feature CULTURE, VISION & VALUES
TUNING OUT THE STEREO- TYPES
Recruiters are in the ideal position to set the bar
for diversity and inclusion, as they can see first-hand the contribution an inclusive workforce can have. It’s taken as read that organisations have to align a culture of equality with the vision of commercial imperative, but this isn’t always easy for the internal recruiter. So what needs to be done to make diversity an integral part of the business case?
A culture of equality and diversity starts and ends with a careful examination of the recruitment process and its efficacy in bringing in the best candidates for the job from the most diverse resource pools available. A cursory look on the web will reveal a wealth of information on what needs to be done to improve diversity in organisations, but really the first place to start is with sourcing the potential applicant, not internal policies or the way an organisation is run. The company will know what it is looking for and will have communicated this via the person specification, competency frameworks and job description. Recruiters need to look at what exactly attracts a diverse candidate to a role or organisation. Crucially, applicants are looking for organisations that take diversity seriously and want to see a reflection of that commitment in their recruitment materials. Whilst being an important prerequisite, this only gets an organisation to the starting line. The perception of a company’s commitment to diversity is even more important and will have a far greater impact.
ARTICLE BY BINNA KANDOLA, CO-FOUNDER & SENIOR PARTNER - PEARN KANDOLA
One particular case at The Ford Motor Company highlights the importance of ensuring diversity is communicated at the start of the recruitment process. A few years ago, the company was at the top of students’ list as a particularly diverse employer. Applicants from every background wanted to join the team. This changed overnight when a story appeared in the media which revealed that Ford had been editing images in a promotional poster in order to make black employees look white. The effect was immediate in male, female, white and minority students. This new, negative perception of Ford far overtook the fact that this was a relatively isolated case. Ultimately, it doesn't matter about the targets an organisation sets, or what creative advertising it produces, if stories appear about discrimination taking place within the organisation in the media, then the number of diverse applicants will not be as high as initially desired. Companies will always need to consider their public image alongside any internal targets to increase diversity, and this is something HR and the internal recruitment team can help with. By addressing the needs of the applicants in this way, instead of simply thinking about what they need from the recruitment process, they will be much more likely to appeal to a wider and more diverse group.
24 thehrdirector SEPTEMBER 2016
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