How to strengthen diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

The conversation surrounding how to strengthen diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and its positive outcomes for employer branding, has been going around for some time now. The trickiest part is figuring out the right approach to establishing a sustainable D&I strategy for all the right reasons.

“With leadership teams that represent a diverse and inclusive culture, 75% of organisations will surpass their financial goals. And on average, gender-diverse, inclusive teams fared better than gender-homogeneous, less inclusive teams.”  Gartner

In this article, we will explore the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and how partnering with a recruitment agency can help organisations strengthen their D&I strategies to ensure equality and fairness.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace is a long-term project, not a quick fix

It takes time to change the culture of an organisation, and it's important that you have a strategy, not just a plan. You should also have clear goals in mind before working on diversity and inclusion initiatives in your workplace. 

A talent solutions partner can help you draw up a brilliant plan to achieve your diversity and inclusion goals by leveraging expertise in sourcing, recruiting, and building great teams. They will be able to provide the best advice on how to attract applicants from different and diverse backgrounds.

Strengthen your Diversity & Inclusion strategy

A talent solutions partner can also strengthen your diversity and inclusion strategy by undertaking research to identify your strengths, opportunities, gaps and conflicts to get an honest view of where you currently are. This is invaluable in helping you map out how to get to where you want to be.

They will help you find the right people faster; they have access to multiple pools of talent and can therefore source candidates from more diverse talent pools than an in-house team would have time for.

The result is that you'll be able to fill roles faster with higher quality hires who better fit with your culture and company values because they've been identified through a rigorous selection process by experts who understand their needs as well as yours.

The right partner will also ensure that no one gets left behind by making sure everyone is included in conversations around diversity and inclusion strategies; they'll work closely with everyone involved so there's no room for unconscious bias (which often happens when there isn't enough transparency).

A talent solutions partner can also help you identify unconscious bias in the hiring process so that you can avoid unintentionally discouraging candidates from minority groups from applying for positions at your company. Unconscious biases often result in unfair treatment of others based on their gender, ethnicity, or age - and they have a negative impact on diversity efforts within an organisation.   

Partnering with a recruitment or talent solutions agency can strengthen your overall strategy for diversity and inclusion in the workplace by helping you identify and address issues with your current approach to hiring employees.     

Actions to drive results

Practise inclusive hiring: Identifying diverse talent pools and using a range of recruitment channels to reach them through networks and partnerships to access candidates from underrepresented groups can help in creating a diverse workforce.

Develop inclusive hiring practices that focus on assessing skills and potential rather than solely relying on traditional markers. Implement structured interviews and diverse interview panels to ensure fairness.

Use AI to boost inclusive hiring: AI in recruitment is prolific nowadays. Using technology can be a great help in increasing inclusive hiring. These technologies can anonymise candidate information, analyse skills objectively, and identify potential biases in job descriptions.

Instead of showing me your diversity statement, show me your hiring data, your discrimination claim stats, your salary tables, your retention numbers, your diversity policies, and your leaders’ public actions against racism.   

End performative allyship.

— Dr. Monica Cox (@DrMonicaCox) July 8, 2021

Write more inclusive job ads: Crafting inclusive job descriptions is vital to attract a diverse pool of applicants. Your organisation needs to ensure that job postings use inclusive language and highlight your commitment to diversity and inclusion. This demonstrates your organisation's values and encourages individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

Examine your interview process: Being diverse and inclusive means fairness and inclusivity throughout the selection process. Structure interview frameworks that mitigate biases and ensure equitable evaluations. Additionally, provide training and guidance to interviewers to foster an inclusive interview experience for all candidates.

A talent solutions partner can help you achieve all of the above without any hassle. Reach out to us if you want to talk more about your D&I strategy.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace need a structure, and strategy and require a long-term commitment. But by creating a diverse and inclusive workplace culture and supporting diversity at all levels of your organisation, you can create a more productive and competitive workforce that truly reflects the customers it serves.