Cloutier also explained (video below) how the company has changed its recruitment efforts to align job codes to find talented veteran employees. ADP particularly values veterans for their history of service and leadership experience.

ADP is No. 27 in the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50.

The post ADP: What Technologies Can Increase Veteran Recruitment? appeared first on DiversityInc.

The presenters—David Casey, Vice President of Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Caremark; Susan Autera, Director, Business & Technical Leadership, and Shivani Kathuria, Business & Technical Leadership Partner, IBM; and Christine Talbot, Vice President, Human Resources, and Barry Myers, Director, National Leadership Development, Kaiser Permanente—discussed:

• How CVS Caremark Tracks Talent Development: the company’s nine-box talent matrix rates employees’ current performance and future potential. The goal is to have a diverse in-house slate for higher-level openings.
• Why IBM Promotes Learning From Leaders: Rather than a traditional mentoring program, female high-potentials interview women senior executives in an effort to understand and document their career journeys. The company then tries to replicate recurring themes to accelerate the careers of its future women leaders.
• How Kaiser Permanente Sets High Standards: To make sure that high-potentials have the right tools to take on leadership roles, Kaiser has four management-development programs, including a Diversity Leadership Program that pairs executives and mentees.

Takeaways include: How to on-board of new hires to improve retention, set requirements for diverse candidate slates, use your executive diversity council to set diversity goals, and get senior-level executives involved in cross-cultural mentoring.

Please log in to watch the presentation and download the slides.

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The post Web Seminar: Ensuring Diversity in Succession Planning appeared first on DiversityInc.

Senior-leadership (executives reporting to the CEO, and those one and two levels below) participation in resource groups denotes commitment from the top and reinforces the notion that the groups are critical to the success of the company. This, in turn, attracts more employees, grows membership and increases the number of innovative ideas and strategies emanating from the resource groups.

DiversityInc Top 50 data show a strong correlation between senior-leadership involvement with resource groups and employee participation. Companies whose senior leaders are members of resource groups have 18.4 percent of all employees participating in the groups. Seventy percent of the CEOs at these companies meet with the groups on a regular basis. For companies whose senior leaders aren’t members of resource groups, the data show a negative correlation. These companies have just 2.1 percent of all employees participating in resource groups. Just 11 percent of CEOs at these companies meet with the groups on a regular basis. Employee participation for this same group is down from 3 percent four years ago.

Increased participation leads to increased interaction with senior leaders, which leads to increased engagement levels of employees who join the groups. (To read about how membership in resource groups leads to higher engagement, go to www.diversityincbestpractices.com/engagement)

– Shane Nelson

The post Why Should Senior Executives Participate in Resource Groups? appeared first on DiversityInc.

People in the St. Louis region refer to their home as a thriving “city of neighborhoods.” Each of the city’s 79 communities features its own identity with distinctive characteristics and cultural heritage. Nicknamed the Gateway City, the city’s populations trace their heritage back to Africa, Asia, Latin America and many European countries. The largest demographic group is Blacks, who currently make up 49.4 percent of the population.

Despite the racial/ethnic diversity of the city’s nearly 320,000 residents, the neighborhoods formed by immigrant communities in the late 1800s to early 1900s remain very homogenous, says Reena Hajat Carroll, executive director of the Diversity Awareness Partnership.

“There are very specific white restaurants and bars and nonwhite restaurants and bars. You very quickly realize you are of the nonmajority. It makes it very hard to fit in if you are not Black or white,” says Carroll, who is Asian Indian. “Increasing diversity awareness socially and in the professional arena is very important for the region to grow and remain competitive.”

The Diversity Awareness Partnership hosts a variety of programs to educate the public on issues surrounding race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. The nonprofit also works with 14 partner corporations, which include Edward Jones, Ameren, the Cardinals baseball team and the Rams football team, as well as DiversityInc Top 50 companies PricewaterhouseCoopers (No. 1 in the DiversityInc Top 50) and Wells Fargo (No. 33).

In addition to supporting the Diversity Awareness Partnership, local businesses also are taking their own initiatives to increase diversity awareness. In particular, Ameren, MasterCard, Monsanto, Edward Jones, McCarthy Building Companies and Anheuser-Busch have made diversity efforts a key strategy for recruitment, talent development and succession planning. Their goal: to attract diverse talent to the area to increase innovation and, ultimately, the city’s economic success.

Ameren
Leadership Accountability & Diversity Training

The largest electric utility in Missouri, and one of the largest investor-owned utility companies in the nation, the St. Louis–based Ameren Corporation has more than 3 million customers in the surrounding region. To provide them with exceptional service, Ameren has developed a comprehensive diversity-training program that allows its employees to have more awareness of diversity and cultural nuances while out in the field.

It’s one of the things that Ameren, one of DiversityInc’s Top 5 Utility Companies, is most proud of, according to Sharon Harvey Davis, vice president and chief diversity officer—so proud, in fact, that it makes the diversity-training program available to other companies for use in training their own employees. (Go to the Corporate Diversity page at Ameren.com to purchase the DVDs.)

“A large part of our efforts at Ameren are to move diversity ahead so that we can bring employees along to a new area of diversity,” says Steve Parks, manager of diversity. The training program is now in its third year with a focus on creating awareness around people with disabilities. Previous years’ themes included LGBT and sexual-orientation issues, and interracial relationships.

Davis notes that one of the rewarding effects of the training is that it helps employees in the community. “Our resource groups are charged with impacting the community around their respective focus areas. We give them training for community involvement and customer involvement,” she says. “Everyone that lives here is our customer. We have to be good at diversity.”

Recently, Ameren was recognized for its efforts in the community: The Governor’s Council on Disability named Ameren as honorable mention (runner-up) for its annual Inclusion Award. Ameren’s Network for Disabled Employees frequently reaches out to area public schools to engage students with disabilities and teach them the importance of education. The group hosted a Mentoring Day that produced a two-fold benefit: Students met employees and learned about opportunities in the utility industry, while employees interacted with students and developed a new comfort level with this demographic.

Ameren also sponsors Rams Blitz: Youth Working Together to Break Through Boundaries, a sportsmanship program, featuring players from the NFL’s Rams, that is bringing together football teams from Seckman High and Parkway North High for a series of activities during the school year designed to promote understanding and acceptance of differences.

Overall, more than 50 percent of Ameren’s community giving goes to multicultural nonprofits and college-outreach programs. “Ameren is very well known for its diversity efforts. A lot of people come to work here already aware and knowledgeable of what we’ve done through outreach and community giving,” says Davis, who attributes the company’s reputation to CEO Tom Voss’ visible commitment to diversity and inclusion. “He’s helping the city become better for all types of people through his involvement in organizations like the regional chamber of commerce and The Black Rep theater. His effort speaks volumes and it’s impacting his peers and CEOs in the community to get involved.”

Davis notes that Voss often is called on by other organizations to speak, such as during Edward Jones’ Inclusion and Diversity Week in October: “He’s a corporate champion in the community.” She continues, “Tom made it clear that if you’re a leader in this company, you’re involved in diversity. It’s expected of all direct reports and all high-level executives.”

Voss, who spoke at DiversityInc’s event last April, discusses how he holds his executives accountable in his Q&A with DiversityInc at www.DiversityInc.com/tom-voss. Davis’ work with him is highlighted  in 2 Case Studies of CEO Commitment.

MasterCard
Recruiting Tech-Savvy Millennials Is Key to Innovation

MasterCard is technology focused, with a goal of improving security and efficiency for all consumers globally—covering a total of more than 23 billion transactions a year. As such, MasterCard’s strategic plan is closely tied to the innovation of its talent and, therefore, the diversity of its employees. This is especially true in St. Louis, where the company’s office for tech and operations is based.

“We’re focused on bringing in top, diverse technical talent and distributing that talent globally—and that’s not just diversity in ethnicity and gender,” says Rob Reeg, president of the MasterCard Technologies division of MasterCard Worldwide. He notes that students in the technical and operations fields at most colleges and universities predominantly are Asian males. “It’s increasingly difficult to find diverse kids.”

“We need different perspectives; technologies invented here have to work across the world. Having that reach and representation from location, ethnicities and cultures is needed for innovations,” explains Luis Campadelli, group head, Human Resources, MasterCard Technologies. “Millennials are early adopters of technology and willing to try new things, especially emerging mobile and ecommerce solutions.”

A key recruiting strategy for MasterCard, No. 15 in the DiversityInc Top 50, has been to attract Millennial workers via targeted internship programs with colleges that provide access to a diverse talent pool. The MasterCard Technologies unit has found success in hiring from universities across the Midwest over the past three years, with the number of Millennial employees in its workforce increasing from 10 percent to 24 percent.

“For us, you have to look from a technology lens, which makes Luis’ job a little harder. We have to focus on campuses that can bring us the right level of diversity,” says Reeg, noting that MasterCard also utilizes its resource groups—which include groups for Black, Latino, Asian, women, LGBT, veteran, older and younger employees—as a way to target and identify prospective candidates.

MasterCard also began collaborating this year with InSight St. Louis, which offers an immersion program for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities who relocate to St. Louis and showcases the city as a great place to build a career, and with Washington University in St. Louis on a new MBA program.

The company plans to further its national recruiting efforts next year by partnering with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

Additionally, MasterCard will continue its partnership with INROADS, a nonprofit that places high-performing Black, Latino and American Indian students in internships at leading corporations. It will also partner with Junior Achievement, which educates children about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy, and the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Programs, which engage students in activities that build science, engineering and technology skills.

Monsanto
Diverse Pipeline Improves Processes, Technology & Innovation

Diversity-and-inclusion efforts at Monsanto, No. 44 in the DiversityInc Top 50, give the global agriculture company “deep roots within the St. Louis community” that support its strong focus of business success through innovation, says Melissa Harper, vice president of Global Talent Acquisition and Diversity.

The world’s rapidly increasing population size and diversity make this particularly relevant today, notes Harper. Agriculture, she explains, is a pivotal intersection point among food, fuel and fiber where success is based on three factors—food/product demand, innovation and execution. With the world population expected to increase by 2.3 billion, to more than 9 billion, by 2050, innovation will be all the more important.

“That’s why we’re continuously looking for ways to improve on agriculture today, to help our farmers and growers be successful through better technology, processes and innovation,” says Harper. “We rely on people from all different backgrounds and viewpoints to develop new, best products continuously.”

Harper recently spoke at DiversityInc’s Innovation Fest! event about how the company’s three-part talent-acquisition process helps overcome recruiting challenges and more fully integrates and engages its employees from various global cultures. Watch the video:

Monsanto’s strategy takes a proactive approach to increasing diversity in the talent pool. St. Louis–based initiatives include outreach to support diversity and local communities through education—such as partnerships with the company’s philanthropic arm, the Monsanto Fund—to help encourage Black, Latino and women students to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects.

These efforts include financial contributions; partnering with professional associations, such as Black Data Processing Associates, Future Farmers of America, Women in IT and the National Sales Network; supporting school-based and local urban greenhouses; and allowing employees to volunteer in classrooms to assist with science experiments and provide tutoring services.

Monsanto also participates in the InSight St. Louis program. The nonprofit is dedicated to recruiting top graduates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the St. Louis region. Monsanto and other participating companies host these students and provide educational development while showing them what it’s like to live and work in the city.

“We want to generate better awareness for long-term technology and engineering careers at Monsanto,” says Harper. This helps the company build a diverse, local set of qualified recruits for the future.

Additionally, Monsanto donated $1 million this year to the St. Louis Chapter of the United Negro College Fund. And members of Monsanto’s nine resource groups—Black, Latino, Asian, women, LGBT, family, veterans, people with disabilities, and young professionals—host and plan United Way’s Inspire Fashion Show each year, with all proceeds going to local charities in Greater St. Louis.

“Our recruitment and talent efforts are very deliberate. Being proactive helps us—we do not wait until we have an exact need to hire. Companies that do that tend to struggle a bit more,” says Harper.

Edward Jones
Improving Diversity in Financial Services—Getting White Men on Board

Although St. Louis has a diverse population, generating diversity awareness and finding diverse talent still proves to be a top challenge for organizations, particularly if you are in the financial-services industry, according to Emily Pitts, principal, Inclusion/Diversity at Edward Jones. The investment firm, which has 5,000 employees at its St. Louis headquarters, has nearly 7 million clients and more than 10,000 branches in the U.S. and Canada.

In a predominantly white- and male-dominated industry, the firm has had to make proactive efforts to attract diverse candidates to the region, she says. These efforts include fostering partnerships with multicultural organizations and professional associations, as well as its own robust recruitment and on-boarding programs for new hires.

“We sponsor events such as the National Urban League and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs. We’re always looking to strategically align ourselves with organizations that can help attract more diverse talent to St. Louis,” explains Pitts.

Like Monsanto’s Harper, Pitts notes the benefits of the InSight St. Louis program. Edward Jones has been a member for the last four years.

The company also has partnered with the Washington University chapter of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management for the past three years. The program aims to attract diverse, young professionals who are pursuing their MBAs. Returning students have an opportunity to interview with the program’s sponsors.

Edward Jones also has a Rotational Development Program that rotates recent graduates through four or five divisions in the firm before they are assigned a final placement. This allows the graduates to learn about the culture of the firm and observe the intricacies and nuances throughout the business.

To support its talent development and recruitment efforts from the inside, Edward Jones for the last three years has held an annual Inclusion and Diversity Week for both its associates and leaders. The week provides employees the opportunity to hear national speakers, attend cross-cultural-competence workshops and network.

This year the firm extended the program to the surrounding community through a partnership with the World Diversity Leadership Summit. “Diversity 2012 and Beyond,” a two-day event hosted at the company’s headquarters, was attended by 200 senior global executives from leading corporations, and sponsors included Ameren, Prudential Financial (No. 9 in the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50), the Diversity Awareness Partnership, United Negro College Fund and Major League Baseball.

Local community-focused organizations also were invited to an exposition to showcase the opportunities for associates to get involved in community outreach. Nonprofits participating included the Disabilities Institute, the Diversity Awareness Partnership, the Urban League and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“Having an event like this raises awareness and also creates a catalyst to get associates engaged. Diversity at Edward Jones is strong and we have a great culture, but people are always looking for what they can do or reasons for why we’re doing this,” says Pitts. “It creates a vehicle to educate and engage and promote the importance of inclusion and diversity in our firms.”

Additionally, Edward Jones works closely with the Diversity Awareness Partnership through the Give Respect Get Respect program. The five-month program brings together students from 25 middle and high schools, along with teachers and Edward Jones associates, monthly at Edward Jones’ offices to explore the issues of race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation and gender identity. Employees volunteer a total of 15 hours with the program, for which Edward Jones compensates them.

It’s a partnership that’s grown over the past decade, according to DAP’s Carroll. “Give Respect Get Respect provides companies internal diversity training in a nontraditional sense,” she says. “We’re helping students learn to handle conflict situations at school, like bullying and prejudice, but what also happens is students are teaching the adults. A lot of associates have kids as well so they get to hear an [unbiased] student’s perspective.”

Edward Jones was the first company to endorse the program, and Carroll says there will be three more companies—Boeing, the Saint Louis Zoological Park and the Missouri Botanical Garden—in 2013.

McCarthy Building Companies
Employee-Owned Company Builds Engagement Among Students

Finding diverse talent is also a key priority for McCarthy Building Companies, a St. Louis-based national general-contracting company that handles challenging, technical projects. “Talent is a significant issue and a concern for us across all our companies,” says Scott Wittkop, president, McCarthy Central Division. “The construction industry offers a wide variety of high-quality employment opportunities and will need to add 1.5 million workers to successfully install the volume of work expected in 2014 alone.”

Wittkop says his company’s advantage lies in his employees’ diversity and their ability to innovate by bringing different perspectives to the table. That’s why the company both looks to attract talent from across the country and continually develop its employees, as well as develop and engage talented students within local regions.

“We are continually challenging ourselves to accelerate the development of our top talent. Our annual senior talent-review process includes a formal identification of high-potential diverse employees and the creation of personal-development plans to foster their internal growth in our company,” says Wittkop, noting that talent development and retention is a particular concern for this 100 percent employee-owned company. “Developing our future leaders is critical to our long-term success.”

McCarthy Building Companies’ approach to talent management is just one part of its four-arm diversity-management strategy. The company also focuses on increasing educational support, collaborating with diverse clients and partners, and increasing philanthropic efforts.

For example, the company is the founding partner of the Introduction to Construction Careers program, which exposes diverse groups of talented students in St. Louis to high-paying construction careers. “It helps create awareness and excitement around those types of opportunities,” says Adam Knoebel, vice president of operations for McCarthy’s Central Division. “The construction workforce is aging and we’re all sending kids to school. The challenge is: Who’s going to be building our buildings in 10 to 20 years?”

Similarly, the Association for Construction Careers, Education & Support Services (ACCESS) serves to increase exposure to the construction industry among Blacks and Latinos, as well as provide educational support services. “The focus is to provide a clearinghouse for individuals interested in career opportunities in the city and put them in touch with needed educational opportunities,” explains Knoebel.

He adds, “Maintaining dialogue is important. We need to be a part of the conversation, internally and externally, and share best practices in a collaborative manner.”

The benefits of McCarthy Building Company’s diversity programs and outreach efforts are further dispersed throughout the region by its support of diverse suppliers. “Their ability to learn about a project early on and get involved with estimators” is a key driver for their ability to compete and find economic success,” says Monica Bailey, director of diversity, Central Division. “A lot of suppliers are unaware of projects out there, so we host specific events to collect their input, provide networking opportunities and help them with bidding, estimating and cost.” The company also provides formal and informal mentoring to diverse suppliers.

Wittkop and his executive team sit on boards or committees of 10 different nonprofits that are dedicated to improving St. Louis’ diversity within the workforce and among subcontractors. Currently, the company has dedicated approximately 18 percent of its spend to minority- and women-owned businesses, the company says.

Anheuser-Busch
More Than $1B in Social-Responsibility Commitments

Executives at Anheuser-Busch say their commitment to diversity management, and to maintaining a diverse employee base and inclusive work environment, is an essential strategy for the beer company’s business success. Creating an inclusive work environment not only helps it stay competitive in an increasingly global market and meet the needs of its consumers, but it also helps Anheuser-Busch stay true to its corporate goal of becoming the “best beer company in a better world” through focused efforts to promote alcohol responsibility, environmental sustainability and community outreach.

“At Anheuser-Busch, in all that we do we recognize our responsibility to improve the world where we do business. We are committed to building a company for the long-term with a legacy to be proud of—for the people who work for us and with us; for future generations and the environment in which we live; and, above all, for our consumers who we hope will always enjoy our products responsibly and be as proud to choose them as we are to create them,” states Anheuser-Busch’s Global Citizenship Report. The company has dedicated $1.3 billion to social responsibility since 1982.

As one of its foundational pillars, community outreach is a shared commitment among employees: More than 4,700 employees volunteered in 2011 with programs to promote alcohol responsibility, make a difference in the environment and help make a positive impact on local communities, including St. Louis.

With donations of $4.5 million in 2011 to United Way, Anheuser-Busch continues to be one of the health-and-human-services agency’s top corporate donors in the region. (The Anheuser-Busch Foundation and company employees have contributed more than $38 million combined to United Way since 1985.) Anheuser-Busch also avidly participates in Habitat for Humanity as a way to facilitate and improve economic development in local regions. Hundreds of employees helped to build homes in St. Louis in 2011, the project’s second year. “We’re proud to partner with Habitat to help our neighbors in need,” said Margarita Flores, vice president of community affairs for Anheuser-Busch. “Our employees look forward to these builds and it’s a real source of pride for them and us as a company.”

Additionally, Anheuser-Busch provides financial support to multicultural college students via national educational scholarship funds. This includes more than $24 million in contributions over the last 30 years to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), which has provided more than 23,000 scholarships to Latino students, and a donation of $325,000 in 2011 to the UNCF, formerly the United Negro College Fund.

“We are committed to making a difference through our people, integrity of our business conduct, and support of our community. We are proud of the positive and meaningful impact our business has on the communities in which we work,” Flores said.

Anheuser-Busch also supports the National Urban League, St. Louis American Foundation, NAACP, Hispanic Chamber of Metropolitan St. Louis, Casa Salud, the Hispanic Arts Council, St. Louis LGBT Business Guild, Organization of Chinese Americans, American Legion Post, YWCA and numerous other diverse and inclusive organizations both in St. Louis and across the country.

The post Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline in St. Louis appeared first on DiversityInc.

Monsanto, No. 44 in the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50, is one of nine leading companies that presented at our Innovation Fest! diversity event held in New York City.

For closed captions, press the CC button in the YouTube player.

Video Minutes
0:00:00 About Monsanto
0:02:32 Monsanto’s Recruiting Challenges
0:05:36 A New “People Strategy”
0:07:38 Three-Part Talent Acquisition Model
0:09:05 Integrating Talent Acquisition and Diversity
0:13:43 Leadership Liasons
0:15:17 Nine Employee Networks
0:16:19 Diversity Action Plan
0:17:57 Talent Development Scorecard
0:19:02 Quarterly Diversity Calendar
0:19:57 Success Stories

The post How to Find, Hire & Integrate Global Talent Into Your Workforce appeared first on DiversityInc.

The nine diversity innovations presented by leading companies at our Innovation Fest! demonstrate how they’ve transformed effective diversity management into a true source of innovation, capable of generating the business solutions they need to differentiate their company, get a leg up on competitors and capture new market share.

Diversity Management: A Source of Innovation

Held in New York City, DiversityInc’s second Innovation Fest! featured a series of quick-fire, 30-minute presentations from corporate leaders quantifying the benefits diversity management has on business results. [View presentations from our February Innovation Fest!]

These include positive results in sales, productivity and pipeline development from innovations in resource groups, recruitment and talent development, supplier diversity, employee engagement/productivity, and corporate communications.

Watch videos of the presentations from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Brown-Forman, Wells Fargo, Rockwell Collins, BASF, AT&T, Travelers, Marriott International and Monsanto in the player below, plus watch University Hospital’s Dr. Drew Hertz, the lunchtime speaker. (For closed captions, press the CC button in the YouTube player.)

The full Innovation Fest! presentations with PowerPoint slides are available on DiversityIncBestPractices.com by clicking the links below.

DiversityInc Innovation Fest!: How 9 Companies Capitalize on Innovation

Increasing Engagement, Retention & Talent Development of New Black Hires
Elena Richards, Talent Management Leader, Office of Diversity, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

How a Liquor Company Benefits From Resource Group for Non-Drinkers
Matt Hamel, General Counsel and Executive Sponsor of the Non-Drinker Resource group, and Judy Spalding, the resource group’s founder and co-leader, Brown-Forman

Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor Program
Kyle Young, Certified Financial Planner and Vice President, Investment Officer, Wells Fargo

Improving Healthcare for 68,000 Black & Latino Children
Dr. Drew Hertz, Medical Director for UH Rainbow Care Network and an Assistant Clinical Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Innovative Ways to Develop & Support Supplier Diversity
Amber Janey, senior project manager for supplier diversity, and Evette Creighton, Diversity Program Manager, Rockwell Collins

How Diversity Dashboards Improve Leadership Accountability
Tina Kao, vice president, Talent Development, and Patricia Rossman, Chief Diversity Officer, BASF

The Innovation Pipeline: Promoting Cross-Function Collaboration
Sam Zellner, Executive Director of Innovation Applications and Services Infrastructure, AT&T

Diversity Training Equals $2M Savings for Insurance Company
Nicole Hughey, Director, Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion at Travelers

Social Gaming: A Diversity Strategy for Cross-Cultural Engagement
Francisca Martinez, Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition, Marriott International

Talent Acquisition Integration
Melissa Harper, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition, Monsanto

The post How 9 Companies Capitalize on Innovation: Resource Groups, Engagement & Talent Development appeared first on DiversityInc.

In 1983, the company I was working for at the time of my accident, IBM, asked me to come back to work in a wheelchair. I was relocated to White Plains, N.Y., from 205 East 42nd Street in Manhattan, which was down the street from the United Nations building and across the street from the “Daily News.” (IBM is No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity.)

I married the love of my life, Maggie, in 1988. Since then, we have raised two children, both now living in Boston: our daughter, who is now an attorney, and our son, who is finishing up college at Northeastern University.

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. During the 20 years since the ADA was enacted, I have seen positive steps taken on many levels when it comes to changing attitudes regarding people with disabilities.

The ADA put the spotlight on a severely underrepresented group in our nation. Because of the ADA, people with disabilities are a group with a voice; we are now a legitimate constituency that has come of age. The disability community is a constituency that votes, that works, and that pays taxes. Human beings, who were once invisible, are now visible and can no longer be ignored.

The second prominent change I’ve seen in the last 20 years centers around the attitude of the American people and how our nation now perceives leaders. For example, the glass ceiling was symbolically and continually broken when women began to take on numerous leadership roles previously held by men.

You know these women as well as I do. In politics, regardless of political orientation, they include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, holding powerful jobs previously held by men.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another change in attitude we were all witness to: the historic election of our first Black president, Barack Obama. This attitude change in America bodes well for people with disabilities as we, as a community, aspire to similar leadership positions.

A New World

The third change I’d like to mention has to do with technology. For the first time in history, everything is connected—businesses, workflows and transactions.

There are 1.2 billion people, millions of businesses and perhaps a trillion devices connected to the World Wide Web today. In 2011, the Internet reached two billion people—nearly one-third of the world’s population.

Given the proliferation of technology, it shouldn’t be surprising that 70 percent of the computer chips produced today do not go into “computers.” They go into cars and planes, appliances, roadways, shipping containers, pacemakers, emergency rooms and every product with a radio-frequency identification tag … all “intelligent” and all connected.

With this technology revolution emerges a key point: Technology is the great equalizer for people with disabilities and will continue to play a major role in enabling people with disabilities to reach their full potential.

Between now and 2015, as the baby boomers retire, America will need between 10 and 15 million new workers. Add to that the demand for skills we see around the world and it becomes clear that businesses cannot afford to exclude any one constituency group from the talent pool.

This is especially true when it comes to people with disabilities, a large and under-utilized workforce that is employed at dramatically lower rates than the population of people with no disabilities, both in the United States and around the world. In August 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate of people with disabilities was 14.5 percent, higher than the rate for those with no disability, which was 9 percent.

Looked at another way, the employment-population ratio—the proportion of the population that is employed—was 19 percent for people with disabilities. Among those with no disability, the ratio was much higher: 64 percent.

The U.S. Census Bureau has previously reported that 51 million people, or 18 percent of the population, have some form of disability. Globally, the World Health Organization reports that between 750 million and 1 billion people have a disability. In addition, this constituency group controls $1 trillion in aggregate income and more than $220 billion in disposable income annually.

This data suggests that we should be able to leverage more of this under-utilized talent than we do today, if for no other reason than because it is good business—and people with disabilities are both customers and part of our talent base.

Global Challenges for People With Disabilities

The global environment argues against the exclusion of talent of any kind. Globalization, in my view, actually favors people with disabilities in the workforce, more than at any other time in history.

This is the new world of work, a world I believe is extending a hand to people with disabilities to not only participate but to lead. This is a time of great opportunity for people with disabilities to be a leader in business, government or other areas of employment. But more must be done to close critical gaps that will allow people with disabilities to become more fully integrated in society and the workplace.

To achieve this, we must strengthen partnerships with government and non-governmental organizations to help people with disabilities get to work as well as earn enough to wean themselves off our well-intentioned social programs. To accomplish this, three areas require attention: transportation, technology and inclusion.

First, transportation: According to a National Organization on Disability/Harris survey, people with disabilities are twice as likely to have inadequate transportation when compared with the mainstream population (31 percent versus 13 percent).

Lack of mobility is a major inhibitor if one aspires to a leadership role. The inability to travel, or the perception that one cannot travel easily, may even remove people with disabilities from consideration for a variety of jobs, making career advancement more difficult. Is this perception right? The answer is no. Does it exist? The answer is yes.

Government and business must continue to partner and look at transportation from the perspective of people with disabilities. A holistic approach must be taken, beginning with a person with a disability at home and mapping a route from home to work and back. The basic elements include: education and training, healthcare needs to get up and leave the house, appropriate transportation (public or private), and a workplace that is accessible, flexible and inclusive.

Second, technology: The Harris survey also reported that Americans with disabilities not only rely on assistive technology but a third reported they would lose their independence without technology.

Many assistive-technology accommodations cost as little as $500.00. The investment in technology to employ a professional with a disability may be less than the price a business pays for repeated costs of attrition, recruiting and hiring. Investments in technology can help make all employees more productive.

Finally, we can all do more when it comes to inclusion—that is, being comfortable with people who are different than we are.

Integral, Not Isolated

For some employers today, the inclination is to think that if an employee has a disability, the employment issue can be handled by just providing technology that enables an employee to work from home. In some cases that may be true or even necessary. But I think it’s critical for people with disabilities to be visible and in the workplace. To overcome basic misconceptions, a professional with a disability must be fully integrated into the workplace, not isolated.

I’m sure there are many organizations that will hire a person with a disability with the right skills for a job, but how many have the vision to consider that same person to run their company or organization? Take a look at people with disabilities who are professionals in your own organizations; they may just be the leaders you are looking for—right under your nose and ready to lead. I ask that you employ people with disabilities not just for a job but for a leadership career in your organization.

Although we have seen significant changes in the world, we still have a long way to go. As you reflect on this topic, consider these questions: What do you see when you look at a person with a disability? Do you see just a blind person, a person who is deaf, or a person who uses a wheelchair?

The next time you meet a person with a disability, I would like you to see a business colleague … possibly a person who could be your next manager or even the next CEO of your organization.

Until we change our perceptions and paradigms, we will never see what is possible. Until we see and act upon what is possible, we will never change the present.

– Jim Sinocchi, Director for Workforce Communications, IBM Corp.

The post What Is Possible for People With Disabilities? appeared first on DiversityInc.

It took 18–24 months to create a safe work environment and educate existing employees about working with the new crew. The results:

• Overall employee engagement increased, as did awareness of people with disabilities
• The new employees reported great pride in their jobs
• Two seconds were shaved off the production process
• Community and public relations were improved

Presented by: Dave Orrender, Assembly Manager, and Tim Turner, Assembly Safety Team Leader, Toyota Motor North America.

The post How Recruiting People With Disabilities Solved Toyota’s Costly Problem appeared first on DiversityInc.

Definition:

Historically, companies have started with resource groups for Blacks and women, and in their early versions, many of these were more social and were used for gripe sessions. Today, they are run by the company with specific business goals in mind.

Here’s a primer on how to set up resource groups and how to most effectively use them.

What do you call them?

These groups are known by many different names—employee-resource groups, business-resource groups, associate-resource groups, employee networks and affinity groups. In recent years, more companies in the DiversityInc Top 50 have chosen to use the word “resource” to emphasize their value to drive the business mission, including gaining market share through culturally competent sales and customer service, and recruiting and engaging a diverse workforce to create innovative, marketplace-focused business solutions.

Which resource groups should you start first?

While many companies start with groups for Blacks and women because they are easily identifiable and most commonly associated with historic diversity and affirmative-action plans, each company must address its own needs. If the marketplace is increasingly Latino or Asian and you are having a hard time recruiting Latino or Asian talent, then those resource groups might be the best place to start. If your company needs to be more inclusive of LGBT people, an LGBT and allies resource group would be valuable.

What’s important is to have specific resource groups based on the needs of your company—and to make sure the resource groups are inclusive of everyone, especially people who are not of that group’s demographic but who want to learn more about it or are allies.

What are best practices to get resource groups started?

First and foremost, have a business charter that is approved by your diversity department. State clearly what the role of the resource group is and how it will impact your business, whether it is through recruitment and talent development or external market relationships.

Make sure the resource group has an executive sponsor, preferably from the senior ranks of the organization, and if at all possible, have it be someone who is cross-cultural. Do not wait for critical mass to start a resource group; if it is needed and you don’t have enough employees, have corporate diversity start it and encourage others to join. Try to find people who are not already considered high potential for leadership positions within the resource group, and use the opportunity to offer them cross-functional experience and leadership training. Corporate funding for these groups varies widely, but an average for the DiversityInc Top 50 is $15,000 per year per group.

Who should be an executive sponsor and what role should they play?

The resource group’s executive sponsor should come from the highest ranks of the organization (CEO and direct reports, if possible) to send the message to the company that this is a high priority for reaching business goals. If possible, the sponsor should be from a different demographic group for both inclusivity and to create more awareness at executive levels. 

The sponsor should keep the resource group focused on business goals and report back to the executive diversity council on progress. The sponsor should not personally be the group’s leaders. At an increasing number of DiversityInc Top 50 companies, a portion of the sponsor’s compensation is tied to the resource group’s performance. The groups, once established, should also have regular meetings with the CEO and senior executives (quarterly is most prevalent among the DiversityInc Top 50).

How do you get people to join resource groups?

Our data shows that the best way to increase membership is to first open up resource groups to all employees, including hourly and union workers. Second, publicize internally the benefits of joining the groups and assuming leadership positions (including access to senior leaders, potential for promotions, ability to influence business results). Third, make group leadership part of performance reviews and, eventually, compensation.

How do you measure success of resource groups?

DiversityInc Top 50 companies measure the retention, engagement and promotion rates of group members versus those who are not members. They also measure the resource group’s contributions to the business. For example, see Novartis Pharmaceuticals’ presentation on ethnic resource groups at our recent Innovation Fest! on how the company saved $100 million in market-research fees using its resource groups.

For more best practices on diversity management and resource groups, read:

Diversity Web Seminar on Resource Groups: Connect With Customers for Top Sales Results

Diversity Management Done Right: 5 Best Practices to Achieve Measurable Success

Why You Need Global Resource Groups

Top 5 Ways to Use Your Resource Groups

Ask DiversityInc: Should Resource-Group Leaders Be Part of the Executive Diversity Council?

Ask DiversityInc: How Resource Groups, Mentoring and Accountability Drive Engagement

The post Resource Groups 101: A Primer on Starting Them & Using Them for Business Goals appeared first on DiversityInc.

Q: What would DiversityInc say are the hot topics or common themes currently in the diversity field? I assume everyone is trying to figure out how to support the drawdown of troops.

A: The support and hiring of veterans is a hot topic. That’s one of the reasons we will introduce The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Veterans list in 2013. 

Our data shows that the number of DiversityInc Top 50 companies that have veterans resource groups increased by 18.2 percent over the past year alone. Companies see the recruitment of veterans as a competitive advantage and are tapping into their veterans resource groups for help. Watch our diversity web seminar on resource groups for more.

CSX, No. 23 in the DiversityInc Top 50 and our 2011 Top Company for Diversity-Management Progress, is the best company we’ve seen in terms of recruiting veterans:

•  More than 20 percent of the company’s workforce is military. 
• The company has an extensive military-recruitment program—108 military installations in 23 states.
• Its veterans group (the Military Inclusion Group) supports CSX citizen-soldier employees and their families and promotes awareness of the U.S. armed forces. The resource group also provides networking opportunities and coordinators for events such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day/Military Appreciation Day, July 4 and Armed Forces Day. 
• The company also is the only two-time winner of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Freedom Award for support of the military.

“[Veterans] are a great match for what our business does, as we are extremely focused on safety,” said CSX’s Chairman, President and CEO Michael Ward at a DiversityInc event. “We as a company make sure their pay is constant and health benefits are maintained. Recruitment of women and Blacks in particular is a focus.”

Read: Railroad CEO’s Personal Passion Creates Real Diversity Results.

Learn more about CSX’s military-recruiting strategies in our diversity web seminar on veterans in the workplace with CSX’s Margaret Downey, general manager of Learning Development & Strategies (and formerly the company’s director of recruiting and staffing) at DiversityIncBestPractices.com.

The hiring and promotion of veterans is increasingly important. In DiversityInc’s recent diversity web seminar on recruitment and hiring gaps, DiversityInc Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Barbara Frankel highlighted best practices for recruiting veterans. These include:

• Use recruiters who are experts on the military, both internal and external, to ensure connections with current and former troops.
• Create a military-resource group and use it to find and nurture veterans during on-boarding and when employees are deployed.
• Word of mouth is critical. Make sure people perceive your company as being inclusive to veterans.

For more on recruiting veterans, visit www.DiversityIncBestPractices.com/veterans. If you would like to send a diversity-management question, please email askDiversityInc@DiversityInc.com.

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