While many companies are working to create a diverse culture and attract various types of candidates, there is still progress to be made. It’s important to make sure that your company is taking the steps to a more inclusive space and recognizing underrepresented talent, especially for those in leadership positions. Among many, this can include women, people of color, those who are neurodivergent, and candidates with less traditional education.
To maintain inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, we’ve outlined some tips to stay on top of it, which should be followed both in the recruiting process and everyday work life.
Setting goals
You’ll need to consider where your company currently stands and where you want to be, in terms of diversity. One way to do this is by comparing yourself against competitors and industry standards. Performing this analysis, mostly based on demographic and education, will allow you to build your own objectives and determine where and how you want to hire differently. As a starter goal, Lever advises to “Proactively sources 10 candidates from underrepresented groups for every role.”
Adjust the interview process
Speaking of sourcing candidates, this is where your recruitment adjustments should begin. It’s crucial to remember that successful candidates come from all different types of backgrounds. Many job descriptions deter potential candidates from applying based on its requirements.
LinkedIn advises to consider hard and soft skills over education and industry experience. They say, “For example, if you’re trying to hire for a customer service role, it’s not necessarily the industry experience that matters, but rather the candidate’s desire to help people and their ability to build lasting relationships. Once you’ve narrowed down the competencies that you need, consider other fields or environments where you might find people who possess them.” Also, make an effort to remove aggressive terms such as “rock star” and “expert,” which lean toward men and can intimidate qualified candidates from applying.
In terms of the actual interview process, be sure to maintain consistency throughout and avoid room for bias. Unconscious bias is always a risk, so to steer clear of this, always ask the same set of questions and even consider using a skills assessment.
Provide and track an inclusive workplace culture
The work doesn’t stop after onboarding. Your employees want to feel seen and understood every day they come to work, no matter their social group. Regularly meet with managers and team members to determine diversity initiatives and workplace goals. Many companies have implemented “inclusion councils” which consist of employees from different races, genders, sexualities, and business levels. Inclusion councils allow a safe place for discussion and influence the company to make changes where they’re needed.
Being aware of communication style is also pertinent. Avoid team members speaking over one another, give credit when someone has a productive idea, and allow for appropriate debate. Creating and maintaining this environment is not a one stop process; it will be ongoing and take a lot of checking in. Be sure to always measure your progress, ask questions, and audit your own company’s ethics.
To work with amazing recruiters at Green Key Resources, contact us today and get started on a more inclusive journey.
