What are some best practices for hiring and retaining diverse talent?

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before you start hiring and retaining diverse talent, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you will measure your progress. You need to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that align with your business strategy, values, and mission. For example, you may want to increase the representation of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, or people with disabilities in your leadership team, or in certain departments or roles. You also need to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you track and evaluate your diversity and inclusion efforts, such as the diversity of your applicant pool, your hiring rate, your turnover rate, your employee satisfaction, or your customer feedback.

3 Create a culture of belonging

Hiring diverse talent is not enough if you want to retain them and help them thrive in your organization. You need to create a culture of belonging, where every employee feels valued, respected, and included, and where they can express their authentic selves and contribute to your shared vision. You need to foster a culture of belonging by promoting open communication, feedback, and recognition, by providing mentoring, coaching, and learning opportunities, by supporting employee resource groups and networks, by celebrating diversity and inclusion events and initiatives, and by addressing any issues or conflicts that may arise.

4 Align your actions with your values

Diversity and inclusion are not just words or policies, but actions and behaviors that demonstrate your commitment and accountability. You need to align your actions with your values by integrating diversity and inclusion into your core business processes, such as your product development, your marketing, your customer service, or your supply chain. You also need to align your actions with your values by engaging with your stakeholders, such as your customers, your partners, your investors, or your community, and by showing them how you support diversity and inclusion in your social and environmental impact.

5 Evaluate and improve your practices

Diversity and inclusion are not static or one-time goals, but dynamic and ongoing processes that require constant evaluation and improvement. You need to evaluate and improve your practices by collecting and analyzing data on your diversity and inclusion metrics, by soliciting and listening to feedback from your employees and stakeholders, by identifying and addressing any challenges or gaps, and by celebrating and sharing your successes and best practices. You also need to evaluate and improve your practices by staying updated on the latest trends, research, and best practices in diversity and inclusion, by learning from other organizations and experts, and by adapting to the changing needs and expectations of your workforce and society.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?