August 18th, 2010
This is going to seem like it is self-serving. I tried to convince myself not to write it because I knew that it would appear that way, but the topic will not leave me alone. I have been travelling the interwebs and have come across more HR events dismissive of issues of diversity and inclusion. I am now disgruntled.
We are our own worst enemy. When I say “we” I am referring to those of us that are a part of the Human Resources profession. We are the problem. We say nice things about diversity and inclusion, much nicer than most professions. We even have the right kind of expectations to place on other folks…we always know exactly what that line manager or CFO needs to do to be more inclusive. And we do nothing about diversity and inclusion…beyond the posters and beyond Taco Tuesday type stuff we do nothing.
Probably about half of the events that I speak at are HR specific and the vast majority of those are SHRM related. I think that on a national level SHRM is doing some good stuff and moving in the right direction, but I am starting to get really itchy about SHRM state conference agendas.
This is what I see…
I go to the web site for a SHRM state council or local chapter and see “diversity” right away…it is prominently featured with its own tab on the home page and when I click on it I get taken to a page that lists some resources (of moderate value)…and probably some language about the work that SHRM is doing on a national level. Hmmm. That always feels like talk and no walk. There are exceptions to this, but as someone who has looked at a lot of SHRM chapters this is very normal. Are there not local resources? Are there not local events? Are there not local organizations or practitioners that should be recognized? Is your chapter not doing anything of its own?
And then I look at their annual conference agenda…
(This is where the self-serving part comes in as I am a speaker myself) Regarding diversity (which they sprinkle throughout their language on their website and in all of their marketing materials as if it is one of their top 4 or 5 priorities), I see no real space on the agenda. Most or all of what they do consider to be diversity related topics are about compliance, litigation and how to avoid getting sued. Before we ask one more person outside of HR to take a more proactive philosophy towards diversity and inclusion we have to do so ourselves. And we have not even touched on diversity of the speakers themselves yet.
Enough. We are setting a poor example. We are not practicing what we preach. We are absentee landlords.
You think HR is slow to adopt social media? Breaking news, we still have not really adopted diversity and inclusion and we have been talking about that stuff for decades. I truly believe that as a profession we do not truly understand diversity and inclusion and we do not truly understand why they matter to the organizations and clients we serve. We are the problem.
Here is the deal. Right here in the middle of 2010, diversity and inclusion are maybe the most misunderstood issues in the world of business…at the same time that they are becoming increasingly critical to business success. We in HR are the solution. We are the ones that can help turn this around, but we must bring our own game up to speed.
If you are going to talk a mean game about diversity and inclusion then play a mean game. If you are not going to play the game then get that garbage off of your site and your newsletters…as you are setting a poor example. If you are putting on a conference make sure that there are a variety of perspectives and a variety of issues related to diversity and inclusion on the agenda. It’s not hard to find. If you need help, let me know….I will send you a list. I will even make sure my name is not on it, so it’s not self-serving.
Be good to each other.
Diversity, Incluson and your local SHRM Chapter, Part 1
Holy Crap!
Nice post Joe.
You put the shivers down my spine on that one!
Joe: another home run. You are so right. The solution has to come from HR — no one else is going to step up to the plate. I wonder what's holding our profession back? This is so obviously in our wheelhouse and such a key to talent acquisition, engagement and development. And a critical component in succession planning. What do you think is holding HR back?
Thanks for reading and commenting Andrew and China, I appreciate your interest in this issue. China, I would be interested in how you would answer the question that you posed to me simply because I think you have a pretty unique perspective on the HR profession as a whole. I personally think a great deal of it boils down to misunderstanding. (And a lot of the responsibility for that probably falls on those of us that write and speak and consult on diversity and inclusion.) I think that HR still has a 20th century understanding of diversity and inclusion, seeing it largely as being about either compliance or being nice to people. HR (and they are certainly not alone, they are probably actually ahead of the curve) just has not brought its understanding and approach and tools regarding D&I up to date…and not understanding what these things really mean today and why they are really valuable makes it hard to do the right kinds of things to realize that value. That, I think is a big part of the disconnect.
Thanks again.
-joe
Joe –
Loved your post – I think where we (as HR) fail is in how we show the value of diversity to our operation partners – in any organization we serve. HR is so concerned about being politically correct, we forget about how to really make an impact with this topic. To get the traction we need, we have to be able to show our executive teams the ROI on diversity – actually show them that a diverse team will produce better results – and if you (HR) can't do this – then step away and stop pushing the issue. I'm confident if you get the best, most diverse talent – you'll get better results – unfortunately too many organizations focus on getting diverse – but don't focus on getting better talent that is diverse. This causes organizations/and HR to fail at moving this issue forward.
The vast majority of HR Pros will never be able to move their organizations past compliance, because frankly it's just too difficult for them to go out and find great diverse talent. They just are unwilling to put forth the resources to get the job done.
Good stuff,
Tim
Joe, your insight is spot on, I couldn't agree with you more. Great post.
HRMargo Rose
http://linkedin.com/in/margorose
The first word that popped in to my head was wow! Not a bad wow, but an awesome, you knocked it outta the park wow!
With that being said, as an HR Corporate manager, I rely heavily on getting diversity ideas from my membership in SHRM and it is sadly lacking!!! I struggle daily on good resources in my community to help me find quality, diverse candidates.
I have support from our C-suite…I have support from our management team, but can not seem to get any help outside of that!
It is very frustrating indeed!
Ps – your post was not self serving at all!! 🙂
Thanks Tim and Margo and Jean, I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. I go back and forth on this whole issue as I think it can be easy for folks like me to put really big expectations on SHRM, which cannot be all things to all people. I do think that on a national level SHRM is doing some real things on this big and complex set of issues, but I continue to be very disappointed by what I see showing up on state conference agendas. Jean, I would be happy to brainstorm and share ideas and resources with you anytime…I am an e-mail or a phone call away (402.740.7081).
-joe