Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives in the workplace, as well as society in general, are not niceties – they are integral to operational success for all businesses. Ethical recruiting with EDI focus is not a tick box exercise and increasing diversity in your workplace is understood to bring different perspectives which will only enhance operational success.
So, how do you ensure Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is a cornerstone of your recruiting, hiring and retention plans? Read on to find out more!
Advertising a Culture of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Your job advertisements are an excellent place to evidence your commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in your workplace. Your commitment and company ethos can be laid out easily in your advert itself, where you could input a paragraph or wording to the effect of evidencing your commitment and ethics in this arena, showcasing to potential candidates your diverse workplace and how you encourage this via recruitment.
In addition, you can also look at the psychology of wording you use and uncover whether any words you use subconsciously have the opposite effect of attracting candidates to your organisation, and instead, put candidates off due to them subconsciously viewing your organisation unfavourably in the context of company culture due to word choice and positioning.
Advertise on EDI-led platforms
All job boards have a part to play in promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace; however, some job boards specialise in promoting EDI solutions via their specific platforms. These platforms may encourage applications from specific groups of individuals protected by the Equality Act of 2010, meaning some job boards may be disability-conscious and support those individuals getting into the workplace; it is always worth considering these platforms when hiring!
Applicant Tracking Systems & Recruitment Software
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can provide an automated way to encourage EDI through your hiring processes, such as by helping recruitment processes more universally by simplifying them or even having the ability to make text larger or colour differentiated to support those who may be visually impaired.
Furthermore, an ATS can help you track, monitor and report on your efforts surrounding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion so you can track your organisation’s progress against your goals or quotas; from this, you will be able to report on EDI in a compliance-focused manner which can help shape and influence your recruitment advertising campaigns to garner improved results, if needed.
Careers Sites: Showcase your commitment to EDI
Careers sites are an excellent way to showcase your employer brand and will act as your “shop window” to the active and passive candidate markets. Creating a great first impression will also be supported by a careers site’s functionality which should also support the encouragement of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion via the set-up of your careers site with features that encourage accessibility.
For example, your careers site could have functionality to increase font sizes, change colour ratios and saturation or even have the ability to be translated into other languages to help broaden the talent pool your careers site can support in translating candidates into employees.
