Workplace diversity policies don't help: study

Washington

WHETHER it's Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook or relatively unknown firms such as Camden Property Trust, Fortune's No 1 "Best Workplace for Diversity" last year, businesses around the world are scrambling to show they know it's not okay to let white men run everything. That effort can take many forms - from diversity training so devastatingly lampooned years ago in The Office to actually hiring and retaining minorities and women.

A controversial piece published this week in the Harvard Business Review now asks a simple question: "Are all of these efforts working?" For anyone who thinks diversity at work is important, the answer was a bit distressing."In terms of increasing demographic diversity, the answer appears to be not really," the piece, written by Tessa L Dover, Cheryl R Kaiser and Brenda Major, read. "The most commonly used diversity programmes do little to increase representation of minorities and women."