Diversity hiring shows that an organisation is committed to hiring people from all backgrounds and providing them with opportunities to get involved and advance. Diverse organisations are culturally more inclusive, innovative, and dynamic so it’s no surprise that studies have shown these organisations are more likely to succeed and benefit from more people wanting to work for them.
Understanding the importance of diversity in the workplace
Let’s take a look at just why diversity has such an impact in the workplace. Diverse workplaces benefit from:
Broad perspectives and enhanced creativity
People from different backgrounds bring new perspectives to the table. They may question why something is being done a certain way, or suggest a new approach that speaks to a wider market. This all culminates in a workplace that is more creative and innovative, which stands out from competitors, and is better equipped to tackle problems and adapt to challenges.
Reflecting the diversity of your client base
Your client base doesn’t look and think the same, and your organisation should reflect that. When your company is made up of the same diverse mix of people as your customer base, you put yourself in a better position to communicate with your clients in ways that resonate, and you can improve service delivery too.
Improving company reputation and attracting talent
Diverse organisations benefit not only from the innovation and insights that diversity brings but also from the reputation that being diverse and inclusive brings. Utilising diversity hiring ensures you don’t miss out on top talent because you’re checking all avenues and drawing more skilled individuals towards your workplace due to reputation.
Setting the foundation for diversity hiring
To succeed in hiring for diversity, we need to put a strategy into place. Unfair hiring practices that can lead to a homogeneous workforce need to be recognised and stamped out. Instead, you can utilise predictive hiring, a data-driven approach to finding the best fit for your roles.
At Thomas, we recognise five steps that help organisations hire the right people, and this approach supports diversity hiring. We aim to:
- Define the ideal candidate
- Find the candidates who are the closest to this ideal using psychometric assessments
- Compare candidates side-by-side
- Interview using questions personalised to the candidate and role
- Onboard our best fit with a tailored onboarding plan
To draw the right candidates to the top of this funnel, we recommend crafting job descriptions that attract a diverse range of people. The wording is key here: Candidates should feel drawn to a role because it matches their skillset and career aspirations, and not opt-out because any particular wording makes them feel like they don’t ‘look’ like what is needed.
Recruitment channels are another important part of the puzzle. When we limit the recruitment channels we use, we limit the diversity of our recruiting pool. LinkedIn, for instance, reaches 47% of millennials and 60% of those aged 25 - 34, but only 21% of US adults aged 18 - 24, so Hiring Managers lose a large portion of a demographic if they don’t look beyond this channel.
Implementing effective diversity hiring practices
To hire diversely, we need to remove the potential for bias from the hiring process. At the outset, we can implement blind hiring, removing the personal details of applicants such as sex, age, and ethnicity that hirers may make snap judgements on. We can simplify and shorten the hiring process so we aren’t ruling people out because they have other commitments on their time that have no bearing on their ability to do the job. We can also ensure our hiring panels are diverse, and that the interview process they use is structured in a way that reduces unconscious bias.
For support in getting diversity hiring right, we can reach out to specialist organisations and networks that promote diversity in the workplace. Organisations like the Professional Diversity Network can assess and improve what you’re already doing around diversity and inclusion, and people science professionals like Thomas can supply you with platforms to engrain your diversity hiring practices into your workplace.
The hiring process should be inclusive for all applicants from beginning to end. Get this wrong, and talented individuals may drop out halfway through because they feel that they’re not the right fit - or that your organisation isn’t the right fit for them.
Measuring and evaluating diversity hiring efforts
It’s important to track our progress on this work. We should have benchmarks we’re looking to hit, and metrics that show we’re meeting them. These might include employee and candidate feedback on the fairness of the recruitment process or quarterly pulse surveys. We could also measure ourselves based on the demographics of our workforce - we shouldn’t always look to have specific numbers here, but we’d expect a growing mixture.
Measures like gender pay gap reporting, now mandatory for all companies with 250+ employees in the UK, can highlight whether our efforts towards diversity hiring are fair and rewarding everyone equitably.
We should review our hiring processes regularly, for our approach towards diversity and more. We should always collect feedback from recent applicants and hires, and use this to improve our work.
Leveraging Thomas’ expertise
Thomas specialises in recruitment. We use data and science to help organisations around the globe find the best people for their open roles by focusing on candidates’ abilities, behaviour, personality, and potential. Our psychometric assessments help Hiring Managers learn more about a person than any resume or interview could show them.
It’s not just about fancy online tools either. We can help review your existing workforce and processes, and provide bespoke training and workshops to help improve diversity hiring practices.
The impact of diversity hiring on organisational culture
Diversity hiring can transform your workforce. Implemented effectively, diversity hiring can give your company a competitive edge with better innovation, more creativity, and a culture that attracts the best talent regardless of their background.
To get the best results, we need to commit to diversity and inclusion for the long term. It starts with recruiting more diversely and influences our company values for those who work for and with us.
Speak to one of Thomas' team today and learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals around diversity hiring and inclusion
Create a more inclusive, equitable, and successful workplace: Start using diversity hiring.
