Universal Guide to Affirmative Action
Amanda Cosme-Reddie, MS
The Multifaceted Executive?? ???? Top 50 Latinas to Watch ?? Top 100 Innovators & Entrepreneurs | Servant Leader & Public Speaker Transforming Multimillion-Dollar Brands & Building Strategic Partnerships
This is unlike any other article involving Affirmative Action because it provides a step by step guide to developing an Affirmative Action Program (AAP) and showcases the employer and employee perspectives.
Where it all Begins
By complying with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) which aims to protect anyone, regardless of age, race, color, national origin, gender, disability, or religion, to ensure they have an equal opportunity in relation to their qualifications, you are creating a diverse workplace.
So, how are you maintaining the diversity within your organization?
Many organizations focus primarily on diversity metrics, such as tracking how many people they have hired and/or quit within a specific demographic, measuring how successful the hiring process was, etc. The steps taken after hiring a new employee are just as important as the steps taken to retain the employee which is done through Affirmative Action.
"Affirmative Action means taking actions (in recruitment, hiring, promotions, and compensation) to eliminate the current effects of past discrimination" (Dessler, 2023).
This is a continuous process of compliance, fostering ethical behaviors, surveying employees for actionable feedback, influencing awareness of both effective and ineffective human resource (HR) practices, implementing process improvements, enhancing the talent acquisition methodologies, fine-tuning auditing tools and systems — especially with artificial intelligence (AI) — to incorporate when developing an AAP.
Step by Step: Developing an Affirmative Action Program
Compliance
During the job analysis exercise, ensure there is a written Equal Employment Policy — to show how the organization is exemplifying actions that promote and sustain the organization's commitment to affirmative action — through job descriptions as well as associated branding and marketing initiatives.
Fostering Ethical Behaviors
High morals and integrity needs to be led by example from the executive and senior leadership level and work its way down to managers and individual contributors. To receive the best results, appoint an EEO Administrator to hold shareholders and stakeholders accountable for fostering these ethical behaviors.
Surveying Employees
For an inclusive approach, survey all employees while gathering data on each demographic to determine essential components needed for a successful AAP. Be intentional with the questions being asked of the employees, such as uncovering hidden biases, negative and positive emotions, and insights on the type of culture that is developing on a recurring basis.
Awareness of HR Practices
HR teams have worked diligently on moving away from the misconception that they are not to be trusted through awareness of the practices in the organization that impact each of the stakeholders. If employees express concern with any form of discrimination, their voice is heard, they are appreciated for their transparency, and corrective action is taken to create a better experience.
Implementing Process Improvements
Continuous review, development, and implementation of various HR processes and programs put in place to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is imperative. By leveraging insights from the surveys and direct feedback from stakeholders, process improvements keep the AAP up to date and compliant at all times.
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Enhancing Talent Acquisition Methodologies
Just as the labor and economic markets change, talent acquisition methodologies should evolve. Organizations apply different strategies to find qualified talent from the target group(s). Examples include but are not limited to, internships which usually target early career talent — undergraduates and entry-level professionals — and organizations with a disproportionate amount of people from different ages, genders, races, differing abilities, etc.
Fine-tuning Auditing of Tools and Systems
Once all ineffective practices that negatively impact human capital are resolved, fine-tuning the audit process for various tools and systems is helpful for quality assurance purposes, especially those that monitor DEI goals and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Given these step by step instructions for developing the AAP, varying perceptions can show whether the AAP is successful from an objective standpoint. Take a look below at a general perspective from the employer and employee when each of them is committed to affirmative action.
Affirmative Action: Employer Perspective
You presented a job offer, fantastic!
As you prepare for your employee's first day on the job, you are experiencing a mix of emotions, including but not limited to:
You have made the decision to put trust in an employee that has their best interest in achieving a mission with higher purpose. The actions you take from here correlate with the AAP. If executed with intention, you create a conscious culture and encourage stewardship amongst stakeholders regardless of their background.
Affirmative Action: Employee Perspective
You received a job offer, fantastic!
As you prepare for your first day on the job, you are experiencing a mix of emotions, including but not limited to:
You have made the decision to put trust in an organization that has your best interest to achieve a mission with higher purpose. The actions you take from here helps the employer evolve their AAP. If executed with intention, you become a part of a conscious culture and are encouraged to be a steward of the organization's mission regardless of your background.
All stakeholders share responsibilities in making the AAP a successful experience for the greater good.
Reference
Dessler, G. (2023). Human Resource Management. Retrieved from https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/9780135174555.