Encouraging diversity in your company is an active process. You’ve likely heard the standard thought processes – that diversity needs to come from the top, or that broader inclusivity in your office is good for business. But when it comes down to implementing new policies to increase diversity in the office, are you doing enough?
Diversity is an area in which HR services can be of particular help. Beyond creating company policies, it’s important to refine recruitment, interviewing and hiring strategies to take an active role in further developing your business’ corporate diversity.
Why diversity is important
As the millennial workforce gears up to take on the bulk of the jobs over the course of the next decade, employers need to start preparing for a hiring pool that is both more diverse and more socially conscious than previous generations. No longer is diversity an option – compliance regulations aside, it’s been cited as one of the aspects that can influence a candidate’s decision when searching for a place to work.
Human Resource Executive Online cited a report from employer rating site Glassdoor in which over 1,800 job-seekers were surveyed. Roughly 66 percent of respondents indicated that a company’s diversity was a factor considered by potential new hires. What’s more, results found that 57 percent of respondents didn’t believe that their current employers were doing enough to encourage diversity.
A problem of communication
Despite the numbers, HRE Online noted that the issue isn’t so much that companies are lacking diversity policies, but that they don’t communicate them effectively enough to their staff. The workforce is now at a stage where diversifying your office is more important than just ticking a box on a compliance checklist – it can have a direct impact on employee perception of your company.
One strategy companies can consider is to incorporate the push for greater inclusivity into the recruitment process. The HR Council recommended branching outside of traditional job posting channels as a way to attract more diverse candidates who may not otherwise have access to the position. This represents a proactive approach to making diversity a fully integrated aspect of your company.
Small-business owners can turn to PEO companies to help explore alternative recruitment methods that executives may not otherwise have thought of. Tackling diversity and communication from the perspective of HR solutions can provide a way for companies to set themselves apart as committed to diversity moving forward.