Diversity has recently become a significant issue for businesses, and rightly so. Having a diverse workforce is the right thing to do both ethically and morally. It is also proven that having a diverse workforce helps companies perform better financially, have more engaged employees and outperform competitors who don’t have diverse teams.
Here are some steps organisations can take to improve the diversity of their workforce.
Make Diversity A Priority When Recruiting
Making diversity a priority when recruiting for new roles is critical. Having a diverse board of interviewers is helpful for this, as it can help weed out potential biases, whether conscious or unconscious, regarding candidates.
Making unconscious bias training a priority for hiring teams is also essential when recruiting for a diverse workforce. All hiring managers, interviewers, and anyone involved in the recruitment and onboarding process should be aware of potential biases and how to make sure these don’t affect decisions.
Highlight Diversity on your Jobs or Careers Page
For organisations with a jobs or careers page on their website, highlighting diversity here is a must. Ensure a clear policy on diversity is referenced throughout the page to clarify that this is something the organisation believes in and is committed to improving.
Offer Diversity Training
A company should not offer diversity training just to managers and leaders within a business; instead, they should train every team member from top to bottom. It’s just as important that a receptionist understands the power of diversity and inclusion as it is that the CEO and upper management do.
Include Diversity in Organisational Policies
If organisational policies don’t currently include diversity and inclusion, now is the time to amend them so that they do. Diversity and inclusion should be part of company policy, from hiring practices to performance reviews, promotions, benefits, and everything else.
Focus on Inclusion
There’s no point putting time, effort, and money into hiring a more diverse workforce if the organisational culture isn’t inclusive once they have joined the team. Workplace inclusion is defined as an “overarching culture that encompasses diversity and equality,” [source] and organisations must ensure that they achieve this.
All team members should be committed to creating and nurturing a culture of inclusion that respects and values every team member, regardless of their background, race, culture, religion, or anything else. Creating an inclusive workplace means team members will feel more comfortable and confident to be themselves at work and will be more engaged team members who add value to the organisation.
If you want to discuss how you can help improve diversity in your workplace or discuss any recruitment needs, our dedicated team are waiting to hear from you. Give us a call now on 02920 797 920 or email info@stdavid-recruitment.co.uk, and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.