Three Elements of a Strong Diversity and Inclusion Approach
If your diversity hiring strategy hasn’t been effective, try revisiting your approach with these elements in mind.
- Diversity in your company vision—Your diversity and inclusion goals must be present in the fabric of your company. Your company vision should include the spirit of your workplace inclusion efforts, and should be supported by your marketplace policies that appeal to diverse client groups. Further support this with community leadership and partnerships with community organizations that positively contribute to social and economic development for diverse populations. Your vision statement should make a strong case for diversity as an advantage to your recruiting efforts and a reason to do business with your company.
- Diversity in your brand image—Do people consider your company to be friendly to a broad range of demographic groups? Do you have diverse employees at every level of management? Have you implemented inclusion policies and training throughout your organization? These elements contribute to the perception that candidates have of your business, creating either a positive or negative brand image.
- Diversity in your training—With a strong vision statement and inclusive brand image in place, your next step is to implement organization-wide diversity and inclusion training. Training needs to emphasize the benefits of a diverse workplace including a broader range of ideas, increased creativity, better representation of your customer base, and greater ability to identify opportunities to improve the bottom line. Employees should understand that the company’s diversity efforts mean that finding the best person for the job is valued over filling a hiring quota. Use positive language that supports the company vision and branding at all levels and in all departments within the organization.
Ways to Improve Your Diversity Recruiting Strategy?
A strong diversity recruiting strategy is built on the foundational elements discussed above. As your company becomes better known as a diverse workplace, candidates will be more attracted to your company, including young professionals who value inclusion. Consider these positive changes to your recruiting strategy:
- Develop a workforce that mirrors the diversity in the community you serve.
- Build relationships with colleges and organizations that educate and promote diversity.
- Use job fairs, scholarships, and internships to reach minority communities.
- Use social media pages to promote diversity career opportunities and showcase current diversity programs or employee groups.
- Represent all groups in your marketing materials and online.
- Get feedback from current diversity groups within your organization about how you can improve recruiting efforts.
- Focus retention efforts on creating an inclusive environment where diversity groups feel both valued and empowered.
Organizational diversity is a competitive advantage both for recruiting and for marketing. By identifying and actively recruiting among a diverse talent pool, your organization will become more appealing to the groups who closely identify with those employees. At the same time, your efforts toward greater workplace inclusion will increase retention among skilled workers from all groups.
