If you don’t have a strong DE&I strategy in 2022, you’re missing a valuable opportunity to attract a diverse pool of candidates with different viewpoints, backgrounds, and ideas that can transform your workplace. DE&I is no longer optional or an afterthought. In the wake of an unprecedented labor shortage, DE&I can be the thing that sets your company apart and makes top talent view you as an employer of choice. 32% of job seekers and employees reported they would not apply for a position at a company that lacked diversity. That number jumped to 41% among Black and LGBTQ+ employees.
Of course, developing a DE&I strategy that’s effective and that lasts is no easy task. Learn how to make your DE&I more impactful to attract diverse talent.
What Is DE&I and Why Is It Important?
DE&I stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, a phrase that outlines an organization’s efforts to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. There are several benefits associated with DE&I in the workplace, including:
- Gaining access to a wider talent pool
- Increased employee engagement, trust, and retention
- New perspectives, ideas, and innovation
- Better decision-making — one study found that diverse teams have a 60 percent improvement in decision-making!
- Improved performance
- Stronger company culture
- Stronger employer branding
Utilizing DE&I to Attract Top Talent
Here are some tips for how your company’s DE&I initiatives can attract top talent:
Incorporate Diverse Hiring into Your Recruitment Policy
By adding a direct policy that includes KPIs for recruiters to follow, you’ll ensure that DE&I becomes engrained into the DNA of your hiring process.
There’s no one-size-fits-all format for DE&I policies. We encourage you to create several policies, such as family leave policies, building accessibility, flexible work schedules for parents, LGBTQ+ equality, and so on.
Culture Amp’s DE&I Report 2022 found that 95% of surveyed organizations had anti-harassment policies, 93% had a code of conduct policy, and 92% had anti-discrimination policies. But, those figures dropped dramatically to just 41% when asked if they had DE&I policies in place. So, getting your policy written and published now is an excellent way to get ahead of the curve and position yourself as a workplace that takes DE&I seriously. This approach will help you attract the most qualified and talented candidates while also creating an environment where all employees feel welcome, safe, and free to be themselves.
Update Your Job Ad Language
Make sure your job ads highlight and target a broad range of candidates and that you’re not using any bias, exclusive, or limiting language in your postings (for example, applicants must be native English speakers). The more inclusive your language is on your job postings, the easier it will be to show you’re open to all candidates, not just those from certain demographics. Be sure to take this opportunity to highlight your ongoing DE&I initiatives and commitment to diversity in your job posting, as well as your company’s culture.
Programmatic job ads are an excellent way to remove human bias and expand your talent pool with job postings that target a wide net of diverse applicants.
Update Your Company Website
To attract a diverse audience, make sure your company website has images and videos of diverse employees that show you are open to working with people of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, cultures, etc. Don’t forget to include relevant and timely DE&I content and information about your DE&I initiatives as well. .
DE&I Strategy With Bayard
Although the benefits of a strong DEI program are no secret, many companies still struggle to implement sustainable policies. At Bayard, we aim to shift perception and alter that reality within our clients’ organizations, one small but impactful change at a time.
Our approach starts at inception by employing an evidence-based advisory model. Our team produces thoughtful, strategic recommendations for long-term cultural change using real-world insights. We combine industry-leading innovation in Employer Brand with key Diversity and Inclusion methodologies that empower organizations to implement and execute content-rich and data-driven initiatives. Together, we help our partners achieve their recruitment and retention goals by creating cultural transformations from the inside out.
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