VISN 4 Diversity Recruiting Challenge Team Coast2Coast Andrew Kohn, Joanne Newborn, Brian Renaud, Carrie Requist, Shimir Varia
VISN 4Diversity Recruiting Challenge
Team Coast2Coast Andrew Kohn, Joanne Newborn, Brian Renaud, Carrie Requist,
Shimir Varia
Current Recruitment Practices
• Apply through Federal Government’s USAjobs.gov
• Recruit top physicians & nurses
• Diversity focus only on persons with disabilities
• VA’s “Diversity and Equal Opportunity Employment Program Evaluation” 2007
Diversity Recruitment Issues
On-site Audits
Assessments
Improvement Action Plans
VA’s Goals of Diversity
• Create a Diverse Workforce
• Cultivate a Flexible and Inclusive Work Environment.
• Facilitate Outstanding Stakeholder Relations.
Legal Implications
• Protected Classes
Gender
National Origin
Disability
Political Affiliatio
n
Age
GeneticInfo
Color
Race
Religion
Retaliation
Parental / Marital Status
SexualOrientation
VeteranStatus
Diversity is Good Business
• Reduces attrition and retains top talent
• Increases operational efficiency• Reduces time lost to conflicts• Ties VISN 4 more closely with its
clientele• Supports VISN 4 marketing and
outreach
Changing Demographics
• Higher percentage of minorities in highest poverty schools
• More children are speaking languages other than English at home
• Lower non-Hispanic/white segment of students in public schools
Need for diversification
• Globalized patient and labor market population
• Mergers and alliances
• New business strategies
Current Diversity Initiatives
• Employee Diversity Training
• VA Diversity Award
• Strategic Outreach Recruiting
Recruitment
• Create a Diverse Pipeline
• Partner with Colleges
Compensation & Incentives
• Tie Diversity to bonus program
• Diversity target for hiring managers
Annual Reviews
• Assess employees on Diversity• Employees as examples of
“living diversity”• Examples:• Part of diversity recruiting• Learning a new language• Cultural training
Conclusion
• Heading the Correct Direction
• Demonstrated Operational Capability
• Diverse Workforce = Diverse Ideas