Diversity: attracting retaining tax professionals

• Published in: Tax Executive 2003-09, Vol.55 (5), p.376
• Main Authors: Nash, Shannon King, Hamilton, Wayne A.S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Best practice; Corporate objectives; Demographics; Diversity training; Employee recruitment; Guidelines; Hiring; Historically Black Colleges & Universities; Management; Mentors; Personality; Professionals; Retention; Sexual orientation; Tax consultants; Tax services; Workforce; Workplace multiculturalism
• ISSN: 0040-0025

Attracting minorities to an organization must start with a commitment from the top of the organization to modify the hiring process. Diversity requires vision, effort, and perseverance. The following guidelines must be addressed by organizations trying to diversify their tax department: 1. evaluate demographics, 2. evaluate hiring practices, 3. identify where minorities are in the organization, 4. assess attractiveness to minorities, 5. define the target "pool," 6. identify the "personality," 7. locate sources for the target "pool," 8. advertise to the target pool, and 9. establish mentors early on. To successfully develop talent, organizations must take steps to ensure that their employees have access to resources that will develop both their technical and "soft" skills. The following areas require attention to increase the probability that minority tax professionals will want to stay in the department or organization: 1. compensation, 2. performance management, 3. mentoring, 4. growth opportunity, 5. professional networking, and 6. department integration.