Mr. Poirot

Diversity Issues

Developing an Open Culture in the Workplace - The Next Step in Embracing Diversity

By Olivier Poirot, CEO, Accor North America

Hiring people with diverse backgrounds is only a benefit if everyone understands each other. Forward-thinking companies need to make the effort to create a culture of inclusion and respect within the workplace. This becomes a manageable task with the appropriate internal programs and tools in place.

We have learned that diversity in the workplace is more than just the right thing to do. When properly implemented and embraced, a culture of inclusion will increase overall organizational effectiveness. It makes good sense for a variety of social and business reasons.

When seeking to implement a culture of diversity in your organization, it is important to recognize and understand the business case for diversity. This will allow you and your organization to properly leverage your resources to align diversity with your business goals.

The business case for diversity is easy to make and understand: When properly implemented and fully embraced, a culture of inclusion will increase overall organizational effectiveness. It will support a company's overall growth objectives by casting a wider net to attract potential investors. It provides an environment where all employees contribute to the customer experience and drive growth. It is a great way to introduce an influx of fresh ideas, voices and feedback from people outside the mainstream, and your organization - from top to bottom - will benefit from a different perspective.

It is equally important that everyone at all levels understands and supports your commitment to diversity. It must be integrated as part of your organization's management philosophy. In order for diversity to take hold and pay dividends, everyone in the company must understand the goal, the process, and each other. Without this, simply hiring a number of people with different backgrounds is nothing more than a cosmetic fix or short-term solution.

A culture of diversity and inclusion is not possible without the cooperation of employees - everyone, from the highest levels of management to interns, has to be on board. Your people must recognize the breadth of diversity and how it goes beyond the standard mantras we hear everyday. A respectful and inclusive work environment, where employees realize the importance of embracing diversity as part of the entire organizational culture, will enable you to harness each individual's unique ideas, skills and talents to help the company achieve and exceed its business goals.

Forward-thinking companies - those that will lead in developing the workforce of the future - will make a proactive effort to create and integrate a culture of inclusion in their organization. That effort should include a commitment to making diversity part of the company's overall vision and strategy, and go beyond human resources goals to include multicultural marketing initiatives, supplier and vendor diversity, and supporting the local community through various charitable causes and volunteerism.

In designing and implementing your diversity policies, it is important to understand that diversity encompasses much more than just race and gender, but also includes aspects such as awareness of generational differences and disability recruitment. Embracing diversity does not necessarily mean attempting to change everyone's personal beliefs; instead, it is about respect. All employees, no matter what their origins or station in life, must feel free to openly express pride in their heritage.

The goal is to achieve a diverse, socially responsible and profitable organization. The process involves a number of policies, programs and initiatives that integrate diversity into your company's overall business goals. Installing an open culture in your organization can be a relatively easy task if the right internal programs and tools are put in place. Here are a few ideas for programs and policies that can help steer your workplace toward a more diverse, inclusive, and successful environment:

Diversity Training

When implemented successfully, diversity training will have significant positive impact on a company's culture. When a new employee joins your organization, it is vital that they understand and accept your commitment to diversity and inclusion. Diversity training is a great way to help new employees - as well as old ones - understand and appreciate the value you place on respecting the unique backgrounds of coworkers and guests. Training employees in diversity involves giving them a perspective that may be very different from their previous life experience; it invites them to consider a new point of view.

A Diversity Office/Council

There has to be accountability at all levels, as well as a genuine effort to engage and develop all of a company's resources in pursuit of this worthy goal. In fostering an atmosphere of respect in the workplace, it is critical that all departments remain focused. The creation of an office of diversity and a "diversity council," to oversee implementation and maintenance of a diversity program, will help streamline the process and keep everyone on the same page. In addition, the council - consisting of employees appointed from all levels of the organization - will help everyone feel like they are a part of the overall effort. The diversity council should be prepared to give updates to senior management on a regular basis.

Mentoring Program

Development of a mentoring program can be a big part of your diversity strategy and a way to build a pipeline of diverse talent within the organization. Both mentors and prot'eg'ees will benefit from this program as strong leaders of tomorrow and today are strengthened and developed. Diversity requires a commitment to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce - not just today, but into the future.

Community Involvement

It is imperative that employees see themselves as part of the community in which they do business. This sense of belonging to a community helps reinforce the same feeling in the workplace. Whey employees are active and involved the organization begins to establish a presence in diverse communities. As employees are actively engaged in supporting a wide variety of community and philanthropic organizations, they come in contact with many different ideas, perspectives and outlooks, thereby expanding their understanding of their community. Participating in local community service programs and partnering with local schools and universities for career fairs and career day events to educate students about opportunities are great ideas for getting these kinds of initiatives off the ground.

Marketing and vendors

It is important to remember that diversity initiatives should also apply to those with whom your company does business. Marketing with thoughts of diversity - for example, among different generations and ethnicities - will introduce you and your services to new customers and increase revenue. Make it a point to actively pursue opportunities to do business with diverse suppliers.

Other options

There are many other company-sponsored programs, initiatives and events that can help cement a culture of diversity in your workplace: sponsoring and/or establishing endowed scholarships for minority candidates; the addition of domestic partner benefits for employees; and development of a company-standard "diversity toolkit" with activities, exercises and other tools a manager can use to train employees.

Take a look at your clientele. It is diverse, and you must meet their needs and expectations if you expect to stay in business. A workforce developed, strengthened, and grown through diversity will have the proper tools to meet the needs of a diverse range of customers.

When behaviors are influenced through training, experience and positive example, an inclusive environment is created. A good diversity program, coupled with a true commitment to embracing a culture of acceptance, will enable your organization to harness the best talent available from many different pools. You will find yourself in a position to better serve your customers and sustain profitability for shareholders - in other words, success.

Olivier Poirot is CEO of Accor North America, Motel 6 and Studio 6. Accor North America's portfolio includes Sofitel, Novotel, Studio 6 and Motel 6 properties. Poirot was a driving force behind Accor North America's Pinnacle Program, its company-wide diversity program. Poirot joined Accor as Senior Vice-President in charge of finance for the Accor Business and Leisure (ABL) division in June 2001. Prior to that, he was CFO of Accor UK Ltd, in charge of finance, IT, procurement and legal for Accor hotels in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where he began his career with Accor in 1992. Mr. Poirot can be contacted at 972-360-2528 or anaceo@accor-na.com Extended Bio...

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