By: Steve Pemberton
Diversity and inclusion is in the midst of a paradigm shift.
Driven by a rapidly shifting demography, increased global interactions and new modalities of thinking, this sea-change requires that we alter the way we have historically determined where companies stand relative to their efforts.
Comparing Apples and Oranges
For too long, the diversity and inclusion industry has centered its attention on organization-to-organization benchmarking. More specifically, it’s based on your standing compared to what other organizations are doing. There is often some value in this, such as assessments that provide direction for internal strategies. However, to solely rely on this strategy or base one’s effort in this realm is problematic and flies in the face of the history of diversity and inclusion.
Our methodology is often divorced from the business reality. On the one hand, we say that diversity and inclusion is about celebrating the differences between and among people and organizations. Yet we pursue recognition that seemingly rewards companies for being just like each other. Is that sensible? Can you really find another organization just like yours? After all, we conduct business in divergent parts of the world, in divergent industries and we serve widely divergent constituencies. Additionally, while some organizations have been deeply engaged in matters of diversity and inclusion for the past 50 years, others are just beginning.
How to Attract Today’s Diverse Candidates
Given the inherent challenges of organization-to-organization benchmarking, how else can we assess where we stand?
I contend that we need to gauge our efforts by the very workforce that we are looking to attract. How are they defining diversity and inclusion? What are their major concerns as they undertake a job search?
Recently, Monster commissioned Harris Interactive /hr/hr-best-practices/workforce-management/workplace-diversity/diversity-recruitment-study.aspx to conduct independent research in an effort to address these questions. Here are some of the things we’ve learned:
1. Diverse candidates often define diversity quite differently than how most companies define it.
They do so in two ways: diversity expands the creative power of the organization while it helps companies to attract customers that they might not ordinarily reach. Far more diverse than their predecessors, today’s varied workforce is also more concerned about the ‘business case’ for diversity. For them, diversity is as much about competitive advantage as it is about corrective action.
2. They are concerned about revealing the diversity of their background but not for the reason you might think.
What is the primary concern for diverse candidates? It’s that their age, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation becomes their ‘brand,’ rather than their skills, talents and abilities. As such, they take the time to research the organization, determine where it is philosophically anchored and then assess whether or not they should tell you more about their background.
3. They are more interested in inclusion than they are in diversity.
For years, the primary definition for organizational commitment to diversity had to do with the appearance of diversity, specifically the number of people who belong to any one category or group. In truth, what matters more to today’s diverse workforce is inclusion, or the specific and deliberate practice of adding additional thoughts and perspectives to organizational conversations and decisions. It is important to note that for many candidates, inclusion is a direct indication of their ability to grow and develop within a prospective organization.
4. Actions, not words, carry the day.
Most organizations today have a wonderfully crafted mission and vision statement regarding their commitment to matters of diversity and inclusion. These statements are important as they often provide a window into the guiding philosophy of the organization. Yet the workforce we are looking to attract is often looking for more specifics. They want answers to these questions: How has the organization leveraged diversity to increase market share and better serve customers? Are there instances where the company’s outreach (to say, the Latino community) resulted in deeper market penetration or increased customer loyalty? Sharing these examples with candidates can have meaningful impact and is often the tipping factor in a diverse candidate’s decision-making process.
5. The Web is central to their job search, for both obvious and more subtle reasons.
Access, expanded opportunities and real-time communication and response are among the reasons diverse candidates leverage the Web. But something else is at play in the course of a job search: anonymity. Given the concern that candidates have expressed in revealing the diversity of their background, the Web has become a strategic tool that provides them the ability to switch their diversity on and off.
Now What?
When we take the time to ask, diverse candidates provide very clear advice and direction for organizations. Here are a few:
1. Mainstream diversity and inclusion
The days of thinking that diversity and inclusion meant only race, gender and ethnicity (assuming that “diverse” people are the only ones interested in the topic) are long over. With more and more people identifying themselves in multiple categories it will become increasingly important to make certain that diversity is viewed and seen by all and not just a select few. Consider diversity a matter of how you think rather than what you look like.
2. Make no distinction between talents and diversity
Talk, write and consider diversity as a strategy necessary to strengthen the organization and its position in a competitive marketplace. To the candidate, this means greater sustainability and longevity -- and the likelihood that they will grow their career with your organization.
3. Tell your story
Next to major job boards, the most utilized resource is the company website, specifically the career section. It is essential that candidates see examples of your passion and enthusiasm for diversity and inclusion, rather than just your stated commitment.