1. Presented by Amy Stadem, Brenda Siegel,
Carlie Pierson and Ashley Paulson
2.
What can we accomplish
with a diversity initiative?
Increase employee
retention rates
Increase productivity
Appeal to potential
employees
Appeal to potential
vendors and customers
3.
“If employees believe they are respected, they will
stay with the company longer while maintaining
strong accountability and productivity (Canas &
Sondak, 2011, p. 18)
By making employees feel more included, retention
rates could increase which would save the company
money that is spent recruiting and training new
employees
Employee Retention Rates
4.
Employee Retention Rates
(cont.)
By appealing to a diverse
audience, employees will feel
included which could result in
loyalty to the company
Offering management training
to employees of different
backgrounds will help to make
them feel that they have a
future with the company
This could lead to fewer
lawsuits, lower turnover, and
higher commitment from
them (Canas & Sondak, 2011)
5.
Helps communication on multi-levels with a broader
customer base
Understanding the verbal and non verbal cues from all
types of people
Ability to extend business nation wide
Problem solving skills at a higher level based on more
experiences
Collaboration of education and talents to create larger and
better ideas that keep up with what the consumer wants
Buying Power
New and different attitudes attract others
Appeal to Customers and
Vendors (cont.)
6.
“Employees must be able to understand
the customer's perspective, anticipate and
monitor the customer's needs and
expectations, and respond sensitively and
appropriately to fulfill those needs and
expectations. In the service game,
"customer literacy" is an essential skill.”
(Jackson & Alvarez, 2012)
Appeal to Customers and
Vendors
7.
Appeal to Customers and
Vendors (cont.)
“A diverse personal network
enables you to increase the
possibility of including
connectors, or linchpins, in your
network. Linchpins are people
who in some way cross over
between two or more clusters or
groups of individuals.” (Misner,
2004)
“Workforce Diversity” refers to
policies and practices that seek to
include people within a
workforce who are considered to
be, in some way, different from
those in the prevailing
constituency.” (Micinnes, 2012)
8.
Conclusion: A Diversity Initiative
Will Help the Company
• Increase employee
retention rates
• Increase productivity
• Appeal to potential
employees
• Appeal to potential
vendors and customers
9.
Canas, K. A., & Sondak, H. (2011). Opportunities and Challenges
of Workplace Diversity: Theory, Cases and Exercises; 2nd edition.
Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Jackson, S., & Alvarez, E. (2012). Working through diversity as a
strategic imperative. Retrieved from
http://www.radford.edu/~kvharring/docs/HRMDocs/2diver
sityimp.pdf
Mcinnes, R. (2012). Workforce diversity changing the way you do
business. Retrieved from
http://www.diversityworld.com/Diversity/workforce_diversi
ty.htm
Misner, I. (2004, January 26). The importance of diversity in
networking. Retrieved from
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/68840
References
Editor's Notes
We feel that implementing a diversity initiative in a company of any size can help increase retention rates, increase productivity, appeal to potential employees and to potential vendors and customers. With a mid-size company we have the opportunity to make a difference to our employees because we have the resources to implement a larger imitative yet remain personal and make it meaningful.
Diversity initiatives have been shown to help increase retention rates by making employees feel more included and welcome in the work environment. This can be done by offering management training, awareness seminars, support groups, etc. When employees feel like they belong, they are more likely to remain loyal to a company.
Management training for multiple employees with diverse backgrounds can lead to fewer lawsuits, lower turnover, and higher commitment. Employees like to feel like they have a future with the company.
We can appeal to potential customers and vendors (and current ones) by implementing a diversity initiative. Our employees will be able to extend business and attract new audiences with their increased understanding of different cultures. This would include being educated about cultural norms including nonverbal cues and gestures, proper etiquette for different situations, and commonly used terminology. With increased understanding and knowledge we will benefit from collaboration of talents and increase our ability to extend business into other areas.
