During my conversations with companies across Canada I have noticed that there is a commonality in diversity programs that work and it is a personal touch. It should really come as no big surprise that an effective diversity program goes beyond making a few diversity hires and some niceties in the employee handbook but makes sure there is real, personal engagement with all employees that focuses on that employees specific area of needs.
All companies want high levels of employee engagement, but such engagement is a two way street. Your employees will feel passionate about the success of your business when they feel that your business is equally passionate about them. And there's simply no better way to communicate that to employees than to communicate with them in a personal way.
So that's all nice but what exactly does that mean?
Well the execution specifics can vary but one of the diversity related programs that seems to have the greatest success are internships and mentoring programs.
I think these programs work so well for a number of reasons. For starters the program experience is founded on a one-on-one relationship and that's a good ratio to ensure that the intern or mentee feels that their success is important to the organization as a whole.
Even more though I think that one of the most valuable experiences these programs leave with their participants is being able to see first hand what success looks like. Too often starting in an organization, outside of a sales role, means working in a area where opportunities to move up are limited, or the gap between your work and bottom line success is hard to bridge. These sorts of disconnects can make it difficult for all new employees but the problem is compounded for new employees from diverse backgrounds who may feel even less like they fit in to the success of your company and its future.
When any employee, but especially a diverse one, gets first hand experience of what hard work and real engagement can bring they are far more likely to remain passionate about the organization.
And again none of this should really be rocket science but if you find yourself wondering why your diversity initiative isn't working remember it's time tested programs like mentoring that really do make the difference. Having good intentions is all well and good but having a personal touch with new employee engagement is what stands out most about companies who are successful with diversity.
