| If there is not enough diversity in your employee base | | | | problems and be more innovative. |
| or there is high turnover with certain groups of | | | | - Use resources that are already in place and |
| employees, your organization will not be able to | | | | research what other organizations have done to be |
| leverage the power of diversity. Building diversity in a | | | | successful. |
| company through recruiting and retention is an | | | | - Provide cross-cultural communication training to help |
| important step to creating an inclusive workplace. Are | | | | staff work better together and serve the client |
| your recruiting efforts doing the following? Here are | | | | population more effectively. |
| some tips to help build diversity in your organization | | | | - Survey and interview staff across demographics to |
| through recruitment: | | | | determine their needs in order to create a strategic |
| - Begin to recruit from middle and high schools. Attend | | | | plan for retention and increased recruitment under |
| career days and come prepared to discuss the | | | | represented populations. |
| benefits of working for your organization and your | | | | - Examine your definition of leadership qualities to |
| industry. | | | | include ways in which people who have different |
| - Identify stereotypes of people who work in your | | | | thought processes and communication styles can lead. |
| industry and develop strategies for changing | | | | If you have been hierarchical in the past, start learning |
| perceptions i.e. Firefighting should only be a male | | | | that people with consensus styles can also be |
| occupation. | | | | effective leaders. |
| - Use more inclusive language and visuals in rule books, | | | | - Conduct exit interviews and identify patterns and |
| orientation, and recruiting materials. | | | | themes if they exist. |
| - Create cross-cultural and cross gender mentoring | | | | - Be willing to change to accommodate and use new |
| programs and provide training for mentors. | | | | ideas and creativity. |
| - Develop relationships with associations and | | | | - Too many people who own or run restaurants do |
| organizations that are geared toward | | | | not know enough about conducting interviewing |
| underrepresented groups. | | | | potential employees. Whether you define your |
| - Be aware of your own biases and stereotypes and | | | | restaurant as fast food, casual dining, or upscale, hiring |
| their impact on the environment. | | | | the wrong person for the job can be expensive. |
| - Create processes to make people who are different | | | | Consider the costs of advertising for candidates, |
| from you feel welcome and included in your | | | | interviewing time, disrupted customer service, training, |
| organization. | | | | and severance pay. Select a position in your |
| - Mentor people who are from different cultural or | | | | restaurant, and estimate how much each step of the |
| ethnic backgrounds or gender from you. It will help you | | | | hiring process costs in terms of time and money. You'll |
| become more comfortable with other people and will | | | | see how important having an interviewing and hiring |
| help your staff grow in their careers. | | | | system is. |
| - Incorporate ideas from other cultures to solve | | | | |