Nice talk but little action on diversity, Conference Board contends
"We cannot afford the brain waste"
By Virginia Galt
Workplace Reporter
Globe and Mail
Canadian organization stalk a good campaign about diversity, but there is "a disconnect" between what they say and what they do about attracting and promoting employees from diverse backgrounds, the Conference Board of Canada says in a report to be released today.
A survey of 120 organizations found that their stated commitment to diversity is strong, but "their performance on diversity-related measures (such as representation rates, integrated strategic plans and diversity-related investments, activities and initiatives) is mediocre," the board writes.
"The challenge for many organizations rests with their ability to reflect and embrace diversity in every aspect of their operation s. Responses [from survey participants] regarding diversity-related activities and initiatives – such as training and development for employees and managers, the ability to manage a diverse work force and recognition of foreign credentials – indicate that organizational performance in these areas is unexceptional," according to the report.
Prem Benimadhu, the Conference Board"s vice-president of governance and human resources management, says the senior management teams of most Canadian organizations are still predominantly white and male and, while they recognize the need to diversity their work forces, they are falling down on execution.
The rhetoric will not become reality until the need to diversify is adopted as a strategic business issue, for which senior managers are held accountable, he says.
A number of organizations now measure the number of women, visible minority and disabled employees they have on staff, but these measures "do not gauge an organization"s capability and effectiveness in building, maintaining and capitalizing on the presence of a diversity work force," the report says. Representation rates alone fail to provide a complete assessment of the state of diversity in workplaces.
The failure of the Canadian employers to recognize and use the talents of all their employees is short-sighted in today"s competitive global economy, Mr. Benimadhu says. "We cannot afford the brain waste any more."
The Conference Board found that most of the 120 organizations it surveyed see diversity as a priority issue; "however, 42 per cent of these organizations have no strategic plan for fostering diversity" and only one-third have allocated financial resources to support diversity initiatives.
By 2016, members of visible minorities will make up 20 per cent of the Canadian population and 18 per cent of the work force, the Conference Board projects. For this reason alone, Canadian employers should be creating more inclusive work environments to attract the skilled workers they need to replace the bulge of baby boomers moving into retirement, the report says.
A more diverse work force, particularly in the higher ranks, will also help organizations understand and relate to their increasingly-diverse customer base and compete more effectively abroad, the report says.