Workplace
Success Stories - Best Practices 2002
Recognition
Strategies for a Diverse Workforce
| Practice Name: Diversity
Committee |
Workplace
Issues Addressed: |
Description
of the practice
The
University Health Services (UHS) Diversity Committee draws its
membership from the entire organization. With particular attention
paid to cultural and occupational diversity, it provides a framework
for various programs and lends a staff voice to the issue of work
place diversity. The eight-person committee has been hugely successful
in lending a staff voice to the issue of workplace diversity and
has been particularly effective at keeping a pulse on issues related
to diversity and in turn communicating these issues to UHS management
and leadership. Staff have expressed appreciation for the inclusion,
recognition, and celebration of diverse people and the department
believes that this has increased staff morale, the sense of camaraderie
among staff, and raised awareness levels to new heights.
Benefits
of adopting the practice
This
practice improves methods for incorporating diversity into the
planning and delivery of programs and services; operationalizes
diversity in UHS personnel practices; clarifies the role of UHS
on campus with respect to this issue; and creates a healthy, safe,
and diverse work environment that supports the needs of clients
and employees. This practice meets the needs of a diverse workforce
in the following ways: There is employee input. It is inclusive.
Committee members are drawn from the entire organization with
particular attention given to cultural and occupational diversity.
How
this practice works
The
key things that need to be in place for this to work in other
departments are: leadership, organizational support, funding,
management flexibility, and a diversity committee with representation
drawn from the entire organization with particular attention given
to cultural and occupational diversity. Committee members are
appointed with their supervisor's approval and allocated work
time to attend monthly meetings.
What
you need in place to replicate this practice
Organizational
values that support diversity. Leadership, organizational support,
funding, management flexibility, and a diversity committee with
representaiton drawn from the entire organization with particular
attention given to cultural and occupational diversity. This committee
should have direct access to top management.
Tangible
improvements to the department as a result of adopting this practice
In
the three years since the committee was established, it has developed
and implemented a Peer Support Program to provide informal peer
support to UHS staff around workplace diversity issues; formalized
the celebration of monthly heritage months; developed diversity
awareness programming that has been integrated into the annual
UHS staff orientation launched a working group to explore how
UHS might partner with the Human Resources Employment
Unit to address specific goals to attract diverse applicant pools;
and shared its model with several campus departments that have
expressed interest in creating their own diversity committees.
The eight-person committee has been hugely successful in lending a staff voice to the issue of workplace diversity and has been particularly effective at keeping a pulse on issues related to diversity and in turn communicating these issues to UHS management and leadership.
Why
this practice was so successful and is worth replicating
The
establishment of this committee is rooted in the UHS organizational
values and mission and diversity is identified in their current
5-year Strategic Plan as a major objective. It is also rooted
in several official campus communications relating to the University's
role as an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, the
provision of an environment that is welcoming and supportive of
all participants, the delineation of Management Core Competencies
(of which diversity is one), and the belief that students need
to learn in a diverse environment.