Attracting and Retaining Diverse Employees

In preparation for an upcoming diversity workshop, I am gathering information from people of color on what attracts them and keeps them working for an organization or company. The survey responses are rolling in and I am delighted about the insight and suggestions people are offering on attracting and retaining diverse employees.

The survey respondents are male/female people of color across the nation. I decided to do the survey because I think often times people of color are NOT asked the specific questions necessary to get the right answers for employers to make better recruitment decisions. If companies and organizations REALLY want to do a better job at recruiting and retaining employees of color, shouldn’t they be asking people of color exactly how to accomplish that?

One of the survey questions is “How important is a diverse (race/people of color) team of employees to you when seeking out a company and or organization to work for?” The results indicate the following:

Extremely important 46%, Very important 21%, Important 14%, Not so important 14% and It does not matter 3%.

Obviously to these individuals a “diverse team of employees” is important, so I wonder why most organizations still have low percentages of people of color working for them. Do employers not know this is important, are they not asking the right questions and or is it not a priority?

Another survey question is “How important is an organization’s “social reputation” (do people of color say it’s an inclusive place to work) when making a decision to work for them or not?” The results indicate the following:

If they don’t have a good reputation for diversity/inclusion, I refuse to work for them (7%), Their social reputation carries great weight in my decision (28%), Their social reputation is an important factor (36%), If the pay/benefits are good, I can deal with the lack of diversity and or exclusion (18%), don’t worry too much about whether it’s an inclusive place to work (10%).

Let’s face it people talk! There is quite a bit of conversation occuring from one person of color to another regarding whether or not they should work for certain companies. In other words, I believe people of color are generally concerned about working for a company that is not diverse and or inclusive. It is a common for people of color to ask one another the question of “so do you know if there are any ___________ people working for that company?” As you can see from the above results it is an IMPORTANT FACTOR with 81% of the respondents reporting it is important. Again, if people of color feel its important, why aren’t more employers asking the same question and seeking solutions to remedy the disparities?

Employers may be missing out on top talent by not asking these questions. On a side note, I wonder if caucasian people ask this question (“do they hire white people and or is the work environment inclusive of white people?) before considering to work for certain companies and organizations? I’m going step out on a limb and say more than likely they do not.

This information will be extremely helpful and enlightening for the participants in the upcoming Diversity Conference I will be speaking/presenting at. I cannot wait to share the results, engage in meaningful dialogue and offer tips and strategies on how companies and organizations can do a better job at attracting and retaining top talent and diverse employees.

If you are a person of color and would like to contribute to this survey, click here and share your thoughts. I also welcome any comments or questions on the survey, the results and the issue at hand.

By Catrice Jackson