Diversity and inclusion has been a topic of conversation as of late, for good reason. Individuals and organizations are beginning to see how unconsciously their bias has played a role for too long. Many organizations have been evaluating themselves and their business from a diversity and inclusion lens to see how they can change this. They have focused on training their staff and leadership on what diversity and inclusion is and how to counter unconscious bias.
While these efforts are a step in the right direction, the education can’t stop there. Being a truly diverse and inclusive organization requires ongoing training for everyone on your team, as well as, looking at your organization from a strategic level. This involves examining your business starting at the top. Inclusiveness requires conscious decisions and actions from the senior leadership team. And then comes the even harder part – implementation. These decisions and actions should be implemented in your practices, policies, procedures, behaviors and values. This commitment can feel overwhelming and requires a lot of effort and ongoing work. That’s why it’s important to start with a few key areas you want to impact.
AREAS OF IMPACT
We believe that diversity and inclusion is important. We also believe that in order for organizations to truly label themselves as a diverse and inclusive workplace a lot of learning and growing needs to take place. This is why we encourage you to really take a step back and analyze the key areas in which your organization can and will undertake the adjustments necessary to become a more inclusive workplace. This is a strategic decision and infiltrates your organization from every angle including recruitment, marketing and social media, language use, the list goes on.
The process of becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace requires awareness, identification, conversation and action/implementation. You can start this process by making sure that your values are being looked at from a diversity and inclusion lens. Break your values down operationally, what does that look like? What are the behaviors you are looking for when it comes to your values? How do you live your values in everyday life? Your answers to these questions will impact your hiring processes, performance management system, training and development, customer service, client lists, and more.
Looking at all of your internal systems and processes from a diversity and inclusion lens takes time. A good place to start is with your recruitment process. Here are a few ways that you can ensure your recruitment strategy fosters diversity and inclusion:
- Review your marketing and job ads to ensure they reflect the people you want to hire
- Take a look at where you are posting your job ads
- Use a diverse interview panel
- Be aware of your own biases and interview in teams to keep it in check
- Standardize the interview process by asking consistent interview questions for all candidates
A diverse workforce is always the best choice! It creates a more welcoming atmosphere, fosters more creativity and allows your organization and employees to be relatable. The hiring process is only one phase of becoming a more diverse organization, there are many other areas that will need to be reviewed and adjusted in order to make sure that your new hires feel safe, supported and accepted within the organization.
If being diverse and inclusive is important to your organization, there should be action planning around this that doesn’t just happen at the senior or leadership level. There should be action items on everyone’s performance review every year. The systems, processes and policies should be reviewed regularly and continual improvement should be at the forefront of your company’s goals. This is an ongoing effort, one training session does not check this box.
Daeco HR offers a wide array of services and training that can help your organization kick-start or revamp your diversity and inclusion strategy. From recruitment strategies to policies and procedures, we have the resources and knowledge to help you every step of the way! We also offer diversity and inclusion specific services, which can be tailored to your organization’s needs.
If being diverse and inclusive is a choice your business is making, let the work begin! Learn more about that training here >> Diversity & Inclusion Services
