Essential Steps to Improve Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment
Diversity and inclusion have been gaining more friction in the recruitment industry recently. They have gradually found their way into the focus of businesses due to the benefits they bring to the table.
But diversity and inclusion shouldn’t just be buzzwords. They shouldn’t be carelessly included in mission statements or company policies to score cheap points or gain recognition! Active efforts should be carried out to incorporate these two concepts in recruitment exercises and workplace traditions.
Diversity means interviewing and hiring individuals equally across a diverse range of backgrounds. It entails considering varying skill sets, experiences, gender, race, age, and religion when hiring.
On the other hand, inclusion means that everyone in the company feels recognized, appreciated, respected, and fairly treated.
A diversified and inclusive workforce allows businesses to identify and explore new solutions or opportunities.
The challenge businesses now face is how to develop and implement a diversified and inclusive recruitment strategy.
So, in this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of a diversified and inclusive workforce. We’ll also outline steps that can help improve diversity and inclusion in recruitment exercises. Let’s begin.
Benefits of a diversified and inclusive workforce
A study by The Robert Walters Institution shows that businesses with a diversified and inclusive work culture enjoy a plethora of benefits. Some of the benefits they stand to enjoy are:
Better productivity
Employees display better levels of engagement and productivity when they feel appreciated. An inclusive workplace tradition enables employees to bring their complete selves to work without fear of discrimination.
So, when staff feels at ease and satisfied with the work environment, customers get excellent service and are happy with the results. They might even go on to promote your brand to other potential clients & friends!
This may improve customer retention and talent retention at once!
Improved brand image
Jobseekers now want to work with businesses with a diverse and inclusive workplace tradition, it’s how they can ensure they’ll feel safe! Humans intuitively want good things for themselves and others! And when they see someone (or a group of people, like a company) treats others well, they get attached and connected!
Put simply, a diversified and inclusive workplace tradition gives companies a positive brand image & attracts human force.
Innovation and fresh perspectives
Diversity breeds innovation, creativity, and strategic thinking. Having a workforce of people with different backgrounds and experiences means you can draw upon their unique experiences to develop new ideas.
Also, having a mix of opinions allows your team to come up with creative solutions to difficult situations or to challenge each other's ideas.
Reduces employee turnover
Sense of respect and validity peaks under diversified and inclusive workplace roofs. Employees in such atmospheres tend to develop a feel of loyalty toward the hosting company and are more inclined to stay longer.
Now, let’s move to the central part!
5 steps to improve diversity and inclusion in recruitment
The benefits of having a diversified and inclusive workforce are there for the taking. But businesses have to invest resources in developing a working diversity recruitment strategy.
Here are five practical steps to reinforce diversity and inclusion in recruitment:
1. Measure and set goals
There is no way to improve your efforts on diversity & inclusion initiatives without tracking their success.
Therefore, to improve diversity recruitment, you need to survey your staff and evaluate the status of your workforce. This will enable you to pinpoint areas that require improvement.
Businesses will need to address various subjects; their staff members are the best people to be asked about the issues that require the most attention.
2. Broaden your talent search
Widening your talent search can also be an excellent way to improve diversity and inclusion. Look outside the conventional candidate sourcing channels to locate job seekers you haven't reached before.
You can take your talent search to social platforms, newspapers, job boards, and pioneering recruitment platforms like Huntzen. Schools and universities are good places to find talent if you’re looking for graduate candidates.
You can also use employment forums targeting people of various races, genders, sexualities, or ages.
3. Reword job descriptions
When writing job descriptions, try not to include language that immediately alienates certain groups of people. This is one of the ways businesses unconsciously give room for bias when recruiting.
Restructure job descriptions with clear language. Using complex or confusing business jargon can put off inexperienced candidates from applying to open positions.
Additionally, including gendered language in your job description is very discriminatory. In your job descriptions, you should consider using a healthy mix of male and female pronouns.
You can use online proofing tools and glossaries to identify terms or phrases that may unconsciously discourage professionals from specific backgrounds from applying.
4. Look out for unconscious bias
Bias is a part of human nature, and it can have an impact on the way we perceive people and make employment decisions. To prevent unconscious bias, develop a systematic recruitment process that relies on a team rather than a single hiring manager.
It allows for various viewpoints about candidates rather than a single viewpoint.
Another way you can avoid bias is by using blind CVs and making data-driven recruiting decisions using analytics.
Blind CVs allow you to evaluate candidates based on the information relevant to the available position. It will help avoid irrelevant information that may induce bias. Data analytics further aids this, as you'll only make hiring decisions based on meaningful metrics.
5. Train employees on inclusivity and diversity
Developing a diverse and inclusive workforce has to start from within. Unconscious bias training should be provided to recruiting managers and staff.
Train hiring managers on the questions to ask during interviews. Questions about a candidate's personal life or religion should not be asked during an interview.
Training on diversity and inclusion will contribute to a more peaceful workplace. It will increase employees' understanding of ethnic, religious, and cultural distinctions.
Additionally, they should be trained to alter their behavior to be more inclusive.
Wrapping up
Getting recruitment right is the first step in developing a positive workplace where individuals with various backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, and talents may collaborate effectively.
You have a better chance of establishing a diverse and inclusive workplace tradition if you incorporate the highlighted steps into your recruitment process.