| Minorities still under-represented in the workplace, study shows |
Shocking Newsflash: Minorities still under-represented in the workplace. (cue audible gasps) Ok, all kidding aside, the companies that are most diverse do so because of measurement or regulation. In other words, if the company holds itself accountable, change happens. Should we applaud this or is it sad that diversity ...only happens when it is "forced" to. Thoughts? What is your company's policy on diversity hiring?When it comes to hiring a diverse work force, it all depends on who’s taking note: Organizations whose employees are more subject to scrutiny have higher numbers of visible minorities, a Ryerson University study finds. A study of minority representation in workplaces across the Toronto region in executive positions and media coverage found that non-white people are still largely absent from powerful positions. And they’re underrepresented in the mainstream media – especially in business and lifestyle sections and when news organizations interview “expert” sources. But while all organizations are improving slowly when it comes to making their employees more representative of Toronto’s diverse population, they are far more likely to do so if their work forces are subject to scrutiny – by the public, or regulators. Across the board, public-sector agencies, boards and commissions – typically expected to be “of the people, for the people” – did better in hiring minorities. That stems in large part from a traditional expectation that public organizations will reflect the electorate, said Keiko Nakamura, president of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. “With the public sector, the whole notion of it is based on a form of inclusion,” she said. “I think private markets are probably segmented, more related to certain customer bases. The companies that see it more as a market driver, those companies have incorporated those pieces.” The private sector lags when it comes to hiring non-white executives. But some larger corporations stood out as more diverse employers: They’re more likely to have an explicit policy in place and the resources to cast a wider recruitment net than smaller businesses can. “What gets measured, gets noticed,” said Wendy Cukier, one of the report’s authors and founder of Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute. “The mere act of starting to track and to measure often creates change, because people become aware in a more visceral way of what the situation really is. You can have an impression, but when the numbers are staring you in the face, it may add some urgency to dealing with the issue.” The report also looked at the way people of diverse backgrounds are reflected in media. The vast majority of newsroom decision-makers, it found, were white; only 4.8 per cent of the 289 senior executives, board members, editors and producers it looked at were visible minorities. The subjects these outlets wrote about were also far more homogeneous than the Toronto population: Visible minorities made up 16.6 per cent of “expert speaking sources.” This serves to reinforce the factors that make for minority under-representation in executive positions in the first place, says Ratna Omidvar, Maytree Foundation president and chair of the board of the Toronto and Region Immigrant Employment Council. “It’s sort of a cycle that goes around and around.” Ms. Cukier pointed to the Royal Bank of “I think there’s a real appreciation for the importance of the business case for diversity,” she said. “It’s important that we make this part of the culture, part of the day-to-day operations, so it’s not about going out and having a recruitment effort and then afterwards you say, ‘Oh, by the way, from a diversity perspective, how do we incorporate newcomers?’ ” IN THEIR OWN WORDS: How Toronto’s mayoral candidates would help newcomers integrate into Toronto’s economy and society Source: The Globe and Mail |
