Diversity and inclusion in recruitment are now more crucial than ever. After all, not only is it proven to drive business revenue and profit, it will also attract a higher level of talent to your business and result in increased employee engagement and productivity.
Looking at diversity and inclusion purely from a bottom-line point of view:
- companies in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity are 35% more likely to have higher financial returns than their competitors
- companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15% more likely to have higher financial returns than their competitors
Recruiters have a significant role in organisations’ current and future diversity. We can positively impact the DEI goals of the clients we are working with by:
- ensuring team members deliver an inclusive recruitment experience through actions and transparency
- expand clients’ recruiting channels to improve their access to more diverse talent pools
- implement interview frameworks and practices that support an inclusive environment
So, how do you incorporate diversity and inclusion in your recruitment process?
- Putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of your organisation in your core company values and manifesto and shouting about it on your website, your job descriptions, social and all internal and external communications.
- Use data to understand how diverse your business is currently, assess where the gaps are and devise a long-term strategy to diversify your employee pool.
- Think about culture-add rather than culture-fit to enhance the company culture with something unique.
- Minimising unconscious bias during the interview process with a comprehensive training programme for all employees.
- Modernise your company policies to suit the needs of a more diverse workforce, such as allowing employees to take time off based on their cultural or religious situation.
- Think carefully about the language you use in job adverts to avoid alienating people by using excessive business jargon or highlighting stereotypically gendered words.
- Use standardised job interviews to ensure all candidates are treated equally. Many companies are now using psychometric testing and a scorecard system to rank the candidates’ attributes against the role requirements.
- Consider offering flexible working hours, as this will help attract parents, carers, those with mental health issues or disabilities, and millennials looking for a better work/life balance.
There are numerous potential benefits associated with an inclusive recruitment strategy. A truly diverse and inclusive recruitment process requires a strategic approach to selecting the right employees to help you build a more successful company. It also needs to be continually worked on to ensure further progress in the ongoing effort to create a more inclusive and representative workforce.
Agile Recruit can help you to ensure your talent pool is diverse in abilities, cultures, experiences and skill sets. Contact us to find out more.
