Corporate diversity programs are gaining momentum and are expected to grow by 10 percent in 2005, according to Mike Hyter, president and chief executive of Novations/J. Howard Associates, a Boston consulting firm.
Though these important programs slowed somewhat during the recession, they’re back on corporate drawing boards–with one important change:
“More organizations are integrating their diversity efforts with overall development programs,” Hyter points out. That means employers are focusing on providing equal access to training and development for all employees.
As wonderful as that news is, there still are some problems. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, even though women and African-Americans have made some gains, age discrimination continues to increase and is at its highest level in a decade, Hyter reports.
And women still lag behind men and keep bumping up against that infamous glass ceiling. But “emphasis has shifted from just recruitment and retention to career development and advancing of women into upper executive ranks,” Hyter said.
The war at work: Do women need to fight for recognition in the workplace? Absolutely.
“Whether you’re looking for a job or climbing the corporate ladder, your accomplishments do not speak for themselves–or do not speak loudly enough,” said David B. Radden, president of D.B. Radden & Co., an executive search firm based in Los Angeles.
And here’s his military advice for getting visibility, advice that I believe also applies to men: “You have to highlight your accomplishments (boast), negotiate for what you want (combat), accept criticism (you’re in the army) and butter up others (your buddies on the battlefield).”
Some additional advice from me: After you win all your battles, are firmly ensconced in the corporate boardroom and have those stars and medals on your battle jacket, make peace with everyone.
Changes for fathers: “Leading employers recognize that child care leaves are no longer just for mothers and that paid paternity leaves make the most sense for everyone. Fathers want to bond with their children in their earliest days of life. More employers are making paternity leave available in some form to employees.”
These are some of the conclusions of an important new report titled “Defining Paternity Leave: Shifting new responsibilities in the family and workplace.” The briefing was published by the Boston College Center for Work & Family.
Among the findings:
– Men between the ages of 21 and 39 say the job characteristic that means the most to them is “having a work schedule that allows me to spend time with my family.”
– Women in two-earner couples increasingly report that their spouses take equal or greater responsibility for child care.
– Fewer than 25 percent of U.S. families today represent the traditional nuclear family, with fathers in the work world as breadwinners and mothers at home raising the kids. Additionally, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are more than 60,000 male couple households with children.
Work/life pros meet: More than 30 workshops, professional development sessions, panel discussions, keynote presentations and certificate courses will be featured at the annual meeting Feb. 9-11 of the Alliance for Work-Life Progress. It will be held in Orlando.
And what’s on the mind of work/life and human resource professionals? Among the topics will be changing demographics, dependent care, the bottom line impact of employee health, influencing organizational environments, building a flexible workplace and corporate citizenship, community collaboration and public policy initiatives.
In other words, something for everyone.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Monday’s and Thursday’s Business sections. Hear her on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV. E-mail [email protected].