The Inclusive Hiring Digest - Bite Sized

How do you measure the inclusivity of your recruiting efforts?

This is a big question and not the easiest one to answer.

Let's start with what does a fully inclusive recruitment look like?

A fully inclusive recruitment process is;

• Free of bias
• Free of discrimination
• Attracts and broad and representative talent pool
• Has a representative hiring team with diverse perspectives
• Enables candidates to progress through any recruitment process unimpeded by any aspect of their identity
• If fair, consistent and structured
• Is accessible at every stage with adjustments, accommodations and support for those who need it
• Values and celebrates difference, hiring for add-over fit

That is a lot to achieve and a fair amount to measure. Your candidate diversity demographic data, collected and reported correctly, will answer some of these metrics for you. However, most companies aren't maximising the potential of their candidate diversity data. At Balance we observe companies consistently making some of the same mistakes with their candidate data and missing out on the opportunity to track inclusion within their recruitment practices effectively.

Seven common mistakes made with candidate diversity demographic data

Its not surprising that many companies find the candidate diversity data topic a challenge. There's a shocking lack of clear guidance out there and many companies have natural concerns around compliance as well as wanting to send the right message to candidates.

For great insight into how to get this right, check out this insightful guide from our partners and friends at Diversely.io

The other subject we've been thinking about this week is Referral Schemes.

Did you know several top-tier consulting firms still operate generous employee referral schemes?

These are the same firms with significant public Diversity and Inclusion commitments.

Many are paying up to ￡5.000 per employee referral which is a pretty big incentive for existing employees to dig into their Rolodex of friends and former colleagues.

But, quite a few companies have stopped their referral schemes; why? Probably because people tend to refer people like themselves, which can harm becoming a diverse and representative workforce.

But is cancelling the referral scheme the answer? Maybe not, and in many cases, it won't happen.

Employee referral schemes are known to result in very efficient hiring and can be a great way to reward employees for their efforts in helping to bring talent into the company. Turning your employees into your recruiting force in marketplaces where talent is in short supply is just good business.

Here are just a few thoughts from us on how employers can ensure the referral scheme isn't working against DE&I efforts

1?? Find out! Track the diversity demographics of your referrals in the same way you would any other candidate and analyse and report on whether your referral scheme is bringing you a homogeneous talent pool.

2?? Anonymise the source of the candidate. Although it’s tempting to let the interview team/hiring manager know that the candidate is a referral accompanied by a glowing reference, this will promote confirmation bias and likely lead to inconsistencies in assessment.

3?? The more successful your referral scheme, the more critical it is that your employees know the company's authentic mission around DE&I and how you seek to improve representation and reflect the communities you serve.

4?? Broaden the definition of a referral and how you communicate the scheme across your business. Move the narrative from “we want to hire your mates” to “help us build a representative workforce”. Most companies struggle with representation at the most senior level, which is usually where referral schemes are most successful. Make it clear that a ‘referral’ can also be a ‘lead’ and that the business will fairly and inclusively vet anyone sent their way.

5?? Cap the number of referrals one employee can make in a given period. This can help to avoid 'referral concentration' where high volumes of referrals come from one or a few employees?

In other news, we are almost ready to launch our E-learning platform Inclusive Recruitment Foundations.

In partnership with our friends at DiversityInRecruitment we have created a five step e-learning on-demand recruiter training programme.

Launching on May 2nd this programme is

• ?A five step e-learning on-demand recruiter training programme
• Exclusively designed for early career recruiters in their formative years
• Focused on the principles of inclusive, accessible & equitable recruitment
• Super interactive, engaging, simple & understandable
• Financially accessible & perfect for larger recruiter populations

For more info contact Jennie Child

For access to more inclusive recruitment resources visit Balance