By being diverse in your recruiting, you are widening the pool of candidates that you can tap into, therefore increasing the chance of sourcing the best possible candidates for the job. A diverse workforce will provide many different opinions and perspectives, ensuring that your organisational performance will be tip top!
Is the UK workforce diverse enough?
It is consistently reported that diversity is low on the list of priorities for leaders of organisations in the UK, compared to other HR issues. So how does the UK workforce look in terms of diversity?
1 in 8 employees in the UK are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups.
The Parker review recently concluded that just 1.5% of FTSE100 board directors were non-white.
In a policy exchange report published in March this year, the most diverse occupation in the UK was taxi driving and the least diverse was farming.
The figures don’t create a great picture, so the key is what we can do as recruiters to improve this image. We think there are some simple ways to ensure that you attract more diverse candidates, read on to find out how.
What employers say about diversity
A whitepaper by Robert Walters made the following observations about Diversity and Inclusion in recruitment:
85% of employers say that increasing diversity in their workforce is a priority
BUT….
46% of employers don’t have a programme in place to attract diverse employees
AND…
52% of employers don’t ask recruiters to provide a diverse shortlist
How can you, as a recruiter, build a diverse workforce?
- Encourage employee referrals – What better way is there to attract a more diverse workforce than using existing employees to rave about your business?
- Ensure that your company culture embraces diversity – A company culture that takes into account other cultures and religions and is sensitive to their needs and beliefs will attract a more diverse candidate pool.
- Be culturally sensitive when describing the perks of your business – It is important to realise that for some cultures, advertising a benefit such as ‘meet ups in the pub’ after work are not appealing and could be against their religion, so be more general in your advertising of perks. Advertising an on-site gym or a restaurant serving a range of different food choices would be better.
- Include examples of your business embracing diversity – By advertising how you celebrate diversity on your website and social media channels, you will instantly appeal to many more diverse candidates.
- Seek out job boards or publications that attract a more diverse readership – Look outside of the usual job boards and LinkedIn to attract more diverse candidates.
Why you should be recruiting for diversity
It is clear that the current levels of diversity in the UK workforce are low, but by following the steps we have outlined, you could attract a much more diverse range of candidates. Creating a diverse workforce will bring so much more in terms of opinion and experience to your business, so can you really afford to miss this opportunity?