSENCE
OF FEAR, BUT THE TRIUMPH OVER IT.
THE BRAVE MAN IS NOT HE WHO DOES NOT FEEL
AFRAID, BUT HE WHO CONQUERS THAT FEAR.”
NELSON MANDELA
30. A DIFFERENT ANGLE
GENDER
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
RELIGION
SEX
DISABILITY
SKILLS
FAMILY STATUS
THOUGHT
EDUCATION
EXPERIENCE
COLOR
ETHNICITY
WORK/LIFE BLENDING
POLITICAL VIEWS DECISION-MAKING
TECHNOLOGY
AGE
32. 77%
40%
20%
12%
Source: www.workforce.com
of Executives strongly
support diversity initiatives
of employees
believe their
organization
is diverse
and inclusive
When employees feel that they have a
more diverse and inclusive workforce…
in employee turnover
in employee effort
33. “Organizations understand investing in diversity &
inclusion will likely enhance employee engagement,
better serve customers and increase their
organization’s innovation and agility”.
Stacia Sherman Garr
VP, Talent Management Research, Bersin by Deloitte,
Deloitte Consulting
DIGGING DEEPER
37. Values Based
Workplace Culture
Senior Leadership
Commitment—
“Walk the Talk”
Focus on Constant &
Consistent Communication
Real Business
Measures &
Metrics
Broaden Your Definition of
Diversity—”Serve the Market”
Empower
Employees—
Educate
HR Business Practice Re-
Engineering
SECRET SAUCE