Report: Companies making cuts to DEI programs

Summary

Dr. Arthur Langer from Columbia University's Teachers College discusses the concerning trend of companies cutting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs despite their importance. As the founder of Workforce Opportunity Services, a non-profit that matches talent with companies, he emphasizes the need to integrate diverse workforces to reduce risk and enhance business. The organization helps companies assimilate talent by providing training and support, aiming to create a clear value proposition for diversity that resonates with line managers and business leaders.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Companies are increasingly cutting their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs according to a report by Development Dimensions International.
• 👨‍🏫 Dr. Arthur Langer, a professor and founder of Workforce Opportunity Services, discusses the corporate trend of reducing diversity initiatives.
• 🔍 The challenge is to assimilate diverse talent at the operating level within organizations, which can be difficult for line managers focused on margins.
• 🤝 Workforce Opportunity Services helps organizations by providing talent with healthcare insurance, schooling, specific training, and professional skills.
• 🛡️ Hiring a diverse workforce is identified as a way to reduce risk, with the organization acting as a bridge between talent and companies.
• 💡 The importance of diversity is emphasized, with the value being in not just having a diverse workforce, but being diverse and leveraging that diversity.
• 🎼 Dr. Langer suggests that winning over day-to-day managers is key, as they are more likely to request diverse talent once they see its value.
• 🏢 The nonprofit Workforce Opportunity Services was born out of a research study at Columbia University, focusing on job placement for diverse groups.
• 🏭 The study involved individuals from The Drew projects and aimed to understand the cultural transformation needed for successful job placement.
• 🎓 Workforce Opportunity Services has expanded its focus to include high school students, college graduates, and veterans, recognizing the talent in each group.
• 🔑 The organization's approach is to prepare individuals for the workforce and create a fair playing field, highlighting the need for cultural adaptation and risk management in hiring.

Q & A

Why are companies cutting their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs according to the report by Development Dimensions International?

The report does not explicitly state the reasons, but Dr. Arthur Langer suggests that operating units or line managers might be driven by profit margins and the need to get things done quickly, which could lead to a reduction in such programs.

What is the role of Workforce Opportunity Services as founded by Dr. Arthur Langer?

Workforce Opportunity Services aims to help organizations assimilate talent at the operating levels by providing diverse workforces with health care insurance, schooling, specific training, and professional skills development.

How does Dr. Langer describe the difference in approach between Workforce Opportunity Services and traditional talent finding methods?

Dr. Langer emphasizes that Workforce Opportunity Services not only finds the right matching talent but also hires them for a period, provides them with benefits and training, and works closely with line managers to ensure a smooth integration.

What is the importance of having a diverse workforce according to Dr. Langer?

Dr. Langer believes that having a diverse workforce is valuable because it reduces risk and brings in different perspectives and talents that can be harnessed for organizational success.

What does Dr. Langer mean when he says 'it's one thing to have diversity, it's another thing to be diverse'?

Dr. Langer is highlighting the difference between merely having a diverse workforce in terms of numbers and actually leveraging the value of that diversity to create a truly inclusive and effective work environment.

How does Dr. Langer describe the challenge of cultural transformation in the context of hiring a diverse workforce?

He mentions that while the talent is available, the challenge lies in the cultural transformation within companies, especially public corporations, which can be risk-averse and may not readily embrace change.

What was the origin of Workforce Opportunity Services?

Workforce Opportunity Services originated from a research study at Columbia University conducted by Dr. Langer, which focused on providing job opportunities for individuals from The Drew projects.

What was the initial target group for Workforce Opportunity Services when it started?

The initial target group was high school students, but the organization later expanded to include college graduates and veterans.

How did the involvement of PSEG, the Energy company, influence the direction of Workforce Opportunity Services?

PSEG's involvement led Workforce Opportunity Services to discover a pool of diverse college graduates who were struggling to find jobs, prompting the organization to extend its services to this group.

What was the catalyst for Workforce Opportunity Services to start working with veterans?

The catalyst was a request from Prudential, who wanted to engage with veterans, recognizing the potential and the value these individuals could bring to the workforce.

How does Dr. Langer view the talent pool among veterans?

Dr. Langer sees veterans as a rich source of talent, each educated and trained in various fields, and believes that they can significantly contribute to the workforce if given the opportunity.

Outlines

00:00

📊 Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Challenges

The script discusses a concerning trend where companies are reducing their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, as reported by Development Dimensions International. Dr. Arthur Langer, a professor at Columbia University and founder of Workforce Opportunity Services, is interviewed to explore the reasons behind this trend. He explains that while companies want to do the right thing, operational pressures and the drive for immediate results often lead to a focus on short-term margins over long-term diversity benefits. Dr. Langer emphasizes the importance of assimilating talent at the operating level and the role of Workforce Opportunity Services in helping organizations find and hire diverse talent, providing support such as health care insurance, schooling, and professional skills training.

Keywords

💡Diversity

Diversity refers to the variety of human differences, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, and other characteristics in a work environment. In the video, the theme revolves around the importance of maintaining diversity in the workplace, as it is increasingly being recognized as a key factor for innovation and success. The script mentions that companies are cutting diversity and inclusion programs, which is a concerning trend.

💡Equity

Equity in the context of the video pertains to the fair treatment, access, and opportunity for all individuals, regardless of their background. It is a critical component of diversity and inclusion initiatives, ensuring that every employee has an equal chance to contribute and succeed. The script discusses the reduction of equity programs, which could lead to disparities in opportunities within organizations.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion is the act of creating an environment where all individuals feel valued, respected, and able to participate fully in the workplace. It is closely linked to diversity and equity, as it goes beyond mere representation to ensure meaningful engagement. The script highlights the importance of inclusion in fostering a sense of belonging among diverse employees.

💡Workforce

Workforce refers to the employees or labor force of a company or industry. The video discusses the importance of a diverse workforce, emphasizing that a mix of different backgrounds and perspectives can lead to better decision-making and problem-solving. The script mentions hiring a diverse workforce to reduce risk and enhance the company's capabilities.

💡Assimilation

Assimilation in the script refers to the process by which individuals or groups integrate into a new culture while shedding their original cultural identity. In the context of the video, it is about helping diverse talent integrate into the company culture at the operating level, ensuring they can contribute effectively from day one.

💡Talent

Talent in the script represents the pool of skilled and qualified individuals that organizations seek to hire. The video emphasizes the importance of finding and nurturing talent, regardless of their background, to build a strong and capable workforce. It is mentioned that talent finders are crucial in matching the right talent with the right opportunities.

💡Margin

Margin in a business context refers to the difference between the cost of producing a good or service and its selling price, which indicates profitability. In the script, it is mentioned that line managers are driven by margin, suggesting that financial performance is a significant factor influencing their decisions, including hiring practices.

💡Professional Skills

Professional skills, also known as soft skills, are personal attributes that contribute to a person's ability to interact effectively and harmoniously in a work environment. The script mentions that Workforce Opportunity Services provides professional skills training to help individuals succeed in the workplace, which is essential for their integration and success.

💡Non-profit

A non-profit organization is a group that operates without the primary goal of making a profit, often focusing on serving a public or communal benefit. In the video, Dr. Langer discusses his non-profit organization, Workforce Opportunity Services, which aims to provide opportunities for diverse individuals to enter the workforce.

💡Risk-Averse

Risk-averse refers to an approach or attitude that seeks to minimize or avoid risks, especially in business decisions. The script mentions that companies, particularly public corporations, are becoming more risk-averse, which can be a challenge when it comes to embracing diversity and hiring individuals from different backgrounds.

💡Veterans

Veterans are individuals who have served in the military. In the context of the video, the script discusses the potential of veterans as a source of diverse talent, highlighting that they come out of service educated and trained, making them valuable candidates for employment.

Highlights

America's diversity is being threatened by companies cutting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Development Dimensions International report indicates a trend of reduced investment in diversity initiatives.

Dr. Arthur Langer, a professor at Columbia University's Teachers College, discusses the issue.

Workforce Opportunity Services, a non-profit founded by Dr. Langer, aims to assimilate talent at the operating levels of organizations.

Line managers are driven by margins and may not prioritize diversity programs.

Dr. Langer's organization helps find and match diverse talent with companies.

Workforce Opportunity Services provides temporary employment, healthcare insurance, schooling, and training for diverse candidates.

The organization works closely with line managers to understand their needs and perform background checks.

Dr. Langer emphasizes the importance of demonstrating the value of a diverse workforce to managers.

There is a need to create a clear value proposition for diversity in the workplace.

Dr. Langer shares his experience as a 'poor kid from the Bronx' to highlight that talent is everywhere but needs to be discovered.

Workforce Opportunity Services originated from a research study at Columbia University.

The study focused on transforming the cultural challenges faced by individuals from diverse backgrounds in finding jobs.

Public corporations are becoming more risk-averse, which affects the hiring of diverse candidates.

The non-profit started by focusing on high school students but expanded to include college graduates and veterans.

Veterans are highlighted as a group with diverse talents that are often overlooked in the job market.

Dr. Langer encourages companies to seek out and value the talents of diverse individuals.

For more information on Workforce Opportunity Services, visit cbsnewyork.com.

Transcripts

America is one of the most diverse

countries in the world but a new report

from the management consulting company

Development Dimensions International

shows more and more companies are

cutting their diversity equity and

inclusion programs to learn more about

why that is I'm joined by Dr Arthur

Langer he is a professor at Columbia

University's Teachers College and the

founder of the non-profit Workforce

Opportunity Services thank you doctor

for being here thank you so much what is

behind this corporate trend of starting

to cut these programs well it's hard you

know

companies like to do the right thing one

of the things we do at Workforce is we

really try to help these organization

fundamentally assimilate the talent at

the operating levels so so why do you

think we're seeing this happen well uh

it's hard and and operating units or

line managers uh you know they're driven

by that margin yeah they're going to be

lean in me right and uh you know how how

do they Embrace this at a time when

they're also trying to get things done

quickly so

so employees to hire diverse Workforce

we reduce the risk first of all we're

Talent finders we go into the systems we

find the right matching talent but

here's the difference we hire them for a

period of time we provide them with

health care insurance we provide them

with schooling and specific training and

even what we call Professional skills or

soft skills and we're working closely

with that line managers the first thing

we say to them is what do they need to

know the first day they show up and

we're doing the background checks we're

like offensive linemen right if

anything's in the way we're going to be

dealing with it as a non-profit

organization what what can we tell

companies as far as statistics and the

importance of having a diverse Workforce

well one of my favorites uh sentences is

it's one thing to have diversity it's

another thing to be diverse and what the

value of that diversity truly is and if

you can win over that day-to-day manager

music to my ears is when someone in an

organization that's running a business

is I want to know the wos kid I want

another WS veteran and but they need

help and we need to create a way in

which the value is clearly seen and if

there's anything I know from myself poor

kid from the Bronx

the talent is there yeah you just have

to go find it

um tell us a little bit about that more

about the nonprofit that you started

well WS came out of a research study at

Columbia that I did for five years where

we took 50 plus people from The Drew

projects on 135th Street on a grant and

the concern was would they get a job and

we did in this five-year study

understood that the talent was there but

the transformation culturally is always

the challenge and companies being less

risk-averse uh you know being more

risk-averse specially public Universe

corporations that it creates a problem

to have that time so how do you prepare

those individuals and create a fair

playing field

any sort of like age range or that you

we started with high school stuff okay

but then we discovered in a job for PSEG

the Energy company where they wrote the

jobs for college graduates that we found

tons of diverse candidates coming out of

universities that couldn't find a job

all right and then of course in 2010 a

Prudential came to us and said we want

to do something with these veterans and

that was a whole other transformation

but tons of talent every veteran comes

out educated and trained in something Dr

Langer thank you so much for you for

what you and your whole team works on

it's such an important issue

learn more about Workforce Opportunity

Services just head to cbsnewyork.com

we'll be right back