There Is A Disconnect Between Managers and Employees When it Comes to Diversity
Study shows that employees and federal managers don’t quite see eye-to-eye on the implementation of diversity initiatives.
Last week, I discussed the benefits to leveraging diversity and promoting mutual understanding in the workplace, according to a recent survey by GBC. This week, we will dive further into what employees found to be the greatest challenges to implementing these initiatives. Despite employee’s identifying themselves as supportive, respondents believe that a lack of leadership support and employee resistance are the largest challenges to implementation. A lack of resources, ineffective methods, and problems with training transitioning into day-to-day activities are also noted as challenges.
Perhaps the most interesting finding from the study is the sizable disconnect of the perceptions between managers and non-managers on how well their agencies are leveraging diversity. Sixty-five percent of managers believe they have adequate resources to resolve diversity issues. In stark contrast, 67% of non-managers say managers do not effectively resolve issues that arise from diverse identities or perspectives.This major disconnect of perceptions may be the key to the trouble with implementation. If managers have the perception that there are no issues with existing resources, where will the impetus for improvement come from?
Managers can start by taking a harder look at how inclusive their workplaces are; 71% of all surveyed respondents report that they have felt misunderstood due to their identity. This feeling is represented in every polled demographic group, with more than half of respondents in each group feeling misunderstood. This data can help managers better understand how effective their previous initiatives have been and innovate for the future.
Methodology: GBC deployed a survey to a sample of Government Executive, Nextgov, and Defense One online and print subscribers in May 2015. The 752 respondents were senior-level federal employees, including those of GS/GM-11 to 15 grade levels and members of the Senior Executive Service. Click here to see the full report.
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