The benefits of diversity in the workplace are clearer now more than ever and it’s important for companies to understand the importance of investing in diversity. From giving diverse perspectives agency to share their voice among one another to creating inspiring projects, and boosting the morale in the office with various personalities, diverse recruiting has become the focus for many companies this year.
If this is something you want to learn more about, understand what’s trending in DEI. Let’s take a look at some of them so you can gain an insight into what works for businesses.
Job Adverts with Inclusive Language
The terminology you use in your job adverts can deter quality candidates from applying. Most of the time, employers do not realize they are using non-inclusive language. More people are becoming aware that this happens and we are seeing a trend of using more gender-neutral language and being more cautious when it comes to job adverts.
Yes, fundamentally, it adheres to the expectations that individual businesses and their wider collectives respect and recognize how gender and sexual differences have become more ‘mainstream’ in recent years. Consumers and potential employees look for their values being represented more than ever. However, it is more than adding PR tricks to an advert. It means the advert seeks to attract as many interested parties as possible.
In other words, HR departments are spending more time on job adverts and ensuring they are going to attract diverse groups of candidates. Indeed, there are tools out there online that are helping this happen – and ensuring that employers realize the true potential of their employer brand.
Less Focus on Degrees
When you were at school years ago, the focus was always on students going to university. But, the world we live in today shows that this is not the best route for everyone. Not having a university does not make you unemployable and you can possess other skills and experience that is beneficial to employers.
Indeed, one of the diversity recruitment trends we see is employers being more open with their job adverts. In other words, they are allowing a variety of candidates to apply for the position and not set minimum requirements that might deter talented individuals.
The flip side of this is the expectation that entry level positions have to be filled by candidates with extensive experience in that role. Sure, it helps. However, this is an entry level job. The idea is that the candidate likely knows nothing about this role, but they have certain tangible skills and intangible traits which will help them become invaluable future employees. Not having this foresight, this investment can severely limit the pool of potential candidates and, also, the diversity of your workforce.
Options to Work from Home
If the pandemic has brought about any positive changes it has to be the work-from-home options. People have found that they work better when they are out of the office and they can be just as productive. Businesses are looking to be more inclusive and this means not forcing people back to the office if they do not want to. Instead, they are offering work-from-home positions, as well as hybrid job adverts.
While there may be some resistance from certain managers and business owners to embrace the work-from-home approach, there are some genuine benefits. Agan, there’s a better chance for disabled people to apply knowing they can comfortable work from their home set up, meaning you, as a business, have a better chance of hiring someone perfect for the role you’re looking to fill.
Additionally, working from home promotes new workplace culture. It upends the usual hierarchies and politics, allowing those consciously and unconsciously ostracized to come to the fore, flourish in new positions and feel more comfortable at work. While it places a emphasis on cultivating different communication practices, ensuring that policing doesn’t become common is essential for respecting this new culture and environment.
Diversity Recruiting Tools
As a business owner, the hiring process can be time-consuming. It can take months to find the right candidates for the job. But, something you have to be aware of is that during this process, you may show unconscious bias. Of course, you do not realize that you are doing it, but it can affect the diversity of your workplace.
One trend we see to combat this bias is more companies using diversity recruiting tools. In other words, they are using AI technology in order to detect bias and rule it out of the hiring process. This is going to make it a lot easier to hire candidates and bring diversity to the office. There are also specific platforms out there that are designed to introduce you to a diverse talent pool that you may have not considered through traditional settings.
