HR Trends Part 4- Getting your diversity numbers in hiring right using these techniques(Part 1)
Diversity in the workplace has become a puzzle all talent managers are trying to crack this decade. Your company must mirror the community it serves. This is in terms of not just values & interests but a representation of all types of people and preferences. Companies that have a diverse workforce outperform others by 35% average than their less diverse counterparts. It’s HR’s biggest priority in 2018 for many good reasons. Still, even as hiring managers admit this is a big concern for them, many lack ways to address their D&I numbers actively. Here are a few techniques from us to revamp your hiring D&I initiatives;
- Social Media and the call for transparency have led many companies to be in the limelight for the wrong reasons. This has put more pressure on HR to streamline their HR outputs as their work is now visible to the outside world. A trend Dave Ulrich describes as HR Outside In. Gone are the days when your company information will go unnoticed. With social media and company review sites like Glassdoor, keep track of what your potential candidates are searching for, engaging about, and interested in. Social media also provides free access to diverse communities & groups that would be the right audience for certain diversity goals. Use technology tools like Hootsuite and Google Alerts to track social media mentions and stay on top of any emerging D&I issues that are relevant to you.
- Employer branding(HR’s top 5 concern in 2017) has necessitated better recruiting & branding efforts by companies in a bid to be attractive to Millenials and younger talent who are more concerned about social issues. You have to actively invest time, money & effort into your employer branding strategy. Over 70% of candidates would rather be jobless than work for a company with a bad reputation. Consciously work to bridge the disparity between the perception and reality of your employer brand. Use focus groups, social media mentions, surveys, and feedback forms to measure brand equity about your brand, hiring processes, and managers. Work on the story you want to tell the world about what kind of employer you are. Do not leave this to interpretation. Be explicit in your storytelling.
“The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety”- W. Somerset. Maugham
3. The rise of Artificial Intelligence and modern tech tools has made it easier for recruiters who wish to use tech to promote transparency, back up hiring decisions with data, and reduce bias. Old techniques such as interviews and resumes are being phased out to pave the way for new recruiting tactics like 360 assessment tools, assessment centers, simulations and job-based scenarios to even blind hiring tools. However, be wise to note that Machine Learning and AI can be biased since the algorithms & models are created by humans who are as we said by nature biased. Secondly, the AI models can pick up the wrong patterns and keep reinforcing them. E.g only 1 in 10 top executives is a woman. If we use AI to shortlist candidates then, the algorithm can easily ‘define’ this as a standard for what a great executive is and keep shortlisting white males for top positions. Amazon recently had to stop using its AI-based hiring tool after realizing it showed bias against women. Evaluate the results from your hiring technologies frequently against certain criteria and don’t assume technology is perfect.
4. Reduce positive discrimination. Your goal should not be to hire a black female developer. You should never hire just for diversity numbers! But rather to find the best person for the job. However, this dilemma is confusing for managers who promote affirmative action. Should we, for instance, say ‘Women are encouraged to apply’? One way of curbing this is by reaching out to sources and places with diverse candidates. E.g if you have noticed few female applicants for certain jobs, the most practical thing to do is to do more campaigns in female groups, events, or associations. Some bots help decipher your job description and will let you know if you’re using words that might be discriminatory or perceived differently by certain groups. Be aware of the negative unintended effects of some of your D&I efforts because D&I isn’t just black & white. Could your ‘Black women code’ campaign be undermining your ethnicity cause? This concept is also known as Intersectionality i.e. complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination combine, overlay, or intersect. Have a well-rounded program that will ensure you’re carefully taking into consideration all types of groups.
5. Tap into talent analytics. What can be measured can be improved. This is also the reasoning behind why most talent managers look for HR tools that are end-to-end. If we’re able to capture HR information from sourcing to exit, we can be able to make better-informed decisions about D&I. For instance, we would be able to see where some candidates from minority backgrounds are stagnation or getting lost in the hiring, promotion, or training pipeline. Through monitoring, we could be able to identify hiring managers who are discriminating against certain groups of people. Machine learning can also assist in this especially if you’re a large enterprise with large amounts of data. AI can sift through large pieces of data to identify patterns and anomalies in a fast & efficient way. You could get started with data monitoring through easy survey tools such as Typeform, SurveyMonkey or GoogleForms or by adopting an SLA for your team.
6. Get everyone involved. D&I is not an HR issue but rather a leadership & impact issue. Everyone in the workplace should be a champion for equality and they should be given the freedom to call out irregularities and ideas. The primary reason why most company initiatives fail is because of a lack of top management support. For D&I to work, your leadership has to be truly committed to the cause and have a true desire to do the right thing. Your employees & candidates will judge your company from the top. Get your leadership team involved visibly through action and not just statements. Also utilize the power of your employees, current and former. United Utilities for instance created employee ambassadors from different backgrounds which improved D&I's perception of potential candidates. Remember, your workforce should be as diverse as your customer base. Millennials especially, want to be part of a larger cause than just profit. Involve them in philanthropy and social work to promote diversity through employee-driven initiatives e.g. Google for Women Initiatives. Get employees involved by also posting on their social media channels. Tap into your alumni groups too to target more diverse candidates for jobs, even through referrals, as well as other groups your ATS will likely miss out on.
7. Learn the psychology behind bias and stereotypes. Conduct regular training with psychology experts to highlight potential areas of bias and where we fall short as human beings. This includes job descriptions and interviews which have since proven ineffective due to unconscious bias where recruiters tend to hire people who ‘look and act like them’. Doing this will make bias ‘personal’ since there are many types of biases that have been identified in the 21st century. It will make people vulnerable enough to address D&I on an individual basis as opposed to it being a ‘company issue’. Work with experts and training leads afterward to train employees through the resources available within & out of your company. A lot of the beliefs people have are deeply rooted in culture & practices, so you have to unroot some of them through continuous training and advocacy.
All in all, working towards a diverse workforce is a continuous never-ending process. Keep on. If we believe the world is big enough for all of us, then it will be. All the best.
Check out Part 2 of this article here.
