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Diversity training
Awareness programs try to turn differences into advantages
by Lisa Prezioso Linnell
for Virginia Business
May 2007
Americans typically celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May, which this year falls on the 13th. But managers of Virginia’s Kroger stores know that natives of Latin America always observe that holiday on May 10. That means managers may need to shuffle work schedules to allow some Hispanic employees a day off to spend with family. In addition, stores near Hispanic neighborhoods will need to arrange delivery of fresh-cut flowers and Mother’s Day cards in Spanish a few days before May 10.
When the boss says,
'We need a diversity program,'
here's where to start
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Many human resources professionals back diversity programs as a way to make the workplace a better environment for everyone. But where can companies start in setting up a program? Here are some tips, courtesy of Crist Berry and Katherine McCary, co-chairmen of the diversity committee for the Richmond Human Resources Management Association.
Berry, owner of RCB HR Consulting, has worked
for Capital One Financial, McDonald’s and Safeway. Katherine McCary, a SunTrust vice president, promotes the company’s
regional disability resource center.
1. Determine why you want to start a diversity program
“Ask yourself, ‘What is the business purpose I’m trying to solve?’ Usually it’s the right thing to do; or we have compliance issues; or the world around us is changing, and we’ve got to go on that voyage of discovery.” — Berry
2. Make sure the program is not just a human-resources idea
“It should be a real business need that is perceived by senior management.” — Berry
3. Get senior management to buy in through awareness
“Use data from your own corporation to wake people up about what is going on.” — McCary
4. Define your
corporation’s definition of diversity
“Establish a corporate diversity council.” — McCary
5. Get going with training
“Is there a senior management person who is a champion who can shoehorn-in the training for the other senior executives?” — Berry
6. Set goals and measure effectiveness
“What have they done with race and gender in terms of hiring and promoting and retaining a diverse work force?” — McCary
- Lisa Prezioso Linnell
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Such sensitivity to the traditions of Hispanic employees and customers is no accident. George Anderson, director of human resources for Kroger’s mid-Atlantic marketing area based in Roanoke, says it is the result of an extensive diversity training program.
Kroger, in fact, is among a growing number of companies in Virginia that include diversity training as a regular part of employee training. These companies recognize the need to meld a cohesive work force from a labor pool that reflects Virginia’s rapidly changing demographics.
Since 2000, Virginia’s population has grown by more than 500,000 residents, or nearly 7 percent. Many of those new residents are Hispanic or Asian. Today one in 10 Virginia residents is foreign born.
Human resource executives believe that training programs that acknowledge the diverse backgrounds of employees can reduce friction in the work force and help workers gain a sense of inclusion and common purpose in the company. The result, they say, can be improved morale and higher retention levels. Plus such programs can help companies avoid costly discrimination suits.
At a recent diversity training session for 35 managers, Kroger showed a documentary titled “A Class Divided.” Produced in the late 1960s, the film documents the reactions of a class of white third-graders in rural Iowa when they were alternately given or denied privileges based on their eye color. One day the blue-eyed children were favored; the next day, brown-eyed children got extra privileges. The film showed how discrimination affected the children’s performance in school. In daily math drills, the privileged group invariably scored better.
“The movie is so compelling to see how we consciously or unconsciously discriminate,” Anderson says. “Usually, at the beginning of the movie, a couple of people will chuckle at first and have a ‘kids will be kids’ attitude.”
But the mood usually changes by the end of the film. “Several people have teared up very significantly,” says Anderson says. “It’s interesting to watch the group connect and understand that human is human.”
Pete Williams, president of Kroger’s mid-Atlantic marketing area, said the company is establishing human-relations councils tasked with “identifying barriers that keep us from being the best we can be.” Eventually there will be councils at each store. “We believe we will have less turnover as time goes on,” says Williams. “More importantly, the employees are working together as a team, and they are happy at their place of work.”
Owens & Minor Inc., a Fortune 500 medical and surgical supplier, credits its diversity training for a higher rate of employee retention at the company. “Seven or eight years ago, turnover in field locations was about 35 percent [per year]. Now it’s about 21 percent,” says Craig Vick, the human resources development director for the Richmond-based company. The figure, he adds, is far better than the industry average. “I think that diversity training leads to a more positive work environment. The environment is everything.”
At Owens and Minor, components of diversity awareness and sensitivity are integrated into all training sessions — no matter what the topic. “We try to weave diversity into everything that we do,” says Vick. This includes posters, e-mails from management, classes on leadership or the variety of food offered on the cafeteria’s menu.
According to Vick, diversity training can help a company win contracts. When Owens & Minor gets requests for proposals from customers such as Bon Secours and VCU Health System, the bid must illustrate how Owens & Minor handles diversity. “They demand to know what our diversity practices and policies are.”
For instance, Owens & Minor must specify its employee population in terms of percentages of minorities and females. It is required to provide information on diversity training programs as well as training programs designed to increase management opportunities for females and minorities. Also, it must cite whether medical benefits are offered to domestic partners. “Your diversity practices,’’ notes Vick, “could be a deciding factor in a really tight race.”
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