Dive Brief:
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Hiring a more diverse workforce is not enough, says Anjalee Khemlani, who writes for NJ Biz. To help solve the issues that pertain to diversity recruitment, companies are turning to employee resource groups (ERGs) to learn ways to improve processes.
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Khemlani talked to Nilda Maher, who is the human resource manager for diversity programs at AtlantiCare, a leading healthcare center in Southeastern New Jersey. Maher says, “Organizations have realized the business value [of ERGs] and the impact on organizational outcomes — such as high employee engagement levels and customer experiences.” She said AtlantiCare has had a diversity program in place since 2010, and now has 8 unique groups.
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Bayer, a leading pharmaceutical company, has also instituted ERGs to boost diversity initiatives. ““It strengthens employee loyalty. It builds the brand and positions you as one of the more favorable companies, “says Ryan McDay, the head of diversity and inclusion.
Dive Insight:
It’s true that companies are taking a more concerted effort to move beyond EEOC guidelines and old-fashioned recruitment efforts to actively discuss and improve the state of diversity in hiring. Employees can be a voice for change while remaining objective.
A Harvard University study of more than 800 US organizations revealed the very real struggles companies have when attempting to force diversity recruitment. This is because much of the management training is punitive and negative. When positive diversity training takes place, it can increase diversity hiring by as much as 10%.
