Xerox's Blue Print For Diversity
Monday, January 16, 2006Xerox's Blue Print For Diversity
PAUL KANGAS: Xerox is known as a pioneer in document processing, but it`s also a pioneer in workplace diversity. For over 40 years, the company has made it a priority to actively recruit and promote minorities and women. As Erika Miller reports, Xerox says the moves are designed to give it a competitive edge.
ERIKA MILLER, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: It`s 3:15 p.m. and Rita Sherman is home to greet her kids as they get off the bus. It`s something she looks forward to every school day, but Sherman is not a stay- at-home mom. She`s a senior manager at Xerox. She has arranged to work just 30 hours a week during the school year and full-time during the summer. Schedule flexibility is one reason Xerox has been successful in recruiting and retaining a diverse pool of workers.
RITA SHERMAN, TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT MANAGER, XEROX: Xerox has understood that in order to have the diversity that it wants, you have to be flexible -- I mean, not just for women, but for men, and whatever the different needs are of the different people.
MILLER: At Xerox, differences are not just tolerated; they are considered vital for business success. That belief starts at the top with Anne Mulcahy, the company`s first female chairman and CEO.
ANNE MULCAHY, CHAIRMAN & CEO, XEROX: When you have an environment that is diverse, really having it allowing people to make their full contribution and really develop and be a part of the development system of the company, I think, delivers incredible returns in terms of full employee productivity and a workplace that really does enable great work.
MILLER: Mulcahy started as a sales representative in 1976. Now she`s one of only seven women running a "Fortune" 500 company.
MULCAHY: At times during my career while I was, you know, having my children and trying to balance work and family, Xerox partnered with me to make sure that I didn`t get off track and that they helped insure that I stayed a part of Xerox and had some flexibilities at times that kept me with Xerox. There`s no question about it.
MILLER: From the corner office to the factory floors, diversity is evident throughout the organization. Xerox employees are roughly 15 percent African American, 8 percent Hispanic, 5 percent Asian and 1 percent Native American. More than 40 percent of senior executives are women, people of color or both. Xerox`s effort to promote diversity began here in Rochester in the early 1960s. At that time, race riots shook the city, prompting Xerox to mount an aggressive campaign to recruit and hire African Americans. Over time, the firm`s diversity efforts have extended to include other underrepresented groups. Currently, the company has active caucuses for Asians, Hispanics, blacks, black women, women and homosexuals. Each group has its own champion with clout.
PHILIP HARLOW, CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER, XEROX: We assign a senior- level corporate executive to each one of the caucus groups that are represented within the Xerox culture. And the purpose of that is to have someone that`s directly connected to the CEO of the company to allow for ongoing exchange of communications.
MILLER: For example, Xerox says the black employee caucus helped it develop a consistent performance evaluation format company-wide. The women`s organizations advocated family friendly policies like flextime, job sharing and telecommuting. Xerox says all the groups help with minority recruitment. They also foster informal mentoring and networking.
SHERMAN: I feel that, you know, being one of fewer, you know, female minorities in the company, I have something to offer. I`ve had a lot of experience, I`ve been in a lot of different groups and I can help people understand, you know, here are the possible opportunities.
MILLER: Another way Xerox promotes diversity is through community outreach programs. Willie Robinson started as an engineer there 13 years ago. Now he oversees a program that places company engineers in Rochester public schools to teach science.
WILLIE ROBINSON, MANAGER, COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAMS: We go in, letting them know that there is different career opportunities that you might want to consider regardless of where you come from, whether or not you are a male or a female.
MILLER: Because diversity is seen as a business imperative, managers are evaluated on whether they achieve diversity targets. And when layoffs take place, the company strives to mirror balanced workforce goals. Still, Xerox says this commitment to diversity does not conflict with its goal of finding the best employees.
HARLOW: This is not about quotas. This is about trying to create an environment that`s inclusive and representative based on the markets that you operate in. Xerox is a company that has very high standards as it relates to the capabilities that we look for people to have to come in.
MILLER: Xerox says its effort to encourage diversity remains a top priority. The company hopes to recruit more Hispanics and female engineers. It also wants to see more women working for Xerox abroad. Erika Miller, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Rochester, New York.
