It is common knowledge that no company can be complete without a good workforce. Employees are the engines behind every successful business, helping each company to reach desired goals and profits. However, no two employees are alike. There is a different story behind each, individual worker.
Celebrating the diversity in your company is important. That is why every business should do its best in trying to diversify their workforce. However, diversity and inclusion can be a tricky subject to navigate, especially when doing it for business. You must be cautious about your hiring practices without alienating various demographics and groups.
Your company practices can always be improved, so review how you hire your workers and go from there. If your company is trying to improve diversity and inclusion in recruitment, consider these seven best practices:
- Company Audit
If you are an employer, or in a senior position, reviewing business practices every so often is critical. Apply this same sentiment to prospective employees you plan on hiring as well. The first step to diversifying your company is to take a look at what can be improved. Generally speaking, how you hire employees should be inspected.
For example, try to determine if there are any hidden biases in your screening process. You may not be intentionally excluding specific applicants, but this can easily be glossed over. Talk to your human resources department and brainstorm ideas on how to ameliorate this process. For the best results, you may want to work with recruitment agencies and develop the best practices for diversity.
- Use Data
To improve the previous process, use the data that you possess to help influence hiring decisions. Going over who has been hired in the past can be a great indicator in who to hire next. If getting the attention of diverse groups is an issue, specify that in the job request.
In addition, you should ask yourself where the data can be used to strengthen the hiring process. What are the current challenges in making your company more inclusive? The answers can be brought about using the demographics within your data. Use it as a first step and go from there!
- Focal Points
Once you have determined that your company should be better in terms of the hiring process, you need to focus. Don’t try to improve all areas that you have determined to be weak points. Honing in on one specific area will allow you to better your organizational makeup without hassle.
Say, for instance, you have determined that your hiring process should focus more on female applicants. Focus your attention on this part, before relaying your attention to another diversity aspect. When you place your time and effort into one area first, you bolster the inclusionary characteristic of your company in the long run.
- Offer Flexibility
Although your company may be the most desired business to work at, you have to conduct outreach. This means that, in order attract diverse applicants, you’ll have to be flexible with their needs. Sometimes, a prospective employee may be too far away from the company’s location.
Allowing them to work from home, for example, can better your chances of retaining them. Employees are more likely to work at businesses that offer them invaluable perks. Your workers don’t just work for you; they have their lives outside of the office. Therefore, assist them if they ask you to.
- Use Technology
One of the hindrances of not being able to effectively hire diverse workers is because of unconscious bias. This isn’t done intentionally, but it can be a roadblock for your company to grow. In order to mitigate the chances of passing over a specific candidate, use technology.
There are many tools available that eliminate manual biases within the hiring process. Automated resume screening, for example, helps to automatically shortlist all candidates that meet the job requirements. The strongest applicants can then be brought to your attention!
- Personality Assessments
When going about the hiring process, prospective workers are more than just their resume or cover letter. Integrate personality assessments, which can help measure the background of a job candidate. The more information you glean from an individual’s profile, the better your chances of creating a more inclusive company.
- Job Postings
Some companies may find this to be controversial, but it is critical in order to attract diverse workers. Create a job posting that specifically caters to those from underrepresented groups. This improves your chances of diversifying your workforce in the easiest way possible.
You’ll have to employ some copywriting skills here, and carefully craft a posting that isn’t exclusionary. Words matter, especially when trying to reach out to specific groups that you want in your business!
