How important is it to recruit a diverse workforce?

---

There are lots of factors to consider when recruiting, three of them being Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. In this article find out how important it is to recruit a diverse workforce and the benefits of doing so. 

Equality (equal opportunities for all), Diversity (representation of people with differing characteristics such as age, race, religion, sex, disability, and sexual orientation) and Inclusion (enabling all within the workforce to thrive) should form the cornerstone of any modern recruitment strategy, yet, CIPD research shows that only 18% of UK employers make efforts to remove bias through testing the words of job adverts and just 17% check that tests are valid, reliable and objective. As recruiters and employers, we have a duty to do more.

 

Exponential business benefits

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are becoming increasingly important factors in recruitment; not only does it form part of corporate ESG/CSER policies and frameworks, it’s increasingly important for companies to champion diversity in order to succeed. Research by Yello suggests 54% of employees would consider finding a new job if their current employer wasn’t committed to diversity, and top candidates expect to see proof of diversity during the interview process.

A diverse and inclusive workforce creates a profound sense of belonging, forging stronger connections and, consequently, supporting the business to greater success:

• It brings a wealth of skills, knowledge and perspective to help inform and guide business practices and processes;
• It drives innovation through an exchange of ideas;
• It will likely remain loyal and engaged, boosting the company’s reputation (think Glassdoor scores), attracting talent, reducing employee churn, and minimising ongoing recruitment costs.
• And that’s not all, McKinsey’s Delivering Through Diversity report found that when it comes to ethnic and cultural diversity, “top quartile companies are 33% more likely to outperform on profitability” so it’s also better for your bottom line.

The first step in recruiting a diverse workforce is ensuring unconscious bias is removed from the process – adverts, applications, interview process, industry tests – and that the job is advertised as accessible to all. Here are some headline ideas to consider when you’re writing your next job advert.

 

Gendered language

Think carefully about your language; use inclusive ‘you’ and avoid ‘he/she’ where possible, and focus on the ideal skills and qualities of your perfect candidate without resorting to gender-coded language such as manpower, hacker, strong, and powerful which are male-biased. Consider neutral job titles to avoid those such as Chairman, handyman, craftsman, seamstress, waitress, stewardess, or nanny.

Language

Language is a barrier to many. Avoid industry and tech jargon and ‘corporate speak’ in entry-level or Graduate roles where even qualified candidates may feel unqualified because they don’t know your terms and acronyms. Think ‘universal’ language which will be widely understood and is much more inclusive. When referencing language abilities, “native English speaker” may exclude proficient non-native speakers unnecessarily.

Ageist

Avoid phrases such as ‘highly experienced’, ‘digital native’, ‘digital nomad’ or ‘newly qualified/recent graduate’ unless these are requirements for success, as they may discourage younger or older candidates from applying.

Bold text

Ensure your font and colours are accessible for those with visual impairment, neurodiverse or Dyslexic. Italics, comic and script fonts over images or yellow text can be particularly difficult to read.

Salary

Be clear and transparent on the salary range demonstrating your openness. Terms like ‘competitive’ will discourage some applicants.

Benefits

Outline your employee benefits, particularly around health, wellness, flexible hours, childcare, employee assistance programmes, parental leave, accessibility, and catering that will help candidates step into the workplace with confidence.

Relevant skills

For wider appeal, include only the min. requirement ‘must have’ skills in your advert; typically women will only apply when they meet 100% of the requirements, while men will apply at 50-60% so don’t include anything that can be trained in, or make it clear you’re happy to accept applications where not all the requirements are met. Actively demonstrate your flexibility.

Location

Physical location can be a barrier to employment for those with physical or mental disabilities. Could you be flexible on the location, and accommodate hybrid or even fully remote working for the role in question? Remove location as a barrier if you can.

EDI commitment

Include a statement about your EDI policy or add logos if you’re accredited eg. Race at Work Charter signatory, WiHTL, Disability Confident, Mental Health Charter etc. to demonstrate you’re approachable, welcoming and inclusive to all.

Consistency

Ensure all touchpoints reflect the same EDI messages. Potential applicants will check your website, LinkedIn and other social channels and should see the same level of inclusivity reflected across the board.

 

Should you have any questions about compiling job adverts, interviewing or writing job descriptions to attract, employ and retain a more diverse workforce, contact us today on 020 8397 4114 to find out more about how we can work together.

---

Share this article via social media:

---