Human Resources
In a 2008 research study about advertising and diversity, the majority of respondents said that the human resource department is the leader of diversity and inclusion in their companies. With that said, this Web site should help you to synthesize some of the multicultural and diversity literature and make it relevant to advertising.
However, we recognize that the entire company must be engaged to make diversity and inclusion become realities within any organization. Since your office is the front door, training door and exit door to companies, your role is critical in the mix.
These modules should help you focus on building a more productive and creative team through enhancing its diversity and inclusiveness. Everyone in the company is unique, and valuing that unique background helps agencies, clients and media to be more creative and solve marketing challenges better. Select one of the areas below to see how you can become a stronger player in making advertising more inclusive.
Personalizing Inclusion and Diversity: Valuing others requires self-understanding |
Mentoring: Learning from each other leads to moving forward together |
Career Mapping: Strategic planning yields progress in advertising |
Human Resource Tips for Personalizing Inclusion and Diversity:
Although the majority of companies continue to see diversity as a human-resources issue, the economic downturn is forcing diversity programs to reshape themselves and migrate into the business and marketing arms of organizations. As a strategic business partner, your internal clients rely on you to consistently use values to guide decisions and behavior. You can influence your organization’s culture and set the tone for inclusiveness with how you choose to communicate with the workforce. Here’s how:
- Subscribe to workforce diversity publications, get to know people of other cultures, ask questions to learn more and develop an honest interest in becoming culturally skilled. Increasing your knowledge can significantly impact your decision-making in recruitment, retention and all other areas of your discipline.
- Challenge inappropriate behaviors/comments and barriers to inclusiveness. Provide an open and non-threatening environment where people with different approaches and styles are encouraged to share.
- Manage stereotypical gut reactions to people, perspectives and ideas that are different from your own.
- Hire a diversity-consulting firm or recruit a proven diversity champion to help move the needle by conducting a culture audit and recommending needed changes.