Employees agree diversity is key to success, but still needs work

While most employees believe that a diverse workforce contributes to the success of their organization, many have experienced some form of workplace discrimination and feel that their employers publicize diversity more than it’s actually implemented.

The majority of workers (61 percent) agree that having a diverse workforce makes their organization more successful, but almost half of all employees (47 percent) have felt discriminated against at the office, citing age as the top form of workplace discrimination. The findings are from Workplace Insights, a survey conducted by Adecco USA, which took a close look at how Americans think about diversity in the workplace.

Age discrimination was the top reported form of workplace discrimination (52 percent), followed by gender (43 percent), race (32 percent), religious (9 percent) and disability (7 percent).

American workers are skeptic when it comes to their company’s diversity initiatives, with the vast majority (78 percent) of workers feeling that companies talk more about having a diverse workforce more than they practice it.

With true diversity, Americans feel like they would get more done at work. The majority (53 percent) believe that the more diverse their workforce is, the more productive they would become.

Most American workers reported that having a diverse workforce is a top priority for their employer, but only one-third believe that corporate America has achieved total workplace diversity.

To better the workforce outlook, Adecco suggested that top executives make commitment to diversity their top priority. Companies looking to strengthen their diverse workforce should gain commitment from senior managers, engage employees in the process, support local diversity groups, provide diversity training and promote open lines of communication.

Read the full Adecco press release.

Employees agree diversity is key to success, but still needs work