As you know, any program faces the loss of employee interest after it has been in place for a period of time. Here are three ways to breathe new life into diversity programs.

First, continuously audit your effort and find new ways to present information and new contexts in which to present that information to keep your program interesting.

Second, survey employees to determine quantitatively how well the program is being received. When surveying, always be sure to ask survey participants where they feel improvements can be made and, of equal importance, where the program fails. It always helps to remember the old axiom that “everyone wants praise; everyone needs criticism.”

Third, broaden the appeal and heighten the awareness of participants by highlighting new initiatives.

One group that comes to mind immediately as a candidate for creating new frontiers in diversity programs is veterans. (Check later HR Solutions columns for ideas to incorporate other groups into diversity programs.)

One in every eight Americans (13 percent) has served sufficient time in the military to be considered a veteran. Yet, with the exception of affirmative action requirements that affect these veterans, most diversity programs ignore this large portion of the employee population.

Adding a new diversity effort to recognize veterans makes a great deal of sense and is quite easy. First, there are two holidays that recognize veterans’ service to the country, Veterans Day and Memorial Day, which can serve as the fulcrum to initiate your recognition efforts. Second, there are numerous government and veterans organizations where a program administrator can find resources to help support such an initiative. For example, try the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve .

Finally, if your organization is engaged in a major staffing ramp up, a recognition campaign can easily be introduced and integrated with your recruiting initiative.

John Sweeney, GPHR, is an information specialist in the SHRM Information Center.

Please Note: This material is provided as general information and is not a substitute for legal or other professional advice. Contact the Knowledge Center for more information.

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