Make It Easy to Learn More About Your DEI Initiatives
Before you even speak to a candidate during a job interview, they should be able to easily learn more about your company’s commitment to DEI. You can make this information easy to access by including it on your website’s about page or another key page of your website.
Posting this information on your website serves a few purposes. Not only can it make your business more appealing to prospective hires, but it sends a message to your customers as well about your businesses’ values. Posting information about your commitment to DEI can also force you to sit down and write out your policies clearly.
Create Inclusive Job Postings
A job posting is the first impression a potential applicant gets of a company. To help get off on the right foot, include inclusive language in your job postings. Avoid using gendered pronouns and words like “chairman” that feel exclusionary.
You can also include information about your DEI policies in your job postings in the area where you talk about what your company has to offer employees. Don’t be afraid to get specific here, you can add as many details about your company’s current DEI initiatives that you feel comfortable sharing. You can also add links to the job posting that point applicants in the right direction of where they can learn more about your company’s values and culture.
Have a Blind Hiring Process
Blind hiring is becoming more and more popular these days and for good reason. When you kick off a blind hiring process you ignore factors like the person’s name, where they live, and what school they attended. Removing some of these details from the initial review process can help eliminate bias from the hiring process. This is especially helpful for avoiding unconscious bias as you only have the applicant’s employment history to take into consideration.
As a bonus, showing a commitment to avoiding bias by going through the steps to create a blind hiring process can put a candidate’s mind at ease that your company is practicing good DEI habits and is truly committed to what they preach.
Prep Hiring Managers
Before any of your employees conduct a job interview, you should train them on how to relay important information about your company’s DEI policies during an interview. Questions surrounding DEI may throw someone who hasn’t spoken about your company’s initiatives before for a loop and can make them flustered. This poses a risk that they won’t walk the candidate through your company’s DEI initiatives properly. To help them prepare for the interview process, walk them through the highlights of your program as well as what your company’s stance on diversity and inclusion are.
Build a Strong Company Culture
Word gets around. Between their own network, research, and conversations with members of your staff, candidates can quickly get a feel for how committed your company is to DEI. Having strong DEI initiatives in place can’t just be for show. You need to practice what you preach to foster an environment where employees feel like DEI is actually valued.
Creating a company culture where all employees from many different backgrounds feel safe and appreciated will help foster a workplace culture that keeps them happy, healthy, and ready to do their best work.
Another way to improve your company culture is to take employee feedback about DEI seriously. Give them a clear cut method for safely reporting any DEI concerns and make sure they aren’t penalized for expressing any issues they’re having in regards to DEI in the workplace.
News travels fast—now more than ever thanks to career social media platforms and company review sites. It’s so easy to hear first hand from an employee if a company doesn’t put their money where their mouth is when it comes to DEI. Practicing what you preach will help create a better company culture that can help attract top talent who are serious about finding a good long term fit for their careers.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an opinion on any issue. It should not be regarded as comprehensive or a substitute for professional advice.