Nearly half of American millennials say a diverse and inclusive workplace is an important factor in a job search, according to new research released by Weber Shandwick and the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) on December 6.
The study interviewed Millennial, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomer employees to gauge their experiences and attitudes toward diversity and inclusion at work.
Research revealed that 47 percent of Millennials consider the D&I of a workplace an important criterion in their job search compared to 33 percent of Gen Xers and 37 percent of Boomers.
Survey results also revealed:
Nearly six in 10 of all employed Americans (58 percent) report that they see or hear about some form of discrimination and/or bias at their workplace, most frequently racial or ethnic in nature (22 percent). Millennials are significantly more likely than older generations to be attuned to such behavior at work, and also much more comfortable discussing D&I issues at work than their older colleagues.
Millennials also see the business benefits of D&I, as they are significantly more likely than Gen Xers and Boomers to say “To improve overall business performance” (27 percent vs. 18 percent and 20 percent, respectively) as a reason employers invest in D&I.
One-third of employees (34 percent) acknowledge that they have more diversity at work than in other aspects of their personal life outside of work. This finding suggests that employees are exposed to different cultures and lifestyles at work that they might not normally be.
Although Millenials desire to work for more diverse and inclusive organizations, they are no more likely than other generations to end up working in such cultures. They may feel that their employer is not investing enough resources into creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.
“Weber Shandwick understands that having a healthy and successful workplace where people want to work requires a climate based on diversity, respect and inclusion of differences,” Andy Polasky, CEO of Weber said in the press release, emphasizing the importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace.
“To have an impact, leaders must listen attentively to all employees and foster genuine dialogue in good times and bad, something we consider essential to our values and responsibilities,” he added. “The Millennial viewpoint provided in this research gives us deeper insights into building a better environment that benefits everyone.”
