DE&I Archives - Paragon Strategic Staffing https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/tag/dei/ Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:00:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7 https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cropped-paragon-logo-32x32.png DE&I Archives - Paragon Strategic Staffing https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/tag/dei/ 32 32 How to Integrate DEIB Into the Hiring Process: Part Two https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/how-to-integrate-deib-into-the-hiring-process-part-two/ Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:00:21 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9958 In my last article, I delved into the benefits of promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in your business. Here are seven things to consider as you focus on this initiative:Read More...

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In my last article, I delved into the benefits of promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in your business. Here are seven things to consider as you focus on this initiative:

Your commitment must be ironclad. The biggest decision a company must make to embrace a DEIB practice is, first of all, to decide that diversity is important. That requires the executive team to invest in making it a priority, communicate this to employees and, most importantly, be willing to listen to criticism about where they fall short.

DEIB is not a public relations initiative. It is a direct response to a status quo that has for too long denied diverse employees equal opportunities for employment and growth. Treating it as a marketing ploy, especially when you have not made strides internally, can have disastrous effects. For example, companies who posted social media posts in support of Equal Pay Day learned the hard way when a bot replied to their posts with sobering stats about those companies’ own pay gaps.

Know where your company is on the journey. Companies, especially startups with few employees, mistakenly think they can just look across the office and guess based on appearances. You can probably appreciate why this is a bad idea. The only way to create an accurate picture of a company’s current status is to create a mechanism for employees to anonymously self-report. This can sometimes require a software solution or working with a third-party organization so there is adequate privacy. Once the company has its internal statistics, it should strategize how to announce the results and communicate how it plans to improve.

Prioritize diversity of executives. It may seem like a bit of a catch-22, but it’s hard to recruit a diverse workforce if they don’t see representation at the top. If a company has a homogenized executive team, it will struggle to recruit diverse new hires. A diverse executive team communicates to junior and mid-level employees that career advancement is possible at your company.

Actively seek out reasons to say yes. Build programs that are specifically geared to finding populations that have been excluded. Avoid an overdependence on resumes and AI tools, where job gaps or lack of marquee positions could be a manifestation of inequality. Among the best employees I’ve hired are people whose resumes likely would not pass a filter based on specific experience. But they were intelligent, passionate and driven, and they learned what they did not know coming into the position.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Using AI: Risks and Challenges

A diversity chief is not enough. Companies are increasingly hiring DEIB heads to signal their commitment to diversity and inclusion and to create a plan for improvements in this regard. In the right situation and company, it’s an important role. But they need authority, clear support from management and a budget. A word of caution: Employees are increasingly suspicious of what companies say about DEIB. An Edelman study found employees trust their diverse coworkers the most and heads of DEIB the least when it comes to a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. This is likely due to recent examples of a DEIB head who was not given the resources to make improvements to the diversity of the workforce.

Overcommunicate with absolute honesty. While you encounter candidates that will not work with any company that has not made sufficient strides in DEIB, the majority are likely to join a company that is open about its shortcomings and clear about how it will address them.

If you won’t be honest about DEIB, your employees will. The employees that interview your candidates are likely to be honest about your company’s approach and commitment to DEIB. If you overstate your progress, your employees are likely to correct the record, hurting your chances to make a compelling offer to that candidate.

Ultimately, you cannot fake a commitment to DEIB. The only way to approach it is to decide that it’s important, put in the work to make it a reality, and communicate openly and honestly about what you’ve done and what remains.

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How to Integrate DEIB Into the Hiring Process: Part One https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/how-to-integrate-deib-into-the-hiring-process-part-one/ Mon, 22 Aug 2022 12:00:33 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9955 Companies’ commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) is becoming an increasingly important factor in prospective employees deciding where to work. For example, a recent McKinsey study found almost 80% ofRead More...

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Companies’ commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) is becoming an increasingly important factor in prospective employees deciding where to work. For example, a recent McKinsey study found almost 80% of workers said a company’s dedication to DEIB is important to them. Companies that fail to make DEIB a priority will encounter difficulties hiring employees from all walks of life.

And yet, not enough companies are taking DEIB seriously. A recent study of 560 HR leaders found that fewer than one in three companies made DEIB a measurable priority in the past 12 months. And the future is no brighter: 38% of companies plan to make DEIB a measurable priority over the next 12 months, bottom on the list of priorities.

DEIB: A Successful Company’s Superpower

A McKinsey study found executive teams in the top quartile of diversity outperformed in profitability those in the bottom quartile by 25%. Another study published in the Harvard Business Review found companies that create adequate space to hear and champion diverse voices are 45% likelier to report a growing market share and 70% likelier to report they captured a new market.

With evidence that prioritizing DEIB opens companies up to a wider pool of potential employees and can impact the bottom line, it is abundantly clear a majority of companies are making a big mistake by failing to devote resources and attention to improving their standing.

The reality is that all companies, even those with robust DEIB strategies and resources, will continually need to evolve their efforts. Like other major corporate initiatives, there is no end date to DEIB initiatives; they’re ongoing and ever changing. But many companies have not even begun to scratch the surface.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Unicorns in the Workforce Solutions Ecosystem

How Lack of DEIB Focus Plays Out While Hiring

One of GoodTime’s first customers was a Silicon Valley unicorn that lost female-identifying engineers at an unhealthy rate and failed to hire female-identifying replacements, furthering gender inequality in its workforce.

The hiring team had a healthy pipeline of female-identifying engineers, but few accepted offers. The main issue they uncovered was that these candidates mostly interviewed with male-identifying engineers, creating a perception that they would be joining a predominately male team.

DEIB Requires a Comprehensive Effort

Companies that have acknowledged the importance of DEIB and are looking to make it a big priority in the next few years must appreciate that it will take commitment and transparency. Success will not happen overnight.

In the next part of this series, I’ll discuss seven important things to consider as you focus on fostering DEIB in your business.

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How Employee Resource Groups Can Create a United Workforce https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/how-employee-resource-groups-can-create-a-united-workforce/ Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:00:36 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9931 One year into the Great Resignation, companies are still facing high rates of employee turnover. An open line of communication between employees and leadership is vital. After all, how can you fixRead More...

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One year into the Great Resignation, companies are still facing high rates of employee turnover. An open line of communication between employees and leadership is vital. After all, how can you fix a problem when you do not know the problem exists? To retain employees, corporate leadership must engage their employees.

One way to foster communication is by asking employees what they need. Employee resource groups (ERGs) can be used to identify and remedy any gaps in communication.

What Is an Employee Resource Group?

By definition, an ERG is a voluntary group of employees formed around a common identity or interest. Common ERG themes include employees of color, LGBTQIA+ employees, veterans, parents and young professionals.

Generally, ERGs are a vehicle for employees to share their experiences, but that vehicle can manifest itself in many different ways. This may entail a monthly meeting, a Slack channel or planned activities outside of the office — this would be decided by the employees rather than prescribed by leadership.

Two essential traits of ERGs are that they are voluntary and employee-led. Although leadership can (and should) encourage their employees to get involved, ERG membership should remain voluntary. Making sure that all employees feel welcome to join also encourages allyship.

A representative from leadership should remain involved in ERGs and keep leadership informed of new ideas or initiatives that are brought up, but employees should feel safe to drive the conversation and speak freely.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Largest IT Staffing Firms in the US: 2022 Update

How Companies Can Benefit from ERGs

Ultimately, ERGs are a tool for engagement. Employees should feel comfortable sharing their opinions — as they converse, they will feel more included at work.

Studies show that millennial and Gen Z candidates are interested in companies that care about their well-being and offer an inclusive workplace. Companies interested in increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives may look online for general tips or programs that could be implemented.

But ERGs may be able to point to specific areas of improvement within the company, such as a need for wellness programs or gender-neutral bathrooms. ERGs may also identify additional training to combat unconscious bias or to teach employees how to use more inclusive language. Over time, giving employees the space to share freely bolsters innovation.

In addition, ERGs can be an avenue for identifying and developing leadership. Because ERGs are employee-led, they present an opportunity for employees to step into a leadership role and to exhibit skills that may not be a part of their regular role.

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Celebrating and Supporting Disabled Workers on the Anniversary of the ADA https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/celebrating-and-supporting-disabled-workers-on-the-anniversary-of-the-ada/ Mon, 08 Aug 2022 12:00:17 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9934 This July marked the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The passage of this bill marked theRead More...

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This July marked the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The passage of this bill marked the first time in history that federal legislation was written and codified to prevent discrimination against disabled individuals in all areas of public life.

Thanks to the ADA, individuals living with a disability can no longer be turned away from a job, denied housing or refused access to the same public and private spaces as the general public just because of their disability status. As we celebrate yet another year of this landmark civil rights legislation, it is critical that organizations reevaluate the accessibility and inclusivity of their workplaces to ensure they are supporting their existing disabled employees while also attracting diverse new talent.

An important first step for any organization is a willingness to recognize flaws in company practices that may be ableist or that unintentionally leave out workers with disabilities. Once these flaws are identified, an organization can create more inclusive practices that celebrate diversity and center the needs of disabled workers. A simple example of this: creating a company-wide diversity statement that goes beyond the minimum mandated as an equal opportunity employer by emphasizing accessibility as a core tenet of workplace culture. This statement should also include a definition of “disability” so more people can recognize they are included in the community. The ultimate goal should be to create a workplace culture where self-identification of disability status is encouraged and diverse identities are valued, included and respected.

Another example of how companies can better support their disabled employees is by requiring all staff members to undergo diversity, inclusion and accessibility training. This training can include guidelines for respectful workplace behavior, examples of appropriate language and terminology and tips for identifying possible microaggressions or biases. To take the commitment a step further, companies can also offer training in accessibility skills, such as closed captioning, braille and audio descriptions.

PREMIUM CONTENT: US Healthcare Staffing Market Assessment: 2022 Update

Employee diversity training can be an effective way to give employees without disabilities a comprehensive understanding of accessibility issues and help them become more aware of how their words and actions may impact others around them. It is also recommended that organizations encourage the formation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) where employees with disabilities can openly discuss issues facing them in the workplace and find ways to discuss them with leadership or other non-disabled employees.

Ensuring that the workplace is physically accessible is another critical aspect of supporting disabled employees. This can be achieved through actions like simplifying the accommodation request process, investing in assistive technology for the office and removing physical barriers in the office that may prevent employees with disabilities from accessing the same spaces as their able-bodied coworkers. Offices should also ensure that they are compliant with ADA standards, which include minimum clearance widths for doors and hallways, minimum height requirements for desks and tables and the requirement of tactile braille lettering on all signs, just to name a few.

As the labor market continues to tighten and companies struggle to recruit new talent, organizations can also showcase their commitment to accessibility by reexamining their hiring practices. This could include providing training to hiring managers so they can conduct interviews with blind or deaf candidates, featuring more inclusive images on public-facing materials and reexamining job postings to highlight adaptive workspaces and remove any ableist language.

While the anniversary of the ADA is an ideal time to highlight the importance of accessibility and inclusion in the workplace, business leaders and HR executives should always be striving to celebrate and support their disabled employees. Companies working to reassess their hiring and workplace practices must do so by prioritizing the voices and perspectives of disabled workers first. This will ensure that any new policies or practices are supportive, appropriate and accommodating to the people they are designed to serve.

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Ensure Your Hiring Practices Are Inclusive and Equitable https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/ensure-your-hiring-practices-are-inclusive-and-equitable/ Tue, 17 May 2022 08:00:31 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9763 While inclusivity and diversity have been on the minds of organizations for many years, knowing how to translate that into your hiring practices can still be a challenge. What does inclusive hiringRead More...

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While inclusivity and diversity have been on the minds of organizations for many years, knowing how to translate that into your hiring practices can still be a challenge. What does inclusive hiring look like, and how can you ensure that your company’s practices are unbiased?

Write job descriptions with inclusive language. Language is critical to keeping your hiring practices inclusive, so start with your job descriptions. Ditching any gendered terminology, stay away from industry jargon and be aware of literacy exclusion by keeping sentences short and terms easy to understand. It’s also worth assessing job titles for any hint of industry preference or gender preference, such as eliminating masculine or feminine terms and choosing, instead, gender-neutral terminology.

Develop processes to support your team. For an inclusive workplace, you need to build a culture that’s focused on the well-being of all your staff — and that involves providing mental health benefits and support staff when times are tough.

This might be through employee support teams, counselling at work, check-ins and flexible working for people who need time off to recover from addiction, stress or depression. “A Harvard-reviewed study revealed that up to 60% of people struggling with mental health issues have never spoken up about it at work. What’s more, a number of people who suffer from substance use disorder but are high-functioning might avoid seeking help because they can still perform at work, to a certain degree,” says Olivia Marcellino, VP of research at LuxuryRehabs.com.

Creating a culture of safety and openness means that everyone, no matter their situation, feels supported and valued.

Leverage technology to reduce human bias. Human bias can sneak into our decision making without us even realizing sometimes, but there are tools on the market that can help to minimize this. Job-writing software can help users create a more inclusionary space that helps to foster diversity and sift through candidates to prioritize the skills that are missing in the current team to correct imbalances.

Data can be incredibly valuable in justifying decisions and avoiding instinctual hidden biases, such as spotting racial differences in wages, seniority levels, turnover and retention rates among minority groups, awards, recognition and much more.

PREMIUM CONTENT: US Staffing Industry Forecast: May 2022 Update

Create your EOE statement. Your website should clearly display the company’s EOE (Equal Opportunity Employer) statement. This is a short paragraph that shows your business’ commitment to inclusion and diversity and highlights the affirmative action it’s taking to improve. While these statements are usually written in standard language, they can be customized to your business’ values and culture to represent what matters to the company.

Establish diverse interview panels. Having a well-rounded panel to assess candidates for a role can help in reducing bias and viewing candidates from a new perspective. If you don’t have the time to form a panel of interviewers, you should gather the top members of your team and conduct a group interview instead, including where possible a balance of men and women and underrepresented groups.

Keep educating your team. Staying on top of biases to ensure that your practices and systems are fair and equitable is an ongoing process, and education should remain at the forefront of a business’s attempts to separate bias from the recruitment process. Educating and training the team to recognize biases and counter those internal prejudices can be a powerful way to improve employee engagement and create a more diverse workplace.

Recruiters have a responsibility to implement inclusive processes when it comes to hiring a diverse workforce, whether it’s changing how you advertise roles, evaluating the tools and software you use to alleviate biases and identify areas where diversity is an issue, or making sure that the people involved in making hiring decisions span a range of backgrounds and experiences.

By following these tips, you can ensure that you’re showing to prospective employees that your organization values diversity and is taking steps to prioritize inclusion.

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The Market Case for DE&I: Spearheading Growth https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/the-market-case-for-dei-spearheading-growth/ Wed, 04 May 2022 12:00:40 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9747 The world is finally emerging out of the Covid-19 pandemic. While a total end to the crisis may still be some time away, global economies are already on the recovery path. TheRead More...

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The world is finally emerging out of the Covid-19 pandemic. While a total end to the crisis may still be some time away, global economies are already on the recovery path. The final days of the pandemic have opened an excellent opportunity for us to re-imagine life and build better, more empathetic workplaces. Organizations, having seen the worst over the past two years, are now seeing things in an entirely new light. The idea of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) has moved from casual boardroom conversations to more tangible business implementations. Business leaders have realized that DE&I helps to unlock innovation, forge better corporate culture and usher in success for everyone.

Diversity in the Global Village

We live in an increasingly interconnected and complex world shaped by technological advancements and globalization. Diversity is now the fabric of a modern, digitized society that is no longer limited by distance or time. Businesses are keener than ever to scale their DE&I programs, cutting across geo-cultural boundaries, and have joined the “talent war” to attract marginalized talent segments. Achieving success at a global level calls for cross-cultural initiatives besides pursuing sustained efforts to weave in diversity and equity into an inclusive work environment that is in line with an organization’s broader growth vision. This has opened a never-seen-before opportunity for businesses to access a diverse talent pool and spearhead growth globally.

The importance for companies to have a globally diverse labor force cannot be overemphasized enough. A workforce founded on DE&I principles drives innovation and enhances creativity. At the same time, it challenges the traditional, often draconian, business assumptions and ideas. After the pandemic struck, a number of businesses expedited major structural changes covering key areas of operations, marketing, and hiring and retention.

PREMIUM CONTENT: North America Internal Staff Survey 2022: Full Report

The DE&I Market: What the Numbers Say

According to a recent report by San Jose-based research firm Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the international market for DE&I is expected to grow to $15.4 billion by the end of 2026, growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.6% over a 7-year period under review. Over the analysis period, GIA estimated a 12.1% CAGR for employee resource groups.

The GIA report also reveals that diverse companies generate 2.5 times higher cash flow per employee and that inclusive teams are 35% more productive than their homogeneous counterparts.

According to a 2018 study by Harvard Business Review, companies with above-average employee diversity report 19% higher innovation revenues and 9% higher EBIT (Earnings before interest and taxes) margins.

Put simply, companies that embrace DE&I experience better business outcomes.

Millennials to Steer DE&I

The Deloitte Millennial Survey indicates that by the end of 2025, millennials are expected to account for 75% of the global workforce. This means they will be the majority in leadership roles over the next decade and beyond. Millennials and Gen Z will be responsible for making key decisions and shaping the overall workplace culture. Their perspective of DE&I is different from that of the older generations. While the latter considered equality and representation as diversity, members of the future workforce will continue to see DE&I as an intersectionality of diverse backgrounds, individual perspectives and varying experiences in a supportive and cohesive environment.

Looking Through the Crystal Ball  

The world of work is set to grow exponentially faster than it has in the past. The pandemic has forced companies across the globe to go back to the drawing board and produce new plans to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Innovations have been fast-tracked, and the trend will continue. Streamlining of businesses will open opportunities for leaders to embed DE&I in core corporate culture, educate teams about the benefits of inclusion and reconnect with customers with greater empathy and better solutions. In a fiercely competitive world, it’s the people who give a competitive edge. Every business, regardless of its size and area of operation, needs people. And when they come from diverse backgrounds, the result is a melting pot of innovation, creativity and collaboration.

Diversity is a given. Inclusion is a choice. With the uncertain economic times likely to last for months even after the pandemic is well and truly over, DE&I could prove to be the potion of growth and stability.

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A Playbook for a More Diversified Workplace https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/a-playbook-for-a-more-diversified-workplace/ Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:00:04 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9726 Employers throughout the nation are beginning to announce plans for employees’ return to the office after two years of working remotely. Although dubbed the “Great Return,” companies that are already dealing withRead More...

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Employers throughout the nation are beginning to announce plans for employees’ return to the office after two years of working remotely. Although dubbed the “Great Return,” companies that are already dealing with the Great Resignation may find the need to fill even more open positions as some employees choose to move on instead of moving back in. Employers looking to fill those vacancies should seize this as an opportunity to build a more diverse workplace for returning employees.

Companies that embrace equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDI&A) create a workplace where everyone can contribute and thrive. Employees who feel like they belong are more innovative, successful and productive — all of which contribute to a company’s overall success. A more diverse workplace also gives employees an opportunity for personal and professional growth, leading to increased job satisfaction and less job turnover. A recent McKinsey study also showed companies that had greater gender diversity on executive teams and greater ethnic and cultural diversity were more profitable than their less inclusive competitors.

Randstad can attest to the benefits of a diverse workforce. We consider our EDI&A principles a cornerstone of the organization’s success. Our commitment to those principles is reflected in our inaugural EDI&A report: the impact of a culture where everyone belongs, which shows Randstad USA exceeded 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Professional Services benchmarks for gender and ethnicity inclusion in our workforce. Women occupy 60% of leadership roles and account for 60% of new hires. Meanwhile, people of color represent 34% of Randstad USA’s workforce compared to the national BLS benchmark of 21%.

Businesses looking to diversify their workforce can use our report as a roadmap as they begin their journey. While every company needs to chart their own path based on their own cultures, Randstad USA Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Audra Jenkins notes in the report how important it is for companies to “weave EDI&A into their organizational DNA as they seek to build the more inclusive workforce of tomorrow.”

PREMIUM CONTENT: North America Internal Staff Survey 2022: Full Report

Intentional effort. Inclusion and belonging will not happen overnight; they require an intentional effort coupled with goals and targets for improvement. For Randstad USA, the initial step in that effort our appointment of the first chief diversity and inclusion officer in the staffing industry. We have also established seven 100% employee-led business development groups that seek to create opportunities for successful diversity strategies and initiatives. Each group has their own executive sponsor and represents veterans, disabled workers, communities of color, LGBTQ+ employees, next generation leaders and women in the workforce.

As staffing firms, our influence extends well beyond out internal workforce, so our EDI&A work must as well. To that end, Randstad USA has launched several programs with the goal of elevating diverse and untapped communities. The Transcend program, for instance, was designed address the skill and talent gaps that limit employment opportunities in historically excluded communities. It provides a skills-first approach, leadership development and job placement opportunities to participants in diverse and untapped communities. This program is part of our larger goal of reskilling 40,000 people in the US.

It is through the Transcend program that Randstad USA is helping the OneTen coalition place one million individuals from underserved communities into “family-sustaining” jobs. We are proud to be part of the coalition of companies working to improve hiring, retention, upskilling and advancement of African Americans without four-year degrees.

Inclusivity in the workplace is important for companies to facilitate as well. Randstad USA is fostering that by constantly engaging our employees through monthly anonymous surveys to ensure authentic feedback. This enables all employees to contribute, making us a workplace where everyone has a voice and differences are embraced and celebrated. Those surveys indicate that most employees feel accepted for who they are and feel valued as a part of our organization.

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The Importance of Online Accessibility to Organizations https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/the-importance-of-online-accessibility-to-organizations/ Mon, 04 Apr 2022 08:00:37 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9671 Diversity, equity and inclusion are not just buzzwords — they have the potential to transform workplaces, improve productivity and create a new candidate experience. One area that is often overlooked in theRead More...

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Diversity, equity and inclusion are not just buzzwords — they have the potential to transform workplaces, improve productivity and create a new candidate experience. One area that is often overlooked in the pursuit of DE&I is online accessibility.

Considering how much of our lives we spend online today, anyone who can’t easily access this world is at an immediately disadvantage. Therefore, online accessibility should be a basic human right. Unfortunately, there remain groups for whom accessibility of materials online is not assured, including those with a temporary, life-long or age-related disability, learning disabilities, cognitive problems, vision issues or language barriers. A lack of online access has a big impact on real life, whether that relates to paying bills or getting a job. Acknowledging this issue is an important start for organizations looking to recruit in a truly diverse and inclusive way.

Web accessibility is fundamental to the goal of a more diverse and inclusive workforce. It’s even more important today as recruitment has shifted considerably into the digital space, which is now where most organizations do their hiring, from discovering candidates to onboarding and interviews. A digital hiring journey has become a must since Covid-19, which has exacerbated the disability gap in recruitment.

The disability gap in recruitment. People with disabilities struggle in the recruitment process, especially when it is a largely digital experience. Only a third of job seekers think that recruiters and employers currently provide accessible job applications. This could be why disabled job seekers apply for 60% more jobs and almost 40% of disabled applicants feel anxious about the process because they think that their application will be instantly dismissed due to their disability. Inaccessible websites are making the disability gap worse in recruitment — 71% of users will leave a site they find hard to use and yet 98% of home pages still don’t comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

PREMIUM CONTENT: The Future of Candidate Evaluation: a New Paradigm

The benefits of a diverse talent pool. A diverse talent pool provides a richer and more innovative workforce for any business. Neurodiverse employees, for example, are often creative and strategic thinkers and a more diverse team broadens out perspectives to create room for more innovation and ideas generation. Being firm about equal opportunities creates a positive culture in the workplace, can boost morale and show customers how committed the business is. Plus, a more diverse workforce is able to accommodate a more diverse customer base and there is increasing evidence of links between better inclusion and greater profitability.

How can organizations support people online? There is no doubt that many organizations avoid web accessibility and inclusion issues, fearing that this will be expensive to implement. However, it’s important to note that the actual time and cost involved in implementing accessibility changes is fairly low. Beyond that, employers stand to gain in the long run — data has shown that employees with disabilities tend to stay with their employer longer and are likely to take less time off during their contract.

Implementing change means rethinking the internal view of candidates and employees with disabilities and looking at the ways an existing recruitment process may be creating obstacles. There are three key ways in which companies can support people online:

  1. Compliance. Ensuring that an online presence complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
  2. More inclusive web design. Factors to consider here include a content management system that is designed to support accessibility, using alt text for all images, using headings to structure content, ensuring online forms are accessible, giving descriptive names to all links.
  3. Assistive technology. For example, Recite Me has created a toolbar that enables users to customize and change colors and font sizes, apply a screen mask to color tint and block visual clutter and access text to speech functions in 35 languages — among many other things.

Web accessibility needs to be a priority for organizations focused on a genuinely inclusive and diverse workforce. Not only would it help lift barriers to obtaining information and taking action — but it would enable organizations to truly optimize recruitment. With so many advantages to having a more diverse and inclusive workforce, it makes sense to take all necessary steps to invest in accessibility from the start.

MORE: Placing potential over credentials

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Hiring? Try Placing Potential Over Credentials https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/hiring-try-placing-potential-over-credentials/ Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:00:36 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9661 What are employers committing to when they hire for potential? When an employer hires for potential, they are taking on candidates who may not have the necessary technical skills when they startRead More...

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What are employers committing to when they hire for potential? When an employer hires for potential, they are taking on candidates who may not have the necessary technical skills when they start but do possess the personal traits that make them a great fit for the organization. It could sound counterintuitive to some, but companies have to remember the labor market we are in has a tight supply of workers. And often times training someone who is the right cultural fit has many advantages.

This idea and its benefits came up during a panel discussion on DE&I at Executive Forum North America held earlier this month in Austin, Texas. Rather than hiring based on a stereotypical profile with a set list of skills, hiring based on potential could help bring nontraditional candidates from diverse backgrounds.

“Hire for potential; it’s more important than merit and your past experience,” said panelist DeLibra Wesley, founder and CEO of National Recruiting Consultants. “That’s the only way you’re really going to improve the metrics as far as DE&I goes because there’s just not a lot of minorities at the very top. So, in order to make effective changes with gender bias, minorities/BIPOC, we have to start looking at potential.”

The benefits of hiring for potential are seen across different segments, including IT.

“Many of the skills that are necessary to be effective in IT are very much learnable and can be taught on the job,” Arthur Hu, senior VP and chief information officer at Lenovo, said in an article in Computerworld. Hu also noted in the article that by sourcing candidates from nontraditional schools, “We can bring in some really great talent as well as increase our diversity at the same time.”

But employers may be unsure about hiring for potential. For example, an article by the US Chamber of Commerce said many hiring managers will hire a candidate who is overqualified for the position rather than invest in someone’s potential. But that may not be the right move. Hiring candidates with potential may result in workers who grow and provide more value in the long term.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Understanding the New Platform Environment

It might be time to give hiring for potential a chance. But what does the hiring process look like?

For starters, you’re hiring for fit within the organization. You’re looking for personality or character traits that tell you the candidate is someone who is willing to learn and grow with the organization, according to a blog post by Don Shapiro, an executive coach and author. Develop interview processes to identify people who are open to coaching and feedback, who are motivated to achieve results and change, and are problem solvers, for example. You can take those people and train them on specific skills that will help them get the job done.

But it does require employers to assess the candidate’s strengths and willingness to do the job before hiring. Done right, you have the people you need doing the jobs needed to be done. It’s a win-win for clients, the talent and staffing firms.

MORE: How to change deep-rooted diversity problems in tech

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How to Change Deep-Rooted Diversity Problems in Tech https://phoenixstaffingagency.net/how-to-change-deep-rooted-diversity-problems-in-tech/ Mon, 21 Mar 2022 15:30:38 +0000 http://www.thestaffingstream.com/?p=9649 Did you know that 77% of women have experienced a toxic work culture in the tech industry within the last five years? A recent Talent Works study found this to be theRead More...

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Did you know that 77% of women have experienced a toxic work culture in the tech industry within the last five years? A recent Talent Works study found this to be the case, with 21% revealing that they have experienced this frequently throughout their career.

As a talent attraction firm, we are often asked to help bring top diverse talent into our client’s organizations. We develop engaging employer brands and effective recruiting and digital attraction strategies to engage and recruit. However, it is what happens once they arrive that is just as important.

With this in mind, I’d like to discuss three ways tech businesses can start to make a change, removing deep rooted diversity issues from their company.

Healthy, Non-Toxic Culture. A toxic work culture is a big problem for any organization. Often it is characterized by bad communication, cliques, gossip and overwhelming levels of mistrust between colleagues and departments. Twenty-one percent of women claim to have experienced a dysfunctional culture frequently across the East Coast, but I’m sure we would see similar results across North America and beyond.

It takes time to shift these behaviors but focusing on the authentic positive and unique attributes of your business is something you can do today and share internally and externally in the form of a refreshed employer brand. Conducting research and listening to employees helps bring these issues to leadership and enables HR to show evidence of what needs to change to deliver the culture you need to grow successfully. Launching an employer value proposition, or EVP, is important for attracting new talent, but it’s equally important that your current employees agree with the messaging promoted externally.

Creating core values that are used during the hiring process and are continually communicated to existing employees will motivate and encourage unity within the business. It will also ensure that the candidates entering your organization are the best fit for your culture.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Contingent Workforce

The Pay Gap. Working women often see themselves as having many jobs outside the one they may promote on LinkedIn. Women need to feel supported and we found that 63% of women thought that fixing the gender pay gap was one way that businesses could help to promote diversity within the organization.

Positive steps have been taken by many organizations in recent years to address this, but the fact is that on average women are paid 17.7% less than men for the same amount of work. It is harder today to keep salaries and bonus structures confidential, so this is a concrete suggestion you should follow and need to follow legally in many markets.

Being transparent about what you pay employees is important to help everyone, especially women feel supported and empowered. Not only will it promote core business values that your company recognizes equal and fair pay to be important, but you are likely to see a reduction in staff turnover and a more efficient and productive team.

Start at the Top. There is no point in saying, “We want women to work here, and encourage more to join us,” if the demographic of your leadership effectively says the opposite. An overwhelming percentage of respondents said the responsibility to create organizational change lies at the top (69%). This we all know, and recognize its importance to act as a ripple effect throughout the business. Interestingly, 67% of respondents noted that they’d be more likely to join a tech startup if the business had women in leadership roles. We did this survey in the UK as well and the results were even higher with 73% of those sampled saying this was important.

Candidates research organizations they are considering a move to. Yes, you should have female representation throughout the business, but leadership roles stand out and make clear to all that this is important to the business. The application process is also crucial when it comes to women applying for roles. 65% of respondents claimed they could spot a toxic environment during the application process, which means your culture could be scaring off the talent before you’ve had a chance to convince them otherwise.

Ultimately, if there’s a will there’s a way. Organizations that genuinely care about their employees, prospective hires, and how people view them will choose to dismantle their dysfunctional work environments.

MORE:  Company Culture and the Great Resignation: What to know when hiring and retaining talenttalent

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