8 Tips for Hiring and Retaining Diverse

Employees

By: Dianne Shaddock

© 2010 Easy Small Business HR. All rights reserved.

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8 Tips for Hiring and Retaining

Diverse Employees

Special Report From: EasySmallBusinessHR.com

Many managers and business owners understand the value of hiring a

diverse group of employees, but aren’t quite sure of the steps that need to

be taken towards reaching their goal of an inclusive and diverse

workforce.

Finding and retaining employees that represent a wide range of diversity at

all levels takes time and commitment. The following 8 tips should help

towards developing a plan of action that over time, will help you to hire

and retain staff that are representative of the community at large.

Finding Diverse Employees

1. Participate with associations or organizations whose primary focus is to

work with underrepresented individuals. Participation may include

attending networking events, sponsoring an association initiative, or

providing helpful workshops or information sessions.

2. Take a look at your website and other marketing materials that represent

your company. If these materials don’t highlight individuals from

different backgrounds, you’ll likely lose many potential candidates who

will view the lack of diversity in your marketing materials to be indicative

© 2010 Easy Small Business HR. All rights reserved.

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of the lack of commitment or interest that your business has for staff that

are different.

3. Reach diverse candidates early in the game by contacting administrators

at high schools or middle schools in areas where the population is diverse.

These types of events are the perfect opportunity to showcase your

company and the type of work that your employees perform on a daily

basis. Students will remember your company when they are looking for

work.

Keeping the Employees That You Have

4. Make sure that you orient all new employees by ensuring that they are

introduced to staff across the organization. Share with them the often

overlooked, but important information on the mission and culture of the

business.

5. Include your new employees in workplace activities and initiatives as

appropriate.

6. Become more in tune to cultural and communication differences in the

workplace. Research the impact that cultural and communication

differences may have in the workplace.

An excellent article that goes into very interesting detail about cultural

differences in the workplace and how to identify an overcome them is

“Managing a Multicultural Workforce”.

Another great article to read is “Understanding Cultural Differences in

the Workplace”. Although the article specifically speaks to international

business, the advice is very transferable to the U.S. workforce.

7. Don’t be shy about interviewing all of your employees in order to get a

sense of what they like about the organization, or what they feel can be

done better. As employees leave your company, meet with them to learn

© 2010 Easy Small Business HR. All rights reserved.

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about their experience and use the information to help you to recruit and

retain employees.

8. Provide mentorship opportunities for employees so that they are

exposed to individuals at all levels of the organization.

Need More Employee Hiring and

Managing Tips?

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How to Find the Best Employees

Manage Difficult Staff

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Develop Employee Policies and

Procedures… and so much more!

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Giving Your Employees What They Really Want

© 2010 Easy Small Business HR. All rights reserved.