According to a poll of 2,002 Americans conducted by John Zogby Strategies - an American public opinion pollster - 51 per cent of Millennials and Generation Z reported that ‘fair representation of race, ethnicity and religion is paramount to creating the ideal workplace' .
Agreeing with that statement were 48 per cent of Generation X and 42 per cent of Baby Boomers - who also wanted employers to prioritize diversity over ability when it comes to hiring.
Only 15 per cent of Generation Z and 32 per cent of Millennials believe that 'merit and competition supersede all, even if that results in a workplace that creates minimal diversity' - compared to 37 percent of Generation X and 45 percent of Baby Boomers who said that merit is more important than diversity.
When questioned as to whether businesses should prioritize their impact on the environment - or focus on growing jobs and satisfying stockholders - 55 per cent of Generation Z; 42 per cent of Millennials; 41 per cent of Generation X and 40 per cent of Baby Boomers agreed with the statement 'major business decisions must first and foremost take into account their impact on the environment.'.
Jeremy Zogby - a Partner in Zogby Strategies - commented:
“There are really two opposing schools, I guess you could say that there's one that's on the side of progressive ideology, whereas the other one is more in line with the way business was always run. There is definitely a progressive slant in Millennials and Gen Z.”
Alexandra Anders - EMEA Talent Director, Cornerstone OnDemand - writes:
‘Diversity over ability - that’s what matters to Millennials and Gen Z, research recently revealed. For these generations, an employee from all backgrounds being fairly represented is the key for a great workplace and diversity is more important than hiring new employees based on their skills.
Yet, businesses are still failing to address problems of equality and transparency. Not to name names but we’ve all seen the ongoing issues at Google.
While there may be no quick-fix or overnight solution, there are ways that you can and should take action now.’
She added:
‘Recruitment is just the first step towards creating greater equality. When you’re looking to build a diverse workforce you also need to retain people. The recent revelations from companies submitting their pay gap reports shows how too often a company’s first and only response will be to launch a big diversity recruitment push. After that they see this as a job done – but that’s only the start. HR needs to reflect not only on hiring practices but also internal rewards and policies and the rest of the employee lifecycle’.
