Keeping Government Diversity Efforts Strong in Hard Economic Times.

• Author: Barrett, Katherine
• Position: IN PRACTICE: PERSPECTIVE

Over the last five years, we've seen multiple local and state government efforts to improve the diversity of the public-sector workforce, to fix pay inequity, and to foster a respectful and inclusive workplace.

These initiatives have been supported by a number of studies, in both the private and public sectors, demonstrating that employees of different backgrounds, ages, genders, races, and ethnicities bring new ideas to an organization and spur innovation. "There's tons of data to support this, and I think that's important for government officials to remember," said Jennifer Fairweather, human resources director in Jefferson County, Colorado.

Keeping that idea front and center is particularly important as 2021 begins and local government leaders face prolonged budget struggles that lead to hiring freezes and the specter of layoffs. Such actions have the potential of stymying diversity efforts.

Consider the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. It provides a cautionary tale of how progress can be quickly reversed in an economic downturn. Multiple studies have shown that job loss in the public sector following that deep economic downturn had a disproportionate effect on Black employees, and particularly Black women.

The ultimate impact of the coronavirus-related economic downturn and reduced tax revenues to cities and states will take months and even years to analyze. But some threats seem clear. Layoffs, with a last-in, first-out selection process, threaten to excise from the workforce the very individuals who have been brought in by expanding recruiting efforts. Continuing hiring freezes and budget cuts delay efforts to bring younger workers, workers with diverse backgrounds, and those with disabilities into the workforce. The potential effect is to delay efforts to encourage the entry of women and candidates of color to jobs that have traditionally been the province of white males. What's more, adjusting salaries to close pay gaps for women or minority workers is somewhat more difficult when dollars are scarce.

Management initiatives that help to promote diversity are also vulnerable when administrative functions have to compete with direct services for funding. "I think whenever there is an economic downturn, things that are geared toward organization development can be seen as a cost without a return," Fairweather said.

One key to sustaining momentum for localities' diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts is to show decision makers that...