Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment
In today’s world, creating a diverse and inclusive workplace has become a top priority for many organisations. One of the key areas where this is particularly important is recruitment.
Hiring a diverse range of employees not only brings in a variety of perspectives and ideas but also helps to create a more inclusive company culture that celebrates differences and fosters a sense of belonging for all.
Achieving diversity and inclusion in recruitment is not always easy and requires a thoughtful and deliberate approach.
In this article, we’ll explore what diversity and inclusion in recruitment really mean, why they are important in recruiting for support-related positions, and we’ll provide some practical tips on how organisations can improve diversity and inclusion practices in hiring.
What is diversity in recruitment?
Diversity in recruitment refers to the goal of hiring a workforce that includes people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, genders, ages, socio-economic levels, abilities and experiences.
A Glassdoor study reveals that more than 3 in 4 employees and job seekers report that having a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers.
This means that companies should seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics and perspectives in order to create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community and society at large. This helps to ensure that employees feel valued and supported.
What is inclusion in recruitment?
Inclusion in recruitment means creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, regardless of their background or personal characteristics.
This means that companies should remove any barriers or biases that prevent certain groups from accessing opportunities or advancing in their careers and ensure that all employees have equal access to resources, support and opportunities for growth.
Diversity is about who is represented in the workforce, while inclusion is about creating a culture where everyone feels included and valued, regardless of their background or identity.
Diversity and inclusion in recruitment are important because they promote equal opportunity, fairness and respect for all individuals, regardless of their background or personal characteristics.
Diversity and Inclusion in support roles
Diversity and inclusion are crucial in business support roles. Personnel in positions like office managers or executive assistants are often responsible for the operational and administrative processes that keep a company running smoothly. Therefore, it is essential to have employees in these roles who understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and who can apply these principles in their work.
Business support roles often involve interacting with clients, customers and other stakeholders. Having a team that reflects the diversity of these groups can help to build stronger relationships and improve communication. It can also help to ensure that the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders are taken into account.
Our team at Joss Search understand the importance of diversity and inclusion in recruitment and we’re committed to implementing these practices into our business processes to ensure equal opportunities for all.
Why is diversity and recruitment important in recruitment?
There are many reasons why diversity and inclusion is important in recruitment. Some of these key reasons are:
Workplace Culture
Diversity and inclusion in recruitment help to create a workplace culture that values and leverages employees’ unique perspectives and experiences from different backgrounds.
Innovation, Creativity and Problem-Solving
Diversity and inclusion bring together people with different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds. This diversity of thought leads to a wider range of ideas and solutions, which can drive innovation in the workplace.
When individuals feel included and valued, they’re also more likely to contribute to the organisation’s success by bringing their unique skills and talents to the table. This can result in increased creativity, problem-solving and overall productivity.
Additionally, diverse teams can better understand and serve diverse customer bases, leading to better products and services that meet a wider range of needs.
Staff Morale, Engagement and Retention
By ensuring equal opportunities for all individuals, organisations can ensure that their employees feel respected and valued, which can lead to improved employee morale, engagement and retention.
Profitability
A study by Boston Consulting Group revealed that companies that have more diverse teams have 19% higher revenue due to innovation.
All of the above factors, including improved innovation, workplace culture and staff retention, can contribute to an organisation’s productivity and profitability.
A diverse and inclusive workforce helps organisations better understand and serve their customers and communities, leading to increased success and growth.
10 tips to improve diversity and inclusivity in the recruitment process
Improving the recruitment process is crucial as diversity and inclusion are known to enhance organisational performance and workplace culture.
Here are ways to improve your recruitment process to be more diverse and inclusive.
1. Develop a diversity and inclusion recruitment plan
Start by creating a plan that outlines your organisation’s goals for diversity and inclusion in recruitment. This plan should include strategies for sourcing candidates from various backgrounds and ensuring that the recruitment process is free from biases.
2. Use inclusive language in job postings
Ensure that the job requirements and responsibilities are inclusive and do not exclude potential candidates from underrepresented groups. The language used in job postings can impact who applies for the position. Using inclusive language that avoids gendered, racial or cultural stereotypes can help to attract a more diverse pool of candidates.
3. Sourcing and screening candidates
Proactively seek out a diverse pool of candidates by reaching out to organisations, networks and job boards that cater to diverse communities. Consider implementing blind screening practices such as removing identifying information, like names and addresses from CVs, in order to avoid bias based on gender, race or ethnicity.
4. Train hiring managers on unconscious bias
Hiring managers should be trained on how to identify and overcome unconscious biases that may impact their decision-making. This can help to ensure that candidates are evaluated fairly based on their qualifications and experience.
5. Interviewing candidates
Train interviewers on diversity and inclusion practices, such as avoiding discriminatory or inappropriate questions and giving equal opportunity to all candidates. Diverse interview panels can provide different perspectives and ensure that candidates are evaluated fairly. Consider including individuals from different backgrounds, departments and levels of seniority on the interview panel.
6. Selecting a candidate
Use objective criteria and standards for evaluating candidates. Avoid making assumptions about a candidate’s qualifications based on their background, and be aware of any unconscious bias that may impact decision-making.
7. Extending an offer
Ensure that the compensation and benefits offered are fair and equitable. Be transparent about opportunities for growth and advancement within the company.
8. Onboarding
Provide diversity and inclusion training during the onboarding process and ensure new employees feel welcome and supported in the workplace. Encourage diversity and inclusivity in workplace culture by promoting open communication, respect and empathy.
9. Performance evaluation
Provide feedback and support to all employees, regardless of background or experience. Evaluate employees based on objective criteria and performance standards. Continuously review and improve diversity and inclusion policies and practices to ensure a fair and inclusive workplace culture.
10. Review your recruitment metrics
Review your recruitment metrics regularly to track progress towards your diversity and inclusion goals. This can help you to identify areas where improvements can be made and make adjustments to your recruitment strategies as needed.
FAQs
How do you build diversity and inclusion in recruitment?
Building diversity and inclusion in recruitment involves implementing a range of strategies to attract and retain candidates from diverse backgrounds.
One approach is to change recruitment ad targeting to reach out to a broader range of candidates. This could involve using inclusive language and avoiding gendered or biased language in job descriptions.
Another strategy is to vary the sources when seeking applicants for a position, such as reaching out to organisations, networks and job boards that cater to diverse communities.
Creating internships for targeted groups can also provide opportunities for underrepresented candidates to gain valuable skills and experience while also increasing the diversity of the organisation’s talent pipeline.
How does diversity and inclusion impact recruitment?
When an organisation prioritises diversity and inclusion in its recruitment process, it helps to create a fair and unbiased approach to hiring.
By implementing policies that emphasise diversity and inclusion as best practices, the organisation can attract a wider range of qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds, which can lead to increased innovation, creativity and problem-solving.
A diverse and inclusive workforce can help organisations better understand and serve their customers and communities, leading to increased success and growth.
What are three factors to consider in recruiting for diversity?
Here are three important factors to consider in recruiting for diversity:
- Creating a sense of belonging should be the top priority: It is essential to ensure that candidates from diverse backgrounds feel welcome and valued within the organisation. This requires creating an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity and provides equal opportunities for all employees to succeed.
- It’s not a scarcity problem. It’s a sourcing problem: Organisations need to broaden their candidate sourcing strategies and look beyond traditional recruiting channels. This means seeking out talent from diverse backgrounds and targeting underrepresented groups.
- Improving diversity recruiting starts with improving culture: Recruiting for diversity is not just about checking boxes or meeting quotas. It requires a fundamental shift in organisational culture. This means addressing unconscious biases, training and creating policies and procedures that support diversity and inclusion.
Conclusion
Diversity and inclusion in recruitment have become a priority for many organisations. It means hiring a diverse range of employees that reflects the diversity of the community and creating a more inclusive culture that celebrates differences and fosters a sense of belonging for all.
By prioritising these principles in the hiring of business support positions, companies can create a more inclusive and effective team. By improving diversity and inclusion in recruitment processes, organisations can create a fair and inclusive workplace culture that promotes equal opportunity, fairness and respect for all individuals, regardless of their background or personal characteristics.
At Joss Search, we believe that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is not just the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. So, if you’re looking to build a team that reflects the society we live in, we’re here to help!
