Diversity Pays Off

Originally posted on Unleash the Monster

When President Barack Obama took office, the role of diversity within organizations heightened. For more than 200 years previously, the presidency was held exclusively by white males. Now, more than ever, organizations across the board are recognizing the need to commit to diversity.

Why is it so important that diversity remains a priority for recruiters? It keeps an organization competitive and pays off in the end. Here is what we found in a study our market research group recently conducted:

o 83% of HR professionals agree they need to recruit employees with diverse backgrounds to best serve customers, while 79% indicated that diversity is important to top management.
o 81% of diverse candidates propose that a diverse workforce can help organizations better server their customers.
o 85% of HR professionals surveys say, “Efforts to recruit for diversity have a bigger positive impact than most people realize.”
o 81% of diverse candidate believe a diverse workforce can give organizations a creative edge.
o African American, Hispanic and Asian job seekers look for information on company diversity policies significantly over white job seekers.
o 52% of diverse job seekers and 26% of white job seekers state their decision to remain at a company can be impacted by whether or not that employer has a diverse workforce.

The fact remains, that the best resource in your agency, is your people. As the population continues to change based on the new global economy, diversity recruitment will continue to be an initiative that can mean the difference between your agency’s success or its perception as stagnant. If you want to move your agency forward and recruit and retain the best talent, you must make a commitment to build a diverse workforce. It will pay off in the end.