How You Can Improve Your Inclusion and Diversity Strategy
In our last blog, we looked at the importance of an inclusion and diversity strategy. We covered how, besides being morally and ethically right, workplace diversity also results in better business performance, innovation, candidate attraction, and overall success.
This week, we’re jumping in deeper. We’re teaching you how to improve your inclusion and diversity strategy during the two most important phases: recruitment and onboarding.
Let’s get straight in.
Improving inclusion and diversity at the recruitment stage
Inclusion and diversity are critical at the recruitment stage for two reasons:
It determines who applies to your vacancies.
It determines who enters your workforce.
If you don’t attract a diverse range of candidates to your job positions, you won’t have a diverse range of employees walking through your door. It’s that simple.
Fortunately, improving inclusion and diversity at the recruitment stage is just as simple.
1. Scrutinise your job advertisements and descriptions
Your job descriptions should welcome applications from people of all backgrounds without alienating certain groups of people.
Meticulously scrutinise your vacancy advertisements, ensuring:
They accurately reflect the role and responsibilities.
Essential skills and experiences are genuinely crucial and don’t inadvertently rule out certain groups.
You don’t use business jargon or corporate language.
You welcome transferable skills and experiences.
For example, NHSX had to remove a job advertisement that asked for “proven and significant experience at director level” because it automatically ruled out many BAME applicants, who were significantly underrepresented in senior positions.
2. Widen your candidate attraction methods
If you place the same vacancy on the same job boards, you get the same type of people applying - not great for diversity. Instead, use a diverse range of candidate attractions methods, including:
Large job boards.
Niche job boards for minority groups.
Active and passive candidate targeting.
LinkedIn and social media.
Don’t forget your existing employees either. If you have a diverse workforce, use them to encourage further diversity by asking for referrals.
3. Make your application process accessible to all
Long, overly complicated, and difficult application processes deter candidates. They also harm your inclusion efforts, making it challenging for certain candidates to apply.
Ensure your application process is accessible and easily completed by all.
4. Create a fair shortlisting process
Candidate shortlisting is where the dreaded unconscious bias comes into play, ruining every good intention of your inclusion and diversity strategy.
Avoid the dangers of unconscious bias by following a fair and balanced shortlisting process, such as:
Shortlisting candidates in groups of two, challenging each other’s decisions.
Removing all personal and unnecessary information from CVs and application forms.
Using AI technology to screen and shortlist candidates objectively.
For ultimate peace of mind, use a diversity-led recruitment agency to sift candidates first - giving you a shortlist of talent, not characteristics.
5. Prepare for the interview in advance
Preparation is key to an inclusive interview so take time in advance to:
Ask candidates if they require any reasonable adjustments.
Prepare a list of questions to ask everyone.
Decide a scoring system that generates evidence-based decisions.
Pick a diverse recruitment panel.
Improving inclusion and diversity at the onboarding stage
The next stage in your inclusion and diversity strategy is your onboarding process.
Investing time in a welcoming and open onboarding process is crucial for:
Setting the tone of your inclusive culture.
Making employees feel welcome.
Giving everyone an equal opportunity to succeed.
Allowing people to be themselves.
The key areas to focus on are:
Pay, benefits and policies
Accompany all job offers with equal pay and benefits, alongside inclusive policies and procedures. In particular, consider your policies on flexible working, parental leave, and naming.
Learning and development
Bring new employees up to speed with your business vision, policies, practices, jargon, and culture so they can quickly settle in and start performing. You want to ensure everyone is on a level playing field.
Ongoing support and adjustments
Ask employees if they need ongoing support or adjustments to their working environment, and ensure these are implemented before they start.
Support and feedback
Tell your employee about any clubs, focus groups or diversity and inclusion initiatives they might want to get involved with. It’s also important to ask for feedback on the recruitment and onboarding process - constantly strive to improve.
Final thought
We know thinking about inclusion and diversity at your recruitment and onboarding stages can feel overwhelming, especially when it’s so easy to inadvertently discriminate against a group or discourage certain people from applying.