Affirmative action
What is affirmative action?
Affirmative action refers to policies that address discrimination by promoting equitable access to individuals from underrepresented groups, such as those based on age, gender, religion, and ethnicity. It involves inclusive hiring practices, bias-free promotions, mentorship opportunities, diversity in workplace culture, pay equity analysis, and the establishment of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), among other strategies.
What are the advantages of affirmative action?
Here are some of the key advantages of implementing affirmative action in the workplace:
Builds a diverse workforce
By providing equitable access to qualified candidates from underrepresented groups, organizations have the opportunity to hire people from varied backgrounds with diverse perspectives and experiences. Diversity at the workplace paves the way for unique ideas and positive competition, which in turn can provide organizations with a competitive advantage.
Reduces inequality
Organizations can use affirmative action to address practices that may restrict an individual's access to certain employment, education, or leadership paths. These efforts aim to ensure that all employees have equal chances to pursue roles, training, and advancement based on their qualifications and interests.
Fights unconscious biases
Providing anti-bias training to managers and other leadership staff can help those in authority roles recognize their own unconscious biases when making decisions in the workplace. This awareness leads to enhanced inclusion, better teamwork, stronger employee engagement, and improved retention.
Improves employer brand
According to Glassdoor's D&I workplace survey, about 76% of candidates consider diversity and inclusion practices an important factor when evaluating job offers. Following affirmative action policies can help organizations build an inclusive culture, which in turn creates a positive impression among candidates.
Enhances problem-solving skills
Every individual's culture, background, experience, and education will influence the perspectives they bring to the table. A diverse set of employees helps teams shed conventional thinking patterns and come up with unique solutions to different challenges.
Is affirmative action mandatory for all companies?
In India, some public sector organizations are required to provide reservations to individuals from underrepresented groups, while private sector organizations are not mandated to provide reservations of any sort. In the US, all companies are required to adhere to non-discrimination laws, but it isn't required to implement affirmative action policies.
What is the difference between affirmative action and DEI?
Both affirmative action and Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) try to address the same issue: inequality in the workplace. While affirmative action consists of formal policies designed to address historical and systemic discrimination and provide equal opportunities, DEI initiatives use a more holistic approach to build a fair, diverse, and inclusive culture.
What are some of the affirmative action measures?
Affirmative action policies vary from country to county, but they typically involves some or all of the following measures to ensure equality in the workplace:
Reservations:
Setting aside a certain percentage of roles for individuals belonging to historically discriminated-against or underrepresented groups
Preferential hiring:
Hiring individuals from underrepresented groups to avoid discrimination and increase their numbers in the workforce
Promotions:
Promoting individuals from minority groups to leadership roles
Equal pay audits:
Identifying and closing any pay gaps
How can HR teams implement affirmative action in their workplace?
Here are five key steps that HR teams can take to implement affirmative action in their workplace:
- Step 1: Conduct a diversity audit by analyzing employee demographics (including gender, age, ethnicity, and disability status) and workforce metrics (including turnover rate, promotions, and pay) to identify any gaps. Collect feedback from employees to gain deeper insights about inequality in the workplace.
- Step 2: Based on the findings of the audit, set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals to improve equality and provide opportunities to underrepresented groups. The goal can look something like this: Improve the number of women employees in leadership and senior management positions by 15% before the end of 2026.
- Step 3: Run an audit of hiring practices to identify any gaps. Write inclusive job descriptions and advertise job openings in channels that are easily accessible to underrepresented groups. Have a structured interview process to prevent biases of any sort.
- Step 4: Improve awareness among managers and C-level leaders about affirmative action and equality so that every process (including performance reviews, salary hikes, promotions, and training opportunities) is free of discriminatory practices.
- Step 5: Conduct pay audits regularly by analyzing every employee's base salaries, bonuses, and more against their roles, responsibilities, gender, age, ethnicity, and other factors to find out if there are any pay disparities.
