Doug Houser:
From Rea & Associates studio. This is unsuitable, a management and financial services podcast for entrepreneurs, tenured business leaders, and others are ready to look beyond the suit and tie culture for meaningful measurable results. I'm Doug Houser, on this weekly podcast thought leaders and business professionals break down complicated and mundane topics, and give you the tips and insight you actually need to grow as a leader while helping your organization grow and thrive. If you haven't already, hit the subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes. And if you want access to even more information, show notes, and exclusive content, visit our website at www.reacpa.com/podcast, and sign up for updates.
Embracing diversity and inclusion in the workplace is one of the many things that can strengthen your company culture, but understanding how and when to start taking action may leave you with a few questions and demands as an employer. Today Desiree Lyon human resource manager at Rea & Associates is going to share the importance of diversity in the workplace, the impact this has during the recruiting process and challenges that organizations and individuals may face. Welcome again to unsuitable Desiree.
Desiree Lyon:
Hello there, Doug. Nice to see you again.
Doug:
Yes, I wish we were visiting in person, and shout out to you. You were our famous guest for episode number 200, so hopefully, we can... You know we'll have to make that a thing and have you back on every hundredth episode, at least.
Desiree:
Yeah.
Doug:
So that would be fun.
Desiree:
I'd like to be a part of those milestones.
Doug:
Yeah, absolutely. As would I, for sure. So obviously very strange and interesting times that we are in, and I am just super excited to talk about this topic today, diversity in the workplace. And I think it's something that certainly we need to focus on. So talk a little bit about your perspective, and in terms of understanding the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Desiree:
Okay. You know one of the things with diversity inclusion, it's very mainstream nowadays, and what we don't want to do is allow it to just be mainstream to become trendy or a cliché. It actually matters, it actually is something that's important for organizations to adopt and live by. Diversity is something that many times we can hire folks into an organization, and just say, "Okay, here's your work, we'll see you." And then check a box and say, we've done it.
However, a big piece of that is the inclusion side. So we want to make those same employees feel welcome, feel comfortable. Having the ability to understand, if you have an open-door policy. Board boardroom meeting, let's talk, let's hear from you, understand your perspective, invite people to the table, welcome them on different leads, or events, activities. You want to get to know people. I know in our organization a lot of times people love to take one another out to lunch. Make sure that you're taking people out to lunch to get to know... That's a part of the inclusion process. So you don't want to forget one without the other.
Doug:
I think that is super important, that's a great perspective. And I think of one of the basic tenants of our organization, one of the pillars that we have, which is growth, and I always try to remind folks that growth doesn't mean necessarily that you're growing revenues, it's evolution. Evolving how you think, and how you do business. And certainly, diversity and inclusion play a part in that, correct?
Desiree:
Correct.
Doug:
I mean, that's super important. I think that's what you're trying to focus on. Touch a little bit on the benefits of... You did already, but on the benefits of diversity in the workplace, and why it's important. I know I'm interested to hear your perspective on that too.
Desiree:
Sure, sure. Well diversity, it provides a variety of perspective. You have people from all different walks of life, bringing new ideas, improving creativity, and then adding in their own cultural insight. A lot of companies have a reputation as being a good place to work. But the question we need to ask ourselves, is that actually relevant to everyone? So, we've got to think in terms of a broader perspective. You even have studies that have been done with executive boards. So many companies with a diverse executive board have a 95% higher return on equity than organizations that don't, so you can increase your revenue, profitability goes up. And then also you want to think about the benefit of your employee base to look like the community that they're a part of, especially in a metropolitan city.
So if you're in a large city, you have a lot of great cultures there, make sure that you keep that in mind when you're doing your recruiting. It's important to seek out diverse talent for the entire organization too. Not just one segment, like for example customer service, or sales, or one-piece, there's a broad array of people out there with great backgrounds that can really be added, and they want to be added to an organization that promotes equality and welcomes diversity, and that's good for just retention overall.
Doug:
Desiree, the point you bring up is so vitally important, I can tell you from personal experience. And I learned this the hard way I was involved with two organizations that failed, and I look back in hindsight and the reason that they failed had a large part of that was due to groupthink. And they got everybody who thought the same in leadership positions, and they just kept going down this path without any difference of perspective or thought. So maybe talk a little bit about how inclusion and diversity fit into that, and it has to do also with the way that you think and approach things, right?
Desiree:
Sure, sure. You know, it's about taking action from an employee standpoint. Many times it's great that we get referrals, folks that know folks that do the same things that we do, that's all wonderful. However, when you start to just rely on only your network you tend to miss out on so many other people that are out there who have the same skillset that can bring the same level of quality, but also can bring a different type of motivation to your organization. And I think that it just really aligns with cultural biases, and stereotypes, and just fear, misconceptions, there are so many things that tie into why we're safe and comfortable with that group-think mentality. So, it's important to kind of dismantle those things, and the best way to do that is from training, understanding how to manage in a diverse workplace.
Those are things that some people don't understand because in the business world for many years, a lot of those practices, unfortunately, were acceptable. But now as we grow... The faces of our nation are ever-changing, therefore the workforce has to change as well, so it's important to even... I always encourage leaders to read together, find a book and read together, and talk about those things because it shouldn't just be an HR issue too. This shouldn't just be an initiative enforced by human resources. This has to be a leadership strategy, part of a plan that expands on the growth, as you mentioned earlier.
Doug:
I agree, it does have to be a part of your culture, and the leadership has to embrace that, so you got to start somewhere to build that. And you mentioned a couple of things that you can do. How do you break through that lens in terms of recruiting, and trying to get the organization to embrace, "Let's think differently in terms of how we recruit. Let's not always use our same network." Or, "Let's not always go to the same schools..." And things like that. How do we do that?
Desiree:
Well, one of the ways that you do that is just really by introduction. I know one of the things that occurred in my new role here with the firm was I brought in a different idea of recruiting. Because it was just somewhere that I was at before. And I knew that "Okay, well let's expand to this location." Or a different, school, or certain organizations that I may be able to bring contacts with me that said, "Hey, I know you, let's talk. And here's another great organization." And that's how you expand the network. That's how you maintain that level of outreach. And I know many organizations, they really focused on their volunteer work. So a lot of organizations out there generally have some form of a base where you can volunteer in even the business aspect.
So for example, I did an internship many years ago was an organization that taught financial literacy in public school districts. So just imagine if that organization was not there to teach these students who don't have the same opportunities, or understand how to function in a high-level business world. So starting at that ground level really increases your opportunity to help change even the next generation. But it really overall is about just really taking the steps to start an affinity group once you start to build up your employee base of diversity in different cultures. Connect with your chamber of commerce, there are business organizations that are specific to certain cultures, and backgrounds and races. So there are so many avenues that we can definitely take advantage of.
Doug:
And to your point, I like some of the things you emphasized there, you have to think of this as part of the long game, correct?
Desiree:
Mm-hmm (affirmative), yes.
Doug:
It's not just, "Okay. Hey, it's a temporary thing, we're going to increase our recruiting, or hire here for a while." And then we fall back into these, these bad patterns and habits that existed, so you've got an ensure that that stays a part of your mission and vision, right? Do you see more organizations adopting that in terms of their long-term planning?
Desiree:
Well, yes. And one of the awesome things about it is there are actually companies out there who are amending or changing their mission statement to include promoting diversity, so I think that's a powerful move. Because in all of the organizations I've ever been a part of the mission statement was the core at how the employees function, and behaved, and did business. So when you include that into your strategic plan, it helps transition the mindset of the entire employee base. So I think it's huge.
And as I stated before, we don't want to stick with trends and just fall in line because everybody else is doing it. And I want to say this too, I had a meeting with a regional president that I work closely with, and he said something that was just phenomenal to me. He said that we don't want to do things just because we have to, we want to do them because it's the right thing to do, and that stuck with me. So, having a leader to step out and say, "Hey, we're going to do this because it's right. Not just because it looks good." That's the idea and the mindset that many organizations need to continue to walk in.
Doug:
Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree. And unfortunately, you see some organizations only change when there's something that forces them to do so, and the change obviously still is good and needs to happen, but we need to embrace that overall, right? And it's not something that needs to always be forced, we've got to continue to evolve in that thinking, so how do we move to the next level? If I'm an employer, and I'm a typical client of ours that's an owner-managed business. How do I, as a mid-market owner-managed business, how do I take action as an employer, without being forced to? What are some of the things I can do?
Desiree:
Well, one of the things I always say, do some research. There's so much out there that we could really just take advantage of in terms of learning. One of the things that I would say is, depending upon the industry that you're in check in terms of that industry, with the local... If it's even trade schools, or high schools, or universities, two-year schools, find out the employee... Or [inaudible 00:14:17] shouldn't say employee base, but find out the student base there, the potential upcoming graduates, how can I get ahold of those who are coming out of school that does what I do, or that can help grow my business? That's just one piece.
Another thing is, community organizations are huge like I said before, the Chamber, you have the Urban League, they all have a diverse job board. So these are ways to say, "Hey, this is what I'm looking for. Why don't we talk and keep in touch?" Or, "Here's the number to my HR team." There are so many varieties because you don't want to exclude anyone. So, it's simple things like that, even just a small post on a job board that you can actually get promoted, even on a diverse website. So there's a lot of different things that you have to just really dive in, do your research, maybe seek out an organization that can do some consulting work for you, and tells them exactly what you want. And say, "Hey, I want to build my diverse candidate employee base. How can I really find some candidates that will help me grow my business in the long run?"
Doug:
Yeah, that's a great perspective, Desiree. And small plug here, Rea & Associates, we do HR consulting and I think these are... Certainly, we're not perfect as an organization either, but I think we as an organization, try to push these things and embrace these things. And we're certainly here to help for any of our clients as well as. As we move forward to today's society... Gosh, I just think back to even five, six months ago, pre-pandemic, and everything that's gone on with protests and all of that, sometimes we need something to push change and hopefully, the combination of these forces are pushing change for the positive. I mean, I was barely born back during the civil rights era, but to hear folks talk about it, we needed that push to enact change. Do you see something similar happening in today's society? We're where do you think we're headed with embracing all of this, and doing this, and moving forward with the challenges we have?
Desiree:
I think that the change is necessary, it's been a long time coming. I will say that we have had a lot of growth in our nation, which it's a wonderful thing. However, there's still some work to be done. I will say that seeing where we are right now and being able to talk to different business leaders, a lot of people are having that change of heart, they're examining their selves and saying, "Oh my, this is where I've been at all this time. And this is what I thought all this time." And, "Help me understand, help me to see a broader perspective." And that's when you open the door to the conversation, that's when you open the door for more education and growth in so many different ways. I know that unfortunately there's still some, like I said before, some bias and different things.
Doug:
Absolutely.
Desiree:
I know that New York and California, they just put legislation in place. And the legislation they put in place is really to kind of expose what's out there that needs to be handled in a manner that we can all say, we're not going to take this anymore. So I can appreciate the fact that all these things are coming up and just hoping that we continue to move forward and that we keep the table open for these conversations that we can all grow together.
Doug:
And I think that's a key point you bring up, people have to be willing to read and research. And not... Again, I go back to this concept of groupthink where if you just continually surround yourself with people who think one way, or have only experienced in a certain manner, then that's all you're ever going to know. And you're going to think that's the only right way, all right? So we've got to embrace each other's perspective and culture. I know even myself, I've learned... I have some 20 something daughters, and gosh, the stuff that I learned from them because of their perspective, it's just a younger perspective. They experience things differently. One of my daughters is in Philadelphia, obviously large urban center, and the things that she experiences there have taught me tremendously, so I think that's a huge lesson that we should all take to heart for sure.
Desiree:
Absolutely.
Doug:
So Desiree, let me get your perspective on, looking into this lens of the pandemic and it's hard... One of the things I know we are discussing a lot in our organization is, how do we continue to ensure that this culture and these kinds of movements can continue while we're in this remote, somewhat disconnected work environment? What are some tools or things that you think are helpful to try to make sure we continue this momentum in this difficult time, in terms of not being together as much as we'd like?
Desiree:
Well, one of the things I would say is that despite us not being able to see each other in person let's utilize our technology. Let's just try to really expand upon what we can do from a perspective that is an outreach that maybe we didn't do before. You know we are such a close-knit organization to where we do a lot of networking in person, which is a great thing. However, now is the time that we can say, "Okay, let's step out of our comfort zone a little bit." And maybe do something connected with our website to show some of the initiatives that we're doing. Making sure that we're always staying close and connected through our fun Zoom meetings that we have in this organization.
But at the same time just making sure that we are checking on each other, "How's everybody doing?" This is a time where a lot of things are going on internally with people, it's time that our leadership and other counterparts in our employee base just, "Hey, how are things? Let's chat about this." Or, "What's going on?" And see if we can just welcome that level of inclusion again, and then also open the door to a conversation, or potentially a resource that can help keep them motivated.
Doug:
Yeah. I think that's a great perspective. We spend so much time with our employer, we want to make sure that it's more than just a job, right?
Desiree:
True.
Doug:
And you've got to make sure you build that. I know it's somewhat cliche, but I think sometimes we forget that. I know being a part of an older generation, when I started work way back when it was like, you just showed up, you shut up, and did what you were told. Well, that doesn't work. Right? And that's all part of this evolution that we're talking about, but it takes an embracing at the highest level. So Desiree, do you have any additional thoughts that come to mind, or what's the biggest takeaway that you might have for our typical clients, in those kinds of the owner-managed business world?
Desiree:
You know, one of the things that really sticks with me, even as I grow in my career is, don't be afraid to think differently. Just because we're used to the same thing doesn't mean it's always accurate. With overtime... And don't beat yourself up because over time we can all evolve, and it's a respect thing. So let's just respect one another, and just be open to change. I think that's really the biggest key to help us continue to grow.
Doug:
Yeah. Yeah, continued to evolve and change and be informed. And I think that's a great perspective. And well, Desiree, I really appreciate your time today. It's certainly an interesting time, and I think this is just a wonderful business perspective and certainly, a life perspective that we should all reflect on, and certainly take more time to do so. So really appreciate your time and efforts with our organization, and your time and efforts today. So thank you.
Desiree:
Of course, my pleasure.
Doug:
And if you want more business tips and insight, or to hear previous episodes of unsuitable, please visit our podcast page at www.reacpa.com/podcast, and while you're there, sign up for exclusive content and show notes. Thanks for listening to this week’s show, be sure to subscribe to unsuitable on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you're listening to us right now, including YouTube. I'm Doug Houser, join us next week for another unsuitable interview from an industry professional.
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