Affirmative action in hiring: challenges and solutions
The recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in higher education may ripple into the business world. Expand your entry-level recruiting
By Susan Lucas The Evil HR Lady Big-name corporations fear a dent in workplace diversity. Discover what this means for hiring, and how businesses can adapt to foster inclusion and find talent beyond traditional confines.
The Supreme Court recently ruled that educational institutions can’t use affirmative action to favor one race over another. Federal law has prohibited that in hiring for a very long time, and yet there is an extensive discussion about how this ruling – technically unrelated to hiring – will affect business. Some big businesses – including American Airlines, Apple, Bayer, Ikea, Paramount, Starbucks, and Hershey – submitted an Amicus Curiae brief to the court saying that prohibiting universities from running their affirmative action programs would negatively affect businesses. These businesses (called Amici in legal terminology) state: ”An essential part of the diversity Amici seeks is racial and ethnic diversity. Given these priorities, Amici have a significant interest in how universities consider and admit applicants: they rely on the nation’s schools to educate and train their future workers.“ Because the court rule against the universities (specifically Harvard and University of North Carolina, but applicable to all universities that accept federal funding), are these businesses correct that this will have a negative impact on their companies? If we assume that the Amici are correct, here’s what businesses must do to overcome this problem and keep increasing their diversity.
While people panicked about the effect this would have on Black students, they ignored a reality of American higher education: Everyone with a high school diploma can attend college somewhere. There are many schools with open admissions policies. Some schools will even help you get your GED or high school diploma so that you can attend college. Another truth is that anyone admitted to Harvard or UNC, even with a boost from affirmative action, could gain entrance into another good school. Very few students get into Harvard, regardless of race or background. Every single one that has could easily excel at another school. In other words: companies that focus their recruiting only on the top schools limit who can get a job. Rather than relying on schools to seek out diverse students, businesses can recruit diverse candidates at more schools. Because you can do recruiting virtually, you don’t have to increase your college job fair costs by sending recruiters to every school you want to consider. Arrange video conferences and fly in top candidates.
Make your business a place people want to work You will never increase your diversity if you strictly rely on recruiting people from universities. Getting people in the door is only a temporary fix if you don’t create an environment where everyone feels welcome. A Workable survey found that businesses do focus on demographic diversity but need action plans once they get people onboard. What are you doing to make employees of all races and backgrounds feel equal and included?
