Diversity is no longer a marketing gimmick for companies and their branding. It is essential to ensure long-term success and has grown to be a significant component of any company. According to research, businesses with greater diversity are more lucrative and productive.

Diversity in the workplace goes beyond racial and gender binary. Other elements to be considered include socioeconomic position, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age.

Companies see how diversity impacts employee engagement, retention, and overall well-being. Your hiring techniques must also reflect your position and implementation of diversity, equality, and inclusion.

It is no longer enough to profess support for inclusive hiring in today’s world. Employing diverse people in your workforce will speak louder than any publicity or marketing strategy ever will.

Reflecting on Your Diversity Position in the Company  

Corporate introspection is a good start in improving your hiring techniques. Start with your employees. Ask them about their experience in diversity, equality, and inclusion in the company. You can begin by asking them if they know workplace policies and procedures that can be improved by including diversity, equality, and inclusion. Make sure to ask them if they feel supported and free to express their truths in the office without shame as well.

Collect data on and from your employees and use the information you gathered to improve your hiring techniques. They are the best source of information on better company policies and procedures since it directly involves their workspace.

Are you, as a company, aware of your own biases? You can continue reflecting on diversity by reviewing your workplace policies and procedures with your core team of managers and supervisors. Look at the people you have hired into the company’s top positions. Are they predominantly white and male? How many of your business leaders are women?

Your process of corporate introspection should also discuss how you address internal conflict relating to diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI). Do you employ conflict resolution that recognizes DEI concepts? Does your manager share this support for DEI concepts? Consider corporate introspection as an exercise in emotional intelligence in your business. DEI inclusion allows for empathy to prosper within the organization.

DEI in Hiring: More Data, Tools, and Implementation  

Diversity, equality, and inclusion in hiring can also be done through understanding more data, different tools, and actual implementation. Hiring in tech has often been focused on male candidates because they outnumber female candidates. The issue runs deeper than numbers. For most girls, growing up wanting to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) took more role models and the legal push for change.

Inclusive hiring techniques involve the data you will need, the tools to use in the hiring process, and the implementation of DEI from recruitment to the retention of your employees. Here are a few:

1. Engage with and extend opportunities to the marginalized

The marginalized are those who have traditionally been excluded from mainstream society. They could include people of color, and people in poverty, such as the homeless, undereducated youth, many others. There are many institutions and universities providing opportunities for growth for this population. These opportunities include upskilling opportunities such as completing basic education and tech training.

Your recruitment process can include educating the marginalized by providing training for employment opportunities. A good example of this is seen in some prisons allowing prisoners to train in tech. Those with previous prison convictions are less likely to find high-paying jobs regardless of skills, knowledge, and passion for growth.

Your company’s recruitment staff can start by exploring engagement with these groups. Look into how you could connect to universities with programs in tech and see what you can offer. Start with training that could lead to scholarships. Your scholars can then return the favor by paying you for the scholarship or through an employment bond.

2. Expand your reach and use the latest tools, such as Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a tool that can expand your reach. By feeding your algorithm with data sets anchored on DEI, you can create a candidate pool with a diverse background. Using an inclusive data set, you are more likely to see candidates with similar skills and qualifications for your vacancies.

When used for responsible and inclusive recruitment processes, tools developed through artificial intelligence can enhance the potential and function of your recruitment process and team. Microsoft’s report on inclusive artificial intelligence tackles the factors that can adjust to cater to as many diverse members of society as possible. The information talks about different biases – association bias, dataset bias, automation bias, confirmation bias, and interaction bias.

Dataset bias results from a small sample being fed to your AI program;

• Association bias is when human biases are put into the machine learning program resulting in the program perpetuating them.
• Automation bias is when the program’s predictive mode operates on a limited standard and fails to account for the user’s own.
• Interaction bias happens when disruptive data is not controlled and repeated within the program.

• Confirmation bias is like an echo chamber that prevents the user from learning outside of their own.

3. Implement and monitor DEI initiatives from branding and recruitment to management.

You can implement and observe the growth of your DEI initiatives, from your company’s branding to the management. In your job openings, ensure that you mention statements like equal opportunity employment. During the application process, allow your candidates to take interviews and assessments from home. You can even offer flexible work arrangements for those who need to provide care work to their loved ones.

In your management, you can involve your core workers in practicing DEI by celebrating your employees from diverse backgrounds. Honor their heritage with company potlucks. Allow them to feel it is okay to bring their significant others during company events such as a family day. If they are single and only have a pet, allow them to feel that all types of families are welcome. When they need to take leaves for health reasons related to their companion animals, acknowledge and support them.

Create and utilize DEI competence training within your organization to continuously emphasize your company’s support. Your employees are the best promoters of your business. Your business will grow more if your employees feel they are seen as humans providing you with their skills and passion.

4. Gather external DEI data from human resource practitioners

External human resource practitioners and data from their own experiences, whether statistical or anecdotal, can help your DEI initiatives. Check which policies and procedures worked and how they were implemented. Learn the points of collision within the businesses and the sociocultural environments they belong to.

That information can help your DEI initiatives develop and implement more smoothly. People’s opinions on DEI have since improved, as reflected in how many are vocal about their struggles and wins. Working with other human resource practices on DEI initiatives and policies can only strengthen your own.

BUILD A DIVERSE WORKFORCE WITH US  

Consultants and staffing firms can help you further your DEI initiatives and policies. Staffing firms can also provide you with consultancy training. Many staffing firms have a long history of employing from multiple backgrounds for diverse companies. Other staffing firms can connect you to outsourced employees who can give you their varied perspectives. Many staffing agencies have experience and embrace DEI in their work practices.

On-Demand Group recognizes the need for inclusive hiring practices, especially in tech. As a woman-owned staffing company, and the 14th largest IT staffing firm in the twin cities, our collective experiences allow us to understand the difficulties of going against systemic discrimination. We can expand our knowledge by working together and recognizing that diversity, equality, and inclusion benefits all.

Contact us today so, we can provide you with opportunities and employment regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, and socioeconomic background. We advocate and implement inclusive hiring practices for staffing needs!