When it comes to recruitment, prioritising diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is essential to enhance your hiring plans. By putting a focus on DE&I, you not only attract a wider range of talent, you also build a more inclusive and supportive workplace. Here are some key recommendations to help you effectively integrate DE&I into your hiring process.
Recommendations
Have your DE&I policies front and centre when recruiting:
More than six in ten people say they actively look for an organisation’s DE&I policies when they’re searching for a new job, and this percentage increases for those from different backgrounds or younger age groups.
Mitigate bias from the hiring process:
Implementing anonymised recruitment can help keep your hiring processes unbiased and is favoured by almost four out of five job applicants who feel this approach means they’ll be fairly considered for a role.
Consider combining your wellbeing and DE&I efforts:
Having your diversity, equity and inclusion practices combined with your wellbeing efforts is an effective way to ensure your organisation is doing all it can to better the employee experience.
Showcase your successes internally:
Our research shows lots of positive movement has taken place over the last five years when it comes to DE&I in the workplace, and in some areas, this has shifted the views of employees.
Have your DE&I policies front and centre when recruiting:
More than six in ten people say they actively look for an organisation’s DE&I policies when they’re searching for a new job, and this percentage increases for those from different backgrounds or younger age groups.
When it comes to your organisation’s DE&I policies and initiatives, actions speak louder than words. Show an authentic view of DE&I in your workplace when hiring, such as the imagery that you use on your recruitment materials or the culture you portray in interviews. Be proactive in marking diversity days and events; showcase any DE&I accreditations your organisation may have achieved; be transparent about the diversity data you share such as gender pay gap reporting. Our research shows that employees want this information to be readily available when they’re searching for a new job.
Providing this insight into your organisation from the beginning of the application process erases confusion later down the line when it comes to diversity initiatives and what’s available, in turn helping staff retention. Consider working with an expert recruitment partner like Hays who can assist in ensuring your hiring process gives an authentic view of your organisation:
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Mitigate bias from the hiring process:
Implementing anonymised recruitment can help keep your hiring processes unbiased and is favoured by almost four out of five job applicants who feel this approach means they’ll be fairly considered for a role. Unconscious bias affects us all and can have a detrimental effect on recruiting a diverse workforce, anonymised recruitment can help ensure the focus is purely on a candidate’s talent and skill.
Removing identifying features from the application process, such as someone’s name, gender, age, and ethnicity from CVs and applications means hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, skills, and experience. This minimises the risk of unconscious biases influencing the selection process and helps foster a more diverse working environment.
Other steps organisations can take to actively mitigate any biases include implementing ongoing training for managers which can help to remove issues from a top-down level. DE&I in the workplace is always evolving, so continuous learning and upskilling for hiring managers is key to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. Our data shows that more than half of potential employees would feel more confident with things like anonymised recruitment implemented, highlighting the importance of doing so.
Take a look at FAIRER Consulting’s training offering:
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Consider combining your wellbeing and DE&I efforts:
Having your diversity, equity and inclusion practices combined with your wellbeing efforts is an effective way to ensure your organisation is doing all it can to better the employee experience.
Wellbeing and DE&I initiatives that support one another helps to drive more inclusive ways of working. For example, those with disabilities may require more frequent wellbeing days for health reasons, and providing mental health support services can build a more inclusive workplace where employees feel more supported and valued.
Showcase your successes internally:
Our research shows lots of positive movement has taken place over the last five years when it comes to DE&I in the workplace, and in some areas, this has shifted the views of employees. For example, more than seven in ten employees think that capturing diversity data has a positive impact on attracting new and diverse talent, an uplift from less than half in 2019. Senior leaders in your organisation should be taking the lead in demonstrating their buy-in and commitment to building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace, which has been identified as the topmost crucial factor for the future success of DE&I.
There is still work to be done in terms of measuring the impact of DE&I initiatives on the employee experience and communicating this internally to staff. Consider undertaking a review of how inclusive your workplace is to identify areas for improvement:
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