Poll shows that many doubt the sincerity and motives behind diversity initiatives

A recent DiversityJobs.com poll showed that the majority of respondents do not believe that companies implement diversity initiatives to create larger pools of qualified applicants in order to find the best and brightest employees. Only 32% of those polled felt that companies implemented diversity initiatives to find the best and brightest employees and to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. By contrast, 38% of respondents felt that companies put diversity policies into practice because they fear prosecution under anti discrimination laws, and 27% of respondents felt that companies applied diversity initiatives to make themselves look good in the public eye.

If the results of the poll represent the views of the US working population, then far too many people have doubts about the sincerity of corporate diversity initiatives and the motives behind their implementations. One reason that respondents are not so confident about the motives behind diversity initiatives could lie in the fact that companies have just recently begun implementing and emphasizing diversity policies in full force, despite the fact that the minority population has grown exponentially since the 1970s. The fact that companies have just recently (within the last ten years) begun to act on workplace diversity makes people wonder why they waited to put diversity policies into practice, if they truly do value diversity.

Another possible explanation for why people doubt the sincerity of corporate diversity initiatives is the recent wave of high profile discrimination cases against corporate giants Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, and Merrill Lynch. With the total payouts to settle these actions expected to be nearly $1 billion, it is not surprising that some people think that corporations are setting their diversity policies in order so that they can avoid a punishing lawsuit. An even bigger problem lies with companies that might enact diversity initiatives to look good in the public eye. If a company sets up diversity policies to make themselves look diversity friendly so that they can attract more customers and suppliers, that company is not only using workplace diversity as a gimmick to build business, but it is also demonstrating to its diversity employees that they serve as color tokens and that it does not value them as much as other employees.

Companies need to find out why some employees feel that they do not take diversity seriously and effectively communicate the importance of diversity to the entire organization. Workplace diversity was once an option, but it is now necessary for growth and competitive advantage. Employers should convey to the people that work for them that workplace diversity is not a gimmick or a legal protection, but it is essential for the company's continued success. Employees need to know that their employers truly embrace the notion that workplace diversity will increase their company's creativity, quality, and flexibility in marketing, productivity, and problem solving and lead to a brighter future for everyone in the company.