Diversity Engagement & Equity in the Recruitment Process

Many organizations have diversity statements but ineffective practices, some companies have leaders that say they are committed to inclusion, but do not demonstrate their value in their words and/or actions, while other institutions engage diversity, but only at lower levels of the organization (janitors, assistants, coaches, service workers, etc.). However, none of these types of organizations truly have inclusive practices that effectively engage diversity throughout the recruitment process and at all levels of the organization (laterally and horizontally).

It is imperative to authentically engage in inclusive and equitable practices for many reasons, including but not limited to:

· Reduction of discriminatory actions/practices

· Value of different perspectives

· Greater selection of highly qualified talent

· Innovation that positively impacts the bottom line (sales, enrollment, retention, academic results, etc.).

As an educational leader and inclusion expert, I am passionate about helping schools and organizations improve their diversity screening, interviewing, hiring, and selection process. I am also committed to creating a retention program to ensure exceptional employees are content, successful, and effectively contributing to the organization. I wrote this article to share my perspectives related to diversity recruitment and retention.

Below are a few suggestions to consider related to equitable processes and diversity engagement:

Be authentic. If you and/or the leaders in your organization are not truly committed to diversity, the results will not have sustainable and successful outcomes. If an organization and/or industry is not traditionally diverse (ethnically/racially), effective diversity engagement will require cultural shifts, courage to be transformational, and at times even radical change. Leaders cannot be complacent in the status quo, but they should be audacious in their desire to diversify the organization for the greater good of the business (innovation, expansion, morale, etc.). Leaders must not sit back and simply say “we need change”, but someone must blaze the path. We need leaders who are fearless in their efforts to ensure an organization/industry of talented individuals who contribute to the success of the company.

Leaders must authentically embrace diversity and demonstrate this commitment by:

· Including diversity in the goals of the organization, employee evaluations, performance incentives, hiring/appointment decisions, retention choices, and financial contributions, etc.

· Thinking creatively “outside of the box”. Reconsider the existing culture, traditions, and other historical processes and procedures that may unintentionally exclude groups of people. Review job requirements and examine if “years of experience” and/or “educational level” are truly indicative of job success. Instead, consider other factors like innovative thoughts/experiences, accomplishments, multilingual abilities, different work backgrounds, eclectic talents, and distinct work styles, etc. Challenge yourself to create a dynamic team instead of trying to find someone to “fit” in the existing organizational culture that may be inherently discriminatory. Reconsider the “we always do it this way”. Be open to positive change and be prepared to support the “new way of being and doing”.

· Exemplifing the value for diversity in decisions, communications (informal/formal & written/verbal), investment of focus and time, responses to differences, and interactions with others.

Diversity efforts must be authentic and not “just words”. Inclusion and equity must come from the top and then trickle down throughout the organization. (It should not be led only by the “diversity executive” but by the CEO, Principal, Superintendent, etc.).

The hiring process must reduce as much bias as possible. We all have biases and diversity training is not enough to ensure that hiring committees are making the best choices. We may have the best intentions to be inclusive, but unconscious bias still creeps in the resume review, interviewing, offer, and retention processes. When seeking highly qualified candidates and ensuring equitable hiring practices, organizations should:

· Examine the job description to ensure it accurately lists the fundamental requirements of the role.

· Job placement ads should be posted on various sites to ensure a broad reach of diverse candidates.

· Create a summary of candidates without names on the resume and any other identifiers that may indicate race, age, ethnicity, religion, and/or gender (avoid/prohibit researching candidates on LinkedIN and social media). The candidate summary should be focused only on the job requirements. Remove any information and/or barriers that may introduce a bias when screening resumes.

· Track your screening, hiring, promotion, evaluation, and retention data. Review past files/data and begin to track the entire hiring process (start to finish). Consider conducting onboarding and exit interviews and ongoing employee satisfaction surveys. This data will provide you with valuable information to identify gaps and make the necessary improvements in the process and throughout the organization.

· If your company’s human resources team/hiring committee is not racially/ethnically diverse, and/or your existing racially/ethnically diverse employees are not empowered or included in the selection process, you may need to consider hiring a recruitment firm that specializes in sourcing diverse talent. The diversity recruitment consultant/firm will help to guarantee equity throughout the process from drafting the job description, sourcing, screening, interviewing, hiring, and making the job offer. Additionally, many recruitment consultants help with the transition and onboarding process to ensure successful integration and empowerment of diversity within an organization.

Retaining highly qualified talent is as critical to the organization as recruitment.Organizations may hire their first Hispanic/Latinx CEO or their only Black Executive Director or their second Native American teacher and then never provide them with support to ensure they can effectively engage in an organization that is not traditionally accepting and/or exposed to this level of diversity engagement. In an effort to reduce attrition of diverse talent, institutions should:

· Focus on a cultural shift in the organization. Provide ongoing diversity, inclusion, and equity training/workshops to all employees. This training should be required and conducted in a variety of ways (online, in person, at retreats, etc.). It should also provide opportunities for employees to do various activities (worksheets, assessments, watch videos, role play, case studies, group work, presentations, projects, conferences, etc.). Additionally, all top-level management should be required to attend a national diversity conference at least once every two years (depending on need/urgency, organizations may need to require this once a year).

· Leaders should periodically meet with ethically/racially diverse employees to learn from them and understand more about their experience in the organization. Leaders should ensure that every project team is diverse and that the members are empowered to speak up and contribute without retaliation. If you have a diverse team and the members are not effectively empowered, they will be afraid to share their thoughts. They will not openly and honestly provide their perspectives because they may fear their job security, potential for advancement, and/or perceived reputation as a person of “conflict”.

· Existing racially/ethnically diverse employees should be included in the succession pipeline. They should also be provided mentors and professional development opportunities to meet potential job needs. They should be strategically groomed for organizational advancement and effectively prepared to be successful contributors to the institution.

The above noted suggestions are just a few ways to engage diversity in your organization. Of course, there are many other tactics and strategies that may be implemented and customized based on the business, industry, and organizational culture, etc. If you are interested in learning more about how I may support you in your efforts to engage in diversity, inclusion, and equitable practices, please contact me to schedule a meeting, discuss your needs, and hire me to help you be successful. Thank you.

Hire Dr. Tarece L. Johnson, creator of The Global Purpose Approach to:

* Provide consulting for organizational diversity, diversity recruitment and retention, diversity inclusion/engagement, supplier diversity, and multicultural marketing.

* Conduct assessments/evaluations and develop a customized diversity and inclusion strategic plan.

* Conduct diversity and inclusion workshops/training (organizations, schools, summer camps, etc.).

* Develop and implement diversity initiatives, programs, projects, activities, and events.

* Speak at various engagements regarding multicultural education, global diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice (conferences, panels, etc.).