When you have the right team in place, amazing things happen. Building a team that has unique perspectives, requires setting a foundation focused on diversity.
Diversity Recruiting is the act of specifically seeking out individuals who have diverse backgrounds and add valuable aspects to an organization as employees. Diversity and inclusion have evolved to encompass all the differences individuals have; including backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, ideas, and lifestyles. By implementing modern strategies organizations are cultivating a culture that supports diversity.
By defining your culture and expanding your recruiting efforts to be more open to candidates who represent the changing face of today’s workforce, you’ll begin to see your initiative take form. Not only is diversity recruiting about creating a culture free of bias, but it’s also about creating an inclusive environment that harnesses the depth of knowledge and experiences a diverse workforce offers.
Companies with a diverse workforce tend to outperform industry benchmarks upwards of 35%, and when employees feel valued for their differences, retention rates rise by 40%. While these numbers are compelling, don’t let them overshadow that the most valuable, unrated metric- the growth and performance gains you can expect given the collective differences among your employees.
In today’s inclusive organizations, diversity is reflected in both visibly and invisibly. Visible traits often include race, gender, physical abilities, age, and body type. Invisible traits include sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, education, and parental status.
As part of my certification in diversity recruiting, we discussed diversity wheel, which graphically presents the dimensions of diversity and shows the combinations that influence us. By understanding the wheel and leveraging diversity, you can better attract and retain highly qualified candidates, allowing your organization to compete in the global marketplace and improve work teams.
With global workforce shifts and more companies recognizing the competitive advantages of hiring diverse top talent, you and your company need to be proactive about your commitment to diversity. Recruiting, in general, is about cultivating relationships and it holds true within diversity recruiting as well. By casting a wider net and getting ahead of your underrepresentations, you’ll be able to put the right people in positions where they will thrive.
I recommended you start with genuine intentions and hold everyone within your organization accountable when it comes to diversity and inclusion within your workplace.
