Many managers and business owners understand the value of hiring a diverse group of employees, but aren’t quite sure of the steps that need to be taken towards reaching their goal of an inclusive and diverse workforce.

Finding and retaining employees that represent a wide range of diversity at all levels takes time and commitment. The following 8 tips should help towards developing a plan of action that over time, will help you to hire and retain staff that are representative of the community at large.

Finding Diverse Employees

1. Participate with associations or organizations whose primary focus is to work with underrepresented individuals. Participation may include attending networking events, sponsoring an association initiative, or providing helpful workshops or information sessions.

2. Take a look at your website and other marketing materials that represent your company. If these materials don’t highlight individuals from different backgrounds, you’ll likely lose many potential candidates who will view the lack of diversity in your marketing materials to be indicative of the lack of commitment or interest that your business has for staff that are different.

3. Reach diverse candidates early in the game by contacting administrators at high schools or middle schools in areas where the population is diverse. These types of events are the perfect opportunity to showcase your company and the type of work that your employees perform on a daily basis. Students will remember your company when they are looking for work.

Keeping the Employees That You Have

4. Make sure that you orient all new employees by ensuring that they are introduced to staff across the organization. Share with them the often overlooked, but important information on the mission and culture of the business.

5. Include your new employees in workplace activities and initiatives as appropriate.

6. Become more in tune to cultural and communication differences in the workplace. Research the impact that cultural and communication differences may have in the workplace.

An excellent article that goes into very interesting detail about cultural differences in the workplace and how to identify an overcome them is "Managing a Multicultural Workforce".

Another great article to read is "Understanding Cultural Differences in the Workplace". Although the article specifically speaks to international business, the advice is very transferable to the U.S. workforce.

7. Don’t be shy about interviewing all of your employees in order to get a sense of what they like about the organization, or what they feel can be done better. As employees leave your company, meet with them to learn about their experience and use the information to help you to recruit and retain employees.

8. Provide mentorship opportunities for employees so that they are exposed to individuals at all levels of the organization.

Do you have any tips based on personal experience for hiring and retaining a diverse staff? Share your comments.

Dianne Shaddock is the Founder of Easy Small Business HR.com, a website which provides "Quick and Simple Human Resources Strategies for Small Businesses, Non Profits, and Entrepreneurs. Go to EasySmallBusinessHR.com for more tips on how to hire and manage your staff more effectively.