e compete for the best talent from all cultures and genders," says Ossie Reid, director for diversity at United Technologies. The company strives to be rated on business magazine best-employer lists. To achieve that, it has to offer a culturally diverse environment. In response to changing employee demographics, United Technologies introduced diversity programs in the early 1990s.

    Affirmative-action laws demanded that the company employ people from a variety of races and religions, he says. The diversity programs, which include mentoring, forums for women and minorities, and training, ensure that everyone feels appreciated and supported in the UT culture. And Reid is not just concerned about diversity related to cultural makeup. Intellectual diversity is just as important, he says. "People with varied educations and philosophies bring different experiences to the table. It makes the company more flexible."

    To create an environment that accommodates cultural, religious, and intellectual diversity, his department’s primary focus is on inclusion. "We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate in the organization, regardless of their gender, background, or race."

    The diversity group is involved with succession planning and performance appraisal training. It offers scholarship programs, relocation services, and a hotline for help with personal and family issues through the EAP. It also sponsors forums and symposiums for women and minorities throughout the company to celebrate employees and create mentoring networks. Because of these efforts, UTC received the Department of Labor’s Opportunity 2000 award for advancement of women and minorities in the workforce. "We’re proud to have created an environment that draws upon the experiences of so many individuals, and that can only expand the possibilities for our customers and employees alike," Reid says.

    In the future he hopes to add diversity modules to the emerging-leaders training program that employees take at the University of Virginia business school. "It’s a big opportunity for leaders to have the right discussions about what is expected of them."

    Reid sees all of these programs as critical to the company’s success. "We work our people pretty hard, so they need to be in a place where they feel comfortable." It isn’t an easy task in a conservative New England city. "Hartford is tough, especially for single people. It can be very cliquish."

    As part of its diversity program, UTC contracts with FCWDC’s Life Choices hotline. Employees can use the service for information about places to go after work or perhaps to learn about an alumni group in the area. It’s all part of the effort to create a supportive and diverse environment.

    "When we lose people because they aren’t happy, it costs us a lot of money," Reid says. UTC’s scholarship program, for example, covers complete tuition for degree programs and gives employees $10,000 in stock options when they graduate. "If they leave, we lose that investment."

Union workers are skeptical
    Employee reaction to the programs has been promising. Utilization rates of the Life Choices program range from 13 to 25 percent, two to three times better than the established "best-practice rate" for this kind of service, Reid says. The higher you go in the company, the more likely employees are to take advantage of the diversity programs, he says. Utilization by corporate personnel is 25 percent. "There’s a lot of pressure on corporate, and they will take advantage of any service that they think will benefit them."

    Union employees, on the other hand, are more reluctant to use the programs. There is still a fear that if they use EAP services of any kind, "corporate will know their business," he says. "It’s a very macho environment, especially for a technology-driven company."