The Inclusive Hiring Digest

This month's digest is dedicated to Racial Equity within the context of inclusive recruitment, and we have handed the MIC and platform to our friend Chelsea A. Jackson - The Equity Architect

Photo Credit. Hope Sandati. Clear Shots Photography Clear Shots Photography

I am Chelsea A Jackson.

A political scientist who builds impact-driven institutions, programs, and projects designed to address systemic problems generated by white supremacy.

In short, I'm an equity architect, helping knock down old foundations, encourage introspection, and create joyously equitable outcomes for Black and marginalised communities.

As an anti-racism and racial equity professional,?I have supported universities, multinational corporations, businesses, charities, and activist and social groups in the US and UK.

An abolitionist and writer, I am a co-author of Brick by Brick: How we Build a world without prisons ; a political scientist and academic, my research on racial and ethnic politics has been presented at the American Political Science Association and National Conference of Black Political Scientists.

I received my postgraduate training at Emory University, and then at the University of Oxford with a MSc in Criminology and M Public Policy as a Rhodes Scholar

The Justice Bubble Chelsea A Jackson

Racial Equity in the UK today

We would all agree that all human beings are equal, regardless of their skin tone or ethnic background. However, the reality is that people of African descent still face racism, discrimination, and exclusion globally. In short, Modern Britain is still shaped by racial inequality– unequal access to resources and opportunities for people according to their racial background.

Across the UK, Black people are consistently underrepresented across industries and in senior-level management.

The 2021 Green Park Business Leaders Index reported that - not one of the FTSE 100 companies has a Black chief executive.?

So what does Racial inequality look like in the UK recruitment industry beyond a lack of representation?

• Black people from Caribbean (71%) and African (67%) backgrounds are more likely to use a recruitment agency but less likely to believe that they are being treated fairly (34%).
• In contrast, White people are less likely to use a recruitment agency (47%) but are more likely to believe they are treated fairly (49%) (Race At Work 2021: The Scorecard Report)?

These disparities in the perception of ‘recruitment agency’ treatment by ethnic groups have existed since 2015. The recruitment industry, employers and government need to tackle this head-on to shift these experiences.

Once candidates are placed into roles, they still face racial inequality.?

Research from the TUC 2022: Racism in the UK Labor Market found that Black workers are?

• More likely to be disciplined?
• More likely to have low scores on performance appraisals?
• More likely to be given the more challenging and less popular tasks?
• More likely to be unfairly criticised?
• More likely to suffer harassment or violence?
• More likely to be bullied
• Less likely to get access to training
• Less likely to be given development opportunities or be allowed to act up to a senior level?
• Less likely to get access to promotion

All images by @lunchbreath based on Shel Silverstein’s Giving Tree

The collective responsibility of the recruitment industry to drive racial-equity progress is significant - yet huge systemic challenges are preventing real change.?

The UK recruitment industry has almost no entry barriers and minimal regulation. Many provide services on a contingency basis earning fees only once they have placed candidates into a role.?

These factors contribute to massive industry growth, with thousands of new recruitment businesses registered annually.?

• There are nearly 40,000 recruitment businesses in the UK, employing over 110,000 professionals.
• In 2021 alone, over 6000 new recruitment businesses registered.?
• In 2019, agencies placed more than one million permanent placements.?

The industry also has over-representation challenges, with the 2021 REC Diversity & Inclusion index indicating that approximately;

77% of the recruitment industry workforce is white British

Racial equity and improving racial representation are on the radar of most employers and their recruitment partners; I see several Key Themes preventing progress.

This month's digest will address why some of these themes exist and identify potential solutions.?

Briefing a recruiter to find “Diverse candidates” is a common request from employers and hiring managers - however, it is problematic for several reasons.

• This term dehumanises candidates, reducing them to one element of their intersectional identity.
• The term 'Diverse' is usually a code phrase for something that both sides would prefer to avoid discussing openly.
• It absolves the recruiter and hiring manager of accountability towards an inclusive and bias-free hiring process.
• It can encourage tokenism and a performative approach to addressing under-representation.
• It places a disproportionate expectation on the individual coming into the role.?“Diverse” hires are expected to be EXTRAordinary, and the support to ensure they thrive is usually lacking.

People are not diverse. Groups, cultures, and organisations can be.

Black and Asian candidates have to send 60% more job applications than their white counterparts.

Based on a report from the Centre for Social Investigation at Nuffield College

Inclusive hiring recognises the humanity and intersectionality of a person.??

• It also recognises historically marginalised groups have unique barriers and structural disadvantages.
• It creates and implements solutions to disrupt biases and make the hiring process equitable.

Whether we like hearing it or not, this assumption is linked to white supremacy.?

It suggests that candidates from under-represented backgrounds somehow need fixing. But it is the biases and barriers that need to be fixed.

Diversifying the talent pool is not about lowering the bar; it's about?widening the gate.

Here are some practical tips and solutions to driving positive action

Don't

Use the term?‘Diverse Candidate’.

Do

All get on the same page as to what you mean by diverse and challenge others to do the same. Encourage open conversations about under-representation and over-representation rather than code words that can lead to tokenistic hiring.

Don't

Window dress with your DEI policies.

Do

Support your clients to ask themselves what evidence do we have, or do we need to gather, to establish if tokenism is an issue that is hurting us as an employer?

Don't

Offer your employees one-off training on unconscious bias and expect things to change.

Do

Invest in ongoing education on the topics of white privilege and anti-racism.

Don't

Rely purely on informal and intuitive-based interviewing techniques.

Do

Focus on Culture Add versus Culture Fit when interviewing.

Don't

Assume things are improving because programmes and initiatives are in place.

Do

Relentlessly (and compliantly) track the diversity demographics of your candidate and hiring pool to understand how bias and barriers are impacting Black candidates and whether you are really moving the dial.

Don't

Assume you need to be an expert in the Black experience.

Do

Prioritise the voices and experiences of Black talent in the recruitment process.

Don't

Falsely assure candidates a company is diverse or anti-racist.

Do

Encourage talent to ask about racial equity initiatives in their interview.

Employers

Here are three questions you should be able to answer when briefing your recruiters.

Recruiters

Here are three questions you can ask your clients.

1. Tell me about what your organisation is doing to bridge the representation gap.?
2. Do you have an ethnicity pay gap?
3. How is your retention for black employees?

Photo Credit. Hope Sandati. Clear Shots Photography Clear Shots Photography