Diversity and inclusion shouldn’t just be buzzwords flashed on your website, they should be words your organization lives by each and every day.
As we mark the beginning of Pride Month in Canada it is important to take time and reflect on the history that has led us here. It wasn’t until 1996 when the Canadian Human Rights Act was amended to specifically include sexual orientation as one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination. This inclusion was a clear declaration by Parliament that gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians are entitled to “an opportunity equal with other individuals to make for themselves the lives they are able and wish to have […]”.
Whether you’re a large organization or a startup, making diversity a priority isn’t just the right thing to do – it also makes good business sense. Building your brand as a diverse and inclusive employer helps attract employees who’ll bring a diversity of experience and thought to your company. According to Recruitee, diverse companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market segments.
Dedicating your hiring process to diversity and inclusion goes beyond simply stating that you support diversity within your workplace. It requires a commitment to examine and improve your talent management practices, which will in turn prove beneficial for your company.
4 Things You Can Change Right Now to Remove Bias and Promote Diversity in Your Hiring Process
So how well does your workforce represent the world we live in? And how do you start finding, welcoming, and hiring diverse talent? Here are four strategies to attract a wide array of candidates.
Conduct a diversity hiring audit
Teresa Norman, a Diversity and Talent Management Consultant for EW Group says that a diversity audit can help you understand the demographics and culture of your workforce to identify the specific factors that will help you create a diverse and inclusive company. Your employees are what makes your organization special, so listen to your employee’s feedback in regards to what you’re doing well and what you could improve, and take actionable steps. Feedback is a gift, and your employees input is invaluable.
Develop an employer brand that showcases your diversity
Diversity and employer brand go hand-in-hand. Start with incorporating your organization’s story throughout your careers site, social media platforms and employer brand kit with diverse images, employee testimonials, graphics, videos, etc. This is the most effective way to show top talent you are serious about diversity and inclusion at your workplace. Also, if you haven’t updated your careers page since the beginning of the pandemic, now is the time to do that. COVID-19 has impacted us all in some way, and acknowledging how your organization has pivoted as a result will show your candidate pool that you’re humans too.
Evaluate language and wording in recruitment materials
Remove biased language from job descriptions, interview questions and assessment tools to effectively recruit a diverse array of candidates. It’s also okay to state your commitment to diversity and inclusion in your job descriptions, a simple sentence can go a long way. There is no need to have 30 bullet points in your requirement lists in your job postings. Stick to the objective requirements of the job, and keep your postings concise.
Post to a wide range of job boards
Instead of only relying on mainstream job boards, consider seeking out opportunities to source diverse candidates where they typically hang out. Here is a list of diverse job boards, networking groups, professional associations and more to get you started. Also, don’t forget about your employees when you post new opportunities! They may be the best way to get the word out and help others that may not be cruising the job boards. A simple employee advocacy strategy can go a long way and make a huge impact to the volume and quality of inbound applicants to your organization.
Companies need to be thinking longer-term about how to embed diversity and inclusion more fully into their branding and recruitment strategies if they haven’t already done so. If you’re interested in learning more follow us as we explore many ways to make diversity and inclusion important for your startup.
