When discussing approaches to managing increasingly diverse workforces the focus has mostly been on the US and to some extent on other parts of the Anglo-Saxon world (e.g., Canada and the UK). While there have been `growing and expansive investments' in the US to successfully manage the challenges and opportunities of increasingly diverse workforces, in Europe `the business case for investing in workforce diversity remains embryonic'. A European Commission study in 2005 exploring good practices in the implementation of DM and anti-discriminatory approaches in the business sector throughout 25- Member States of the EU reported that 52% of companies had no DM-related policies at all, while only 21% of organizations had well-embedded policies and practices and 27% of businesses had either just started or were in the process of developing, or only very recently completed DM-related programs.
One could argue that businesses operating in Continental Europe just do not face increasingly diverse labor markets and workforces. Yet a look at the demographic developments and long-term forecasts provide a different and, in some cases (e.g., aging populations), even more perturbing picture than which we know from the US. Aside the well-documented and publicized demographic changes, climate change refugeeism and future skilled workers' immigration are some of the newer phenomena that might add to Europe's workforce diversity.
Considering the European Union's continuous appeals and promotions for more workforce diversity initiatives—what are the companies in Continental Europe doing about managing this rapidly increasing workforce diversity? Much of the action can be summarized in signing diversity charters, promoting goodwill intentions in company mission statements, developing zero tolerance policies, aligning company policies with anti-discriminatory laws and directives, investing in the recruit-ment of scattered disadvantaged/minority groups and offering employee awareness training.
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