Best Practices in Diversity
Staffing & Retention Ideas

These ideas all impact your company’s ability to attract and retain a qualified and talented diverse workforce. If you are having trouble finding or keeping employees, look here for fresh ideas.

Benefits designed to accommodate non-traditional families
Companies that offer health insurance coverage to same-sex domestic partners and opposite sex domestic partners can improve productivity by providing the safety net for employees uninsured partners at home. Many employers also add this benefit as a sign that they value diversity and believe that their non-discrimination policies and benefits are evidence of their commitment.

In addition, benefits reflecting a company’s support of adopted children also shows commitment to the employee’s work/life balance by providing financial support.

Companies using this idea include Cigna Healthcare and Principal Financial Group.

Cigna Healthcare provides employees with child-care assistance, sick child-care assistance and pre-tax child care program. Female employees receive job guarantee for time off for childbirth.

Building/Facility Location
A company’s physical location can have an impact on its effectiveness in attracting a diverse workforce. Access to bus lines and to areas where diverse populations live can increase your staffing opportunities.

Companies maximizing the benefits of their location include Principal Financial Group and Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Iowa & South Dakota.

Recruiting in minority-represented colleges, associations, churches, and community groups
Recruiting in minority-represented colleges, associations, churches, and community groups Staffing professionals will often state that relationships recruit. The labor market has made it necessary for employers to go find the talent and not to wait for the talent to come to them. Building relationships with individuals that coordinate campus relations, the leaders of associations/community groups and ministers/pastors of local churches can present opportunities to find individuals who are actively seeking a new job and also the passive job seeker.

Companies using this relationship-recruiting method include; Principal Financial Group, Cigna Healthcare, CH2M Hill, R. R. Donnelley and Sons, The Soul City Cafe, Salomon Smith Barney, ABC Virtual Communications and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Iowa & South Dakota.

Workforce Representation Tracking
There are many workforce items that can be tracked and analyzed. This tracking and analysis can be categorized by age, race, gender, etc. representation of your workforce. Then an analysis of the number of training/educational assistance opportunities and review of the number of promotions and terminations can be completed. The analysis can assist you in determining downward trends of a certain category and whether or not you are attracting and retaining workforce diversity. These trends can also identify issues with employee satisfaction and retention. The analysis results can be used to set goals for hiring, training and promotions.

Companies using these tracking and analysis methods include; Principal Financial Group, Cigna Healthcare, Des Moines Public Schools, R. R. Donnelley and Sons, and Girls Scouts of Moingona Council.

More staffing and retention ideas
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