Georgia companies today are engaged in a strenuous war for talented employees.
Although it may seem otherwise, the labor pool of qualified employees is shrinking.
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| Turner Broadcasting System |
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| Georgia-Pacific |
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| File |
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| File |
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| Georgia Power |
Some say it is because of an aging work force and retiring baby boomers, while others attribute it to college dropout rates, which makes it harder to fill the vacancies left by retirees.
However, as the work force shrinks, the number of cultures in the workplace grows.
And as the faces of workers become more culturally diverse, smart companies are finding ways to attract and retain talent.
Companies in Georgia have their own ways of making this happen.
Coca-Cola, AT&T, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power and Turner Broadcasting System have procedures to make themselves some of the most culturally diverse companies in the state and have been noted for their work-force diversity on a national level as well.
TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM Inc.
Turner Broadcasting System focuses its recruitment process on a three-pronged philosophy of being committed to diversity in the work force, having a workplace that embraces different perspectives and having a marketplace that includes a variety of cultures.
"We've worked very hard to define diversity broader than ethnicity, race and gender," said Michele Golden, vice president of talent management. "We have strategy initiatives that target ethnic groups but also the gay and lesbian community and the disabled."
Last year, the company kicked off a training initiative for executives. The program was based on "The Medici Effect" by Frans Johansson, and sessions were held in TBS's New York and Asia offices.
"Its purpose is to raise awareness about diversity at Turner Broadcasting," Golden said. "It talks about creating that [multicultural] environment and developing growth."
Golden said the challenge with recruitment has been finding top talent for positions as the organization changes.
GEORGIA PACIFIC
Charles S. Jackson, senior director of work force strategies, said the keys to recruiting various cultures to a company are reaching out to a broad network within the labor market; attracting diverse audiences through marketing campaigns; and being involved in the community.
Jackson says Georgia-Pacific has become a private company which allows it to look at more long-term effects and goals. As a public company, previous focus was on quarterly earnings.
"It's one thing to recruit, but it's another challenge to retain," he said.
For several years, Georgia-Pacific has held periodic leadership forums that allow employees rising in management to spend a day with the company's CEO to talk about their experiences and how the different levels of management can help one another.
"Our objective is to have the brightest, most talented people we can in the organization," Jackson said. "We want to — and stress that we are — mirror the consumer population, but the bottom line is to go out and find the best and brightest talent we can."
COCA-COLA
Coca-Cola chief diversity officer Steve Bucherati said his company's accomplishments in diversity and retention begin with the candidates' attraction to the company and with their view of the company as a positive place to work.
"Do they look at Coca-Cola and see the presence of a welcoming environment?" he said. "Do they think they can operate and achieve within that environment? If they call other employees at Coca-Cola, what kind of assurance will they get?"
Bucherati said finding employees of various cultures means looking for candidates on smaller, niche job boards that focus on the specific talents his company is looking for. It also means taking advantage of the company's existing relationships with civic and cultural organizations and offering cash incentives for employee referrals.
He said a shrinking labor pool keeps the competition stiff for recruiters to find the best candidates for jobs.
"[Companies are] going after the same folk," he said. "The ones who know how to get that talent ... will win."
AT&T
AT&T looks for talent in various fields, including business, telecommunications, management information systems, engineering, mathematics and international studies. To reach out to potential employees, Sylvia Anderson, AT&T Georgia president, said the company uses online, print and broadcast media for recruitment and employment opportunities.
"At AT&T, we realize that a diverse, talented and dedicated people are key to a company's success," she said. "Our commitment to diversity enhances the way we do business and gives AT&T a competitive edge."
Anderson said the company's goal is to provide employees with "continued opportunities to grow and develop their careers."
Supporting culturally diverse communities help attract potential employees, Anderson said, so AT&T supports organizations and programs that encourage inclusion and create opportunities. The company also conducts business in more than 150 languages and is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its supplier diversity program.
GEORGIA POWER
As the vice president for diversity, Frank McCloskey said he has a very basic recruiting strategy of having women and minorities account for between 45 percent and 50 percent of the company's new employees.
"We must have processes in place to recruit around race, gender and ethnicity," he said.
McCloskey said management must be able to create an environment in which employees are comfortable with giving ongoing feedback and feel as if they can grow within the company.
"But once they're in your work environment, unless you have leadership comfortable working across the board [to help them advance], they're not going to stay."
He said that companies must keep in mind that the number of new openings exceeds the number of qualified candidates and that studies indicate the shortfall could approach several million by 2012.
"We must have a leadership and culture where the employee feels respected, valued and productive," McCloskey said.