Many organizations today are actively working toward adding more diversity to their workforce, and the importance of doing so only increases by the day. Diversity in an organization isn’t just about the type of people you have on your team — diversity and inclusion starts as soon as the recruitment process begins.
These are the top five most common mistakes HR leaders and recruitment teams are making at the recruitment stage, and what you can do to avoid making the same mistakes.
Biased language significantly impacts the perception of an organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and it is extremely easy for unconscious bias to sneak its way into job posts, descriptions, and offers undetected. This includes things like gender-specific language, ageism, and even the lack of consideration for people with varying abilities.
It’s important to screen your job listings and other forms of recruitment communication for these types of biases, whether that is by seeking the trusted review of various team members and colleagues, or using a software like Circa’s that automatically removes job description bias by blocking out particular details about candidates from their resumes.
Diversity is not a cut-and-dry policy implementation. Instead, it’s an ongoing process for fostering equity, inclusion, and belonging throughout your organization. Even if you have a shiny recruitment policy focused on finding and hiring diverse candidates, it will all crumble if those you hire don’t feel a sense of safety and welcoming within the workplace.
So, what does inclusion look like at your organization? What do your unique and individual employees need to show up to work as their authentic selves and contribute their ideas without hesitation? One way to ensure employees are being heard is to regularly have them complete an anonymous survey asking them to provide feedback on what they would like to see in the organization. Another way to help make employees feel welcome is to plan out events for the year that focus on inclusion like having speakers come present for important DEI holidays. Overall, a deep focus on inclusion and belonging will ultimately make diversity recruiting easier in the long run as your existing clients and employees will speak highly of your commitment to DEI and creating an inclusive culture.
In order for diversity recruiting to work, organizations have to actually hold themselves accountable for achieving results from their DEI efforts. Simply updating policies won’t do the trick. In fact, 75% of surveyed companies in 2020 say they treat DEI as merely a compliance issue. By doing this organizations are ignoring the ways that DEI can transform their organization and letting any challenges that come up overshadow the work they are doing.
This is where companies need to focus less on performative action and social capital and truly dive into embedding DEI in their organization’s culture. There is real work that must be done to make diversity recruiting (and beyond) a reality.
Diversity hiring is no different to all hiring in that using available data and setting realistic goals makes it easier to remain accountable. Rather than using a best guess and hoping for results, recruitment teams need to use employee and candidate data to plan a hiring strategy that aligns with their overall goals and makes those goal-oriented results measurable.
For example, a company may set a goal to have the diversity in their company reflect the diversity of the surrounding area using population data, or use compensation data tools like LaborIQ to ensure that your offers are competitive and fair.
Company culture is a critical factor for today’s job seekers. One Glassdoor study found that 96% of job seekers say it’s important to work for a company that embraces transparency. Additionally, 88% of job seekers say that a healthy culture at work is vital for success.
Millennials in particular are prioritizing “people and culture fit” above everything else in the workplace. If recruitment teams focus solely on diversity within the recruiting process (e.g., job posts, interviews, offers, etc.) they are missing a key factor in overall DEI success. It’s important for your organization to be transparent both internally and publicly about your commitment to diversity and inclusion.
At Circa, our Advancing Belonging and Inclusion (ABI) product includes a comprehensive calendar of DEI celebrations and holidays, ready-to-use communication templates, and a DEI content library that supports DEI strategies with tips and best practices. Using this tool you can engage with employees and educate them to create an inclusive and understanding culture.
For more information on how to build a robust diversity recruitment strategy, reach out to us today or visit our library of resources.
