Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month is a unique opportunity for companies to recognize their Latinx employees in meaningful ways. Beginning on September 15, 2022, Hispanic Heritage Month – also called Latinx Heritage Month – honors the impact Hispanic Americans have on business, the arts, and communities.
Hispanic workers currently make up 18% of the workforce in the United States, and the Department of Labor projects that by 2030, one in five workers will be Hispanic.
The importance of Hispanic Heritage Month in the workplace
Like many celebration months, Hispanic Heritage Month gives employers the opportunity to send a strong message of inclusion and respect to their workers. As Hady Mendez, the Director of Equality at Slack in New York City explains, celebrating Hispanic workers helps them feel seen, heard, and welcome in your workplace.
Although half of the Hispanic population in the United States is Mexican, it’s important to understand the diversity within the Hispanic community, which also includes people with roots in Spain, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. And, the Mexican American community is as diverse as the country of Mexico, which is the 13th largest country by geographical area, and the 10th most populous country in the world.
Many human resource professionals embrace Hispanic Heritage Month as part of their overarching Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative. This serves to amplify Latinx voices and nurture fair and inclusive workplaces that provide advancement opportunities for all workers regardless of background.
Here are some best practices for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month this fall and all year long.
Employee spotlights
Highlighting the stories of your Hispanic employees builds understanding and connection for everyone in your company. These employee spotlights bring a human touch to your newsletters, social channels, and intranet content, and send a strong message that you are committed to sustaining an inclusive workplace.
Support Hispanic ERGs
In addition to providing Hispanic employees with a safe place for connection and validation, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can foster allyship throughout your organization. Brown-Forman, which owns Jack Daniels and other brands, has a variety of ERGs including COPA for their Latinx employees, and including non-Latinx people in discussions is an important part of their Hispanic Heritage Month philosophy.
Celebrate your Hispanic employees
Hosting events focused on the music, art, food, and language of the Hispanic culture is a fun way to include all employees in the celebration of Latinx Heritage Month. If you have a Hispanic-focused ERG, you might tap into their knowledge and partner with them to present workshops on the special considerations for supporting Hispanic employees.
This short video from Salesforce, which celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month as “Champion Month,” does a great job of describing why celebration months are important to company culture.
Provide pay transparency
Including a range of salary on job descriptions and updating your compensation practices can ensure fair and equitable pay for all employees, including your Hispanic workers. Being transparent about pay with candidates demonstrates your commitment to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce.
Encourage mentorship and focused hiring programs
Although the number of Hispanic workers is expected to increase from 29 million in 2020 to 35.9 million in 2030, Latinx workers are overrepresented in service occupations. Hispanics hold only 10.7% of all management jobs, and while that’s up from 5.2% in 2000, there is much to be done to increase access to growth roles. Mentorship is a powerful tool for developing and promoting Latinx talent, as is providing pathways for Hispanic students and young workers, like this program at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Advocate for Hispanic representation in the C-suite
Although Hispanics make up 18% of the workforce, they are not equitably represented at the highest levels of leadership. Only 16 CEOs of the S&P 500 are Hispanic. As for the Fortune 500, only 20 CEOs are Hispanic, and just 4% of board positions are held by Hispanic leaders.
Louis Caldera, a director at Granite Construction Inc. and the former Secretary of the U.S. Army says entry-level Hispanic workers need to see other Latinx people in leadership positions:
“I think there is a change that is occurring, and I think that the companies that are on the leading edge of this are going to have success as a result of it.”
Louis Caldera