HispanicBusiness

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia –- A recent survey of U.S. companies confirms that initiatives to promote diversity in the workplace have had a positive impact on the companies' bottom line.

The survey, titled "Impact of Diversity Initiatives on the Bottom Line," was conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Fortune magazine, and it gathered input from 1,500 firms throughout the United States.

Debra Cohen, head of research at SHRM, said that many human-resources executives reported hiring more African Americans, Hispanics, women, and elderly workers during the past five years. Although most diversity initiatives began in the 1990s, they have continued to increase, she said.

Some 79 percent of the executives surveyed said that increased diversity improved the corporate environment, and 52 percent said it enriched relationships with clients. Ninety-one percent of the executives agreed that diversity helped companies remain competitive, increased morale, and boosted creativity and production.

Most companies' diversity initiatives (75 percent) are based on in-house hiring, according to the survey. Training and workshops play a part in 66 percent, with community projects involved in 61 percent.

Despite these programs, however, executive positions in the largest corporations continue to be filled by Anglo males, according to U.S. Labor Department figures.

Ninety-seven percent of senior executives in the largest 1,500 firms in the United States are white and male, while 57 percent of the nation's work force is made up of women and minorities. And although Hispanics constitute 8 percent of the work force, a minuscule 0.4 percent of senior-level officers are Hispanic.