TITLE: Vice President of Human Resources

BONUS OBJECTIVE: Develop benchmark and go-forward plan to match the gender and ethnic makeup of store-level employees with their communities.

STEPS: Follow equal opportunity laws at every step to ensure a fair and appropriate pipeline of candidates.

• Measure the current work force. Incorporate sex and race into records in the employee database.

• Research the cities or neighborhoods where restaurants operate. Demographic analysis can be outsourced or achieved with off-the-shelf software. Evaluate public sources such as government census data and local chambers of commerce.

• Interview the general managers or franchisees of the units that best reflect their communities' diversity to learn best practices. Talk to those at the other end of the spectrum about roadblocks.

• An objective look at how employees are treated might reveal cultural habits that are less attractive to women or minorities.

• Examine human-resources practices for recruiting new employees. Is advertising reaching a broad audience? Consider referral bonuses for restaurant workers. If the customer base reflects the community, recruit guests.

RESOURCES:

• The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Web site is a rich source that not only outlines the law but also gives news, answers questions and offers specific examples to learn from.

• The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Association offers industry-specific tools, education and opportunities for frank discussion.

• The Women’s Foodservice Forum provides leadership training and development for employees from unit-level management to top executives.
 

• Diversity World provides publications, tools and consulting to help eliminate employment barriers.