People who have some understanding of what Affirmative Action is seem to hold a broad range of opinions regarding its origins, purpose and effectiveness and, it is certain, the topic has traditionally had its debatable points.
It’s a good thing that in these situations, human beings have developed a way to study variables, scrutinize statistics and test theories. Anytime a law, initiative or policy is controversial, we have the capacity to end the debate by turning to science.
Study after study has shown that workplace diversity not only boosts employee creativity, innovation, decision-making skills and satisfaction, but it also bolsters a company’s ability to attract elite and diverse talent and promotes market growth. But what’s going on behind these findings? What really happens in a racially, culturally, religion- and gender-diverse workplace? Well, besides the obvious benefits of bringing people together so that they might learn from one another, there’s quite a bit more.
Since customers and clients are diverse, it’s imperative for successful businesses to be able to understand and appeal to people from all walks of life. A team of employees that has a member of a specific ethnicity is 152% likelier to understand a client of that ethnicity. We’ve already mentioned that diversity boosts creativity and innovation, but how? Research has shown that when we interact with people who have different perceptions, ideas and beliefs than we do, new information is exchanged which in turn stimulates fresh, innovative thinking and spurs constructive, productive interactions.
Other studies have shown that shifting a workplace populace from all-male or all-female to one more evenly split between genders could increase revenue by up to 41% and that companies with more female board members statistically outperform those with less. Why? Again, it comes down to previously unrecognized viewpoints being shared, which may also bring a better understanding of the female consumer base that’s responsible for 70-80% of all consumer purchasing.
Now that we’ve established what’s good about it, let’s move on to the more pressing reason that it’s absolutely necessary for some companies to institute a workplace that’s Affirmative Action compliant: it’s the law. Companies that are federally contracted or subcontracted are legally required to not discriminate against any employee or applicant due to race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
To that end, a properly implemented AAP will include diagnostic components to ensure that women and minorities are being hired at a rate consistent with their representation in the available labor pool, as well as a series of practical actions to address any disparity.
In an effort to help employers stay Affirmative Action compliant (as well as positively enhance their workforce and advance their companies), HR Unlimited Inc. has compiled a list of hiring links that provide access to minority applicants nationwide.
Diversity Working – The largest diversity job board online, Diversity Working’s “Community Channels” include African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Person with Disability, Hispanic, LGBT, Mature Worker, Native American, Women, Veteran and General Diversity. It features an interactive Employer Zone with tabs for Membership, Job Posting, Resume Search, etc.
Minority Government Jobs – Minority Government Jobs is a niche board that connects those offering and seeking employment in the government sector. Since this site is a member of the Locate Jobs Network, a loose coalition of highly-targeted, industry-specific job boards, it offers “cross-posting” by automatically sharing posts on other relevant job boards within the network.
Minority Finance Jobs – Also a member of the Locate Jobs Network, Minority Finance Jobs attracts highly-qualified minority applicants who are seeking positions in the finance sector. Once again, cross-posting is included and both monthly or per-post rates are available.
Minority Nurse – The largest dedicated diversity nursing jobs board, Minority Nurse advertises jobs not only on their website, but across their social media channels as well and offers both print and digital recruitment products to employers. Since MinorityNurse.com and Minority Nurse Magazine offer educational materials, advice and informative blogs/articles, it serves as a hub for serious, conscientious, and qualified minority nursing candidates.
Minority Careers – Another member of the Locate Jobs network, Minority careers is a posting site for a broader range of employment opportunities, like truck driving, accounting, civil engineering, sales, etc., but will also “cross-post” jobs on other relevant sites throughout its network.
Hispanic Jobs – Enabling employers to reach and recruit bilingual/Spanish-speaking professionals worldwide, Hispanic Jobs allows employers to browse resumes for free, only charging if the employer would like the applicant’s contact information. Otherwise, there are several job-posting packages available.
iHispano – A professional network, iHispano employs state-of-the-art “matching” technology to pair prospective employers with their perfect Latino candidate. As a member of The Professional Diversity Network, the site offers a communal job-search experience for professionals, complete with mentoring, networking, events and informative blogs.
LatPro – An employment site dedicated to the needs of Hispanic and bilingual professionals, LatPro enables employers to efficiently find professional candidates with international experience, language skills, and/or multicultural knowledge. Featuring the largest resume database of qualified candidates, the site also offers customized recruitment solutions for employers.
Workplace Diversity – A dedicated job board for corporate recruiters who are looking for diverse candidates, Workplace Diversity is not only a place for Latino, Military Veteran, Female, Asian American, African American or LGBT professionals to find work, but also a source for career advice and diversity-related news that attracts and engages qualified candidates.
We’re in the business of building, implementing and providing support for comprehensive, highly-effective and fully compliant Affirmative Action Plans. If you’d like a free consultation, an audit checklist, or just need to ask a question, please feel free to contact us any time.
