July 14th, 2008
A couple of excerpts from an article by Merl Code of Ogletree Deakins. I do not agree with some of the definitions and framework, but in general a good article…and how many law firms do you know of that are posting serious writings about diversity on their website? And articles that are written by their lawyers to boot? They appear to take it pretty seriously…anyway, I pulled out a few pieces that had some good details. Entire article is here.
Demographic Data
With the available workforce talent pool shrinking, business being conducted on a global scale, employees demanding to be individuals in the workplace, and the U.S. demographics reflecting a change in the minority population base, it is abundantly clear that American business must adapt to be competitive on the world stage. The data listed below illustrates the situation:
By 2008, women, minorities and immigrants will represent 70% of new workforce entrants.
- Women are 47% of new entrants.
- The Hispanic/Latino population is growing five times faster than the national average.
- The Asian and Hispanic/Latino population is expected to grow by 500% over the next 50 years.
- There are over 85 million people of color in the U.S.
- Blacks represent approximately 10.7% of the workforce.
- Hispanics/Latinos represent approximately 10.8% of the workforce.
- Asians represent approximately 4.8% of workforce.
Workplace Discrimination
Despite the fact that employers have been on notice for at least two decades that workplace demographics were changing radically, incidences of unlawful behavior have remained disturbingly high. A report compiled by the Gallup Organization indicates that women are more than twice as likely as men to assert that they have been victims of discrimination. Whites report the lowest incidence of discrimi-nation at 12%, while 31% of Asian Americans, 26% of blacks, and 18% of Hispanics reported having been discriminated against in the last 12 months. People in the 30-59 age range were somewhat more likely than those in the 18-29 or 60+ age groups to report discrimination.Clarity of business motive in decision-making goes a long way in dispelling the subjective reason assigned by uninformed employees that tend to lean toward discrimination. Decision-making should be transparent when viewed through the eyes of an employee. Transparency, through open and consistent communication between management and staff, is the key factor in building trust, and trust is a key factor in worker perceptions of fairness and equal opportunity. Processes and procedures for hiring, promotion and growth opportunities must be transparent so that employees understand the business reasons for management actions.