News

by Christopher To, Elad N. Sherf, and Maryam Kouchaki

Harvard Business Review  -  July 17, 2023

All too often, managers deny the existence of inequities at their organizations and, as a result, resist implementing diversity initiatives there. There are two standard explanations for this behavior: Managers resist because they’re part of privileged demographic groups whose power is threatened by the initiatives, or because they’re ideologically opposed to them. The authors of this article, however, have uncovered evidence of an even more powerful factor: Managers resist because they identify with their organizations and therefore are prone to “motivated reasoning,” a phenomenon that makes it hard for them to view their organization in a negative light. The authors explain this phenomenon and provide readers with some tactics for combatting it.

Read the full story HERE

Written by DiversityInc Contributor

Most people are familiar with the glass ceiling, a term that describes the barriers that women and people of color face when trying to advance their careers and move up the organizational chart. But another barrier has emerged that makes life difficult for a majority of workers in the country: the paper ceiling.

The paper ceiling refers to career advancement barriers experienced by those without a college degree. Almost 38% of the American population aged 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers on educational attainment. That means the paper ceiling potentially impacts 62% of the workforce.

Read the full article HERE.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition (DWC) is accepting applications for its Annual Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts of organizations that actively engage in promoting and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. 

All organizations across the corporate, government, community, and not-for-profit sectors are eligible to apply. 

DWC Board President Monica Zulauf said the Selection Committee is looking forward to reviewing this year’s submissions.  “I am always amazed by how the quality of applications gets stronger and stronger each year,” said Zulauf. “Many applicants have told us that simply participating in the process is a valuable experience because it allows them to share best practices, learn from each other, and continue to evolve into more diverse and inclusive organizations, which, in turn, helps achieve broader societal goals.”

The Selection Committee awarded Port City Pretzels the 2022 DEI Award for exhibiting exemplary leadership in—and commitment to—advancing and advocating for DEI in its workplace and community. Finalists also named for their considerable achievements in DEI were Mascoma Bank and Merchants Fleet.

Applications for this year’s award program will be accepted from now until to February 15, 2023.  Candidates will be selected for a virtual interview and site visit, conducted by Selection Committee representatives, with the final winner announced at the DWC’s annual DEI conference, which will take place at Southern NH University in Manchester on March 16, 2022. 

For more information, please visit: diversityworkforce.org/Award/Applications

The Diversity Workforce Coalition is a membership organization comprised of employers and other community members to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace through education, networking, and the training of its members and community partners.

Media contact:
Monica Zulauf
(603) 781-5014
mlzulauf@gmail.com 

Mikaela Cohen - cnbc.com

As companies scramble to attract and retain talent, a growing focus on how to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives is gaining strength.

However, there are key differences between diversity, inclusion and belonging, Erin Thomas, head of diversity, inclusion and belonging at Upwork, at the recent CNBC Work Summit in October.

“We like to think of belonging as a feeling, fit, or enablement, to show up authentically at work in a safe environment,” Thomas said. “Inclusion is a practice, talking about decisions made on a microscale, who’s invited to a meeting, and on a macroscale, who’s getting promoted and getting pay increases.”

Diversity is about representation, she added. This is where companies look at representation across levels and commit to bringing in employees that represent all demographics.

“All of these things swirl together to shape culture and to shape workplaces. You can’t have one of these without the others,” Thomas said.

Read the full story HERE.

Shared by WeAreTheCity

In the midst of economic maelstroms and a cost-of-living crisis, businesses and employees alike are understandably anxious about the ever-present big picture issues. This pressure is increasingly compelling business leaders to weed out what some deem to be ‘non-essential’ initiatives to minimise expenses, cautiously evaluating where to best allocate resources.

Not sidelining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) now may seem counter-intuitive. In fact, in a time of economic turmoil, there is an even more urgent need to invest in DE&I efforts. Far too often, DE&I suffers as a ‘nice to have’ initiative, viewed as something to invest in when times are good.

It comes down to this: recessions are not created equally. The data shows us that there are groups who are impacted more than others, and existing biases and inequalities can quickly become more ingrained and increasingly painful in times of crisis.

Read the full story HERE.

By Entrepreneur contributor Sam Basu Farreca

With voluntary employee turnover costing U.S. companies $1 trillion a year, diversity and inclusion is an area that businesses can't afford to overlook. Furthermore, numerous studies have now shown how the lack of a diverse and inclusive culture has led to high turnover, less innovation and organizational performance problems.

Your DEI program may seem to have all the pieces — A solid, cross-functional council/committee, active ERGs, data on talent acquisition and employee engagement activities, workshops and eLearnings, newsletters, signage and communications supporting the company DEI strategy.

In spite of all this, it is possible that you're still not truly building a culture of diversity and inclusion. To determine if you are indeed developing a diverse and inclusive culture, ask these questions:

• Are leaders and managers receiving empathy, communication and emotional intelligence training?
• Are you applying DEI concepts to day-to-day operations?
• Are your DEI policies and processes fair?
• Are you measuring the right things, in the right ways?

Read more HERE.

Written by Danielle Hess, DiversityInc

Today’s workforce is in a unique position where there are five generations working together, whether it be in-person, remotely or both. And while there are challenges to managing a multigenerational team, there are also opportunities.

The five generations currently in the workforce include:

1. Traditionalists (76 to 99 years old)
2. Baby Boomers (57 to 75 years old)
3. Generation X (41 to 56 years old)
4. Millennials (26 to 40 years old)
5. Generation Z (25 years old and younger)

Some of the challenges of a multigenerational workforce include employees having different relationships with organizations, authority, work styles, etc. For example, when it comes to working styles, Traditionalists very much follow the rules and only want to fix them if something’s broken. Baby Boomers want a structured organization but will challenge the rules, yet they are cautious about change. Gen X is flexible but wants to change the rules, Millennials are flexible but want to make the rules and Gen Z wants balanced rules but is used to change.

Read more HERE.

Business NH Magazine, in partnership with Organizational Ignition, Manchester NAACP and the Business Association for People of Color - NH (BA-PoC NH), is compiling a list of People of Color-led (CEO, president or owner) businesses in NH for the April 2022 issue.

Companies are ranked by community impact and annual sales and listed under general headings (i.e. Under $1 Million in sales, $1 million to $5 million in sales, etc.). Specific revenue figures are used for ranking purposes only and are not publicly disclosed in the magazine but kept confidential.

Read more and respond to the survey HERE.

DEI strategist Amber Cabral outlines what leaders can anticipate in the year to come so they can move toward a more inclusive and successful future.

As a diversity, equity, and inclusion expert, I’ve spent the last decade helping Fortune 500 ranked companies, educational institutions, and non-profits create and execute strategies to embed culture, diversity, and inclusion into the employee experience.

Nonprofits that prioritize different perspectives are likely more able to meet the needs of the communities they serve and, internally, a deep appreciation of diversity also helps to create a more equitable work environment for employees and volunteers. 

Diversity, then, is naturally an important initiative worthy of the time, effort and money it requires to implement; however, managing it and ensuring it’s always top of mind for leaders requires regular internal evaluations. Here, the members of Forbes Nonprofit Council each share one thing nonprofit leaders can do to ensure they continue moving the organization forward in the right direction with regard to workforce diversification.

Read the full story HERE.