Do you keep track of the diversity within your organisation?

When I first started working in HR for organisations that worked with local and central government we were often asked about the demographic of our workforce and if it matched theirs. We would say ‘We don’t capture that information, we just hire the brightest and best wherever they come from”.

And in a way it was true, but we recruited from a small pool. Most of the graduate hires and experienced consultants all had a similar background; red brick university degree in classics, History or Maths. We never actively built relationships with any London Universities, so the only way we would hire anyone from a different background would be if they actively searched for the openings, which was rare as it was a small boutique consultancy.

The lack of diversity in the business meant that there was a lack of knowledge of what our client's customers experienced. It’s hard to understand the challenges that citizens have communicating with their local council if you only contact yours to pay your council tax, get a parking permit or get your bulk waste collected.

Diversity is the key to innovation and business growth, if everyone in your organisation has been taught to think in the same way there will be no challenge.

It’s time to think differently about the way you recruit, here are my three top tips:

Invest in unconscious bias training for your team

We all have biases, it is important to build awareness of what they are and then address them.

Review your job advertising

Its time to review the imagery and words that you use to advertise your roles, showing images of a diverse workforce and using words that speak to your ideal candidate's skills and experience rather than educational background (unless it's absolutely necessary).

Diversify your recruitment panel

It’s important to have a panel that is diverse and can understand the nuances that come from a variety of backgrounds.

If you need any assistance reviewing your recruitment process so that you can diversify your workforce, schedule a call here