Questions to Gauge Your Commitment to DE&I

How committed is your company to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)? Of more than 1,500 workers surveyed in the 2021 Jobseeker Nation report by Jobvite, forty-two percent indicated they would reject a job offer if the hiring company lacked diversity or well-defined goals for improving diversity in hiring. This is a good indication of how important it is for companies to embrace DEI practices – not only because these practices can improve a company’s innovation, decision-making, and overall performance, but because they are an important part of recruitment and hiring processes. To understand how these practices have changed over the last year, talent cloud company iCIMS and Talent Board, a nonprofit candidate experience benchmark research organization, published the research report, “The State of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace.”

The report found three key areas for improvement:

• The vast majority of organizations surveyed are not tracking specific diversity metrics to have reliable data in which to set realistic goals.
• Companies need to actively take steps to reduce bias in recruiting. This could include group interviews to eliminate individual bias, using validated assessment tools or eliminating gender- or culture-specific words or phrases in written and spoken communication.
• Most companies fall short when it comes to highlighting the company’s commitment to DEI; it should be a prominent part of the company’s culture.

To see how your company measures up, contemplate these questions:

• Is diversity and inclusion part of your core business strategy? What are your goals as an organization?
• Have you actively worked to reduce not only individual but systemic biases in how you attract and hire talent? What about bias in your career mobility processes?
• To improve diversity hiring practices have you considered diversity and inclusion training for your team?
• Rather than a one-time training, are diversity and inclusion awareness initiatives and strategies for improvement addressed consistently, enterprise-wide?
• Is diversity and inclusion data collected to properly measure and evaluate the outcomes?
• Are your leaders accountable for diversity and inclusion outcomes? What should this look like?

In March 2021, Bloomberg reported that 60 U.S. companies appointed their first-ever chief diversity officer, which is a step in the right direction. While small to mid-sized businesses do not have the bandwidth for a dedicated diversity office, it does not lessen the fact that addressing DEI practices is of vital importance for businesses of all sizes. Some clients will prefer service providers with more diversity and inclusion. More importantly, good DEI practices will help you to create a more equitable workplace, foster employee engagement and attract top-notch talent. Companies that have a workplace that celebrates and sees value in diversity will come out ahead.