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Increasing Diversity in the Workplace

Having a diverse workforce that is representative of the population, including different races, nationalities, ages, gender identities, education levels, is so important for companies’ overall success. Not only does it ensure you are providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for employees, but it also helps give you a competitive edge by having more perspectives to help with decision-making and idea generation. Learn more about the steps you can take for increasing diversity in the workplace:

Ensure Your Workplace Policies Are Inclusive

Verify that your organization’s commitment to diversity is reflected in its official policies. Review your current workplace policies to ensure they are inclusive, such as paid time off for observation of all religious holidays and zero tolerance for discrimination.

Be More Open-Minded on Qualifications

When you’re writing job postings, avoid getting too specific on the requirements for the position, otherwise you could be having a more diverse pool of candidates who are self-selecting out of applying. Prioritize the skills and experience that are an absolute must, but otherwise be more open-minded on qualifications so you can naturally attract different populations.

Take Steps to Reduce Bias in Hiring

Even with a commitment to increasing diversity, hiring managers are likely to have unconscious bias, in which they are inadvertently making their decisions based on factors that don’t necessarily coincide with a candidate’s ability to succeed in the role. A common unconscious bias is simply being more drawn to people who are similar to oneself, which is counterproductive to diversity. Take steps to reduce bias in hiring, such as having set evaluation criteria or skills assessments to avoid going off “gut feelings.”

Make It Part of Your Employer Brand

If you want to build a diverse workforce, a wide range of demographics first and foremost must feel comfortable at the idea of working for your company. Make diversity a core objective that you highlight as a major focus of your employer brand. Ensure that any photos on your company’s website accurately represent a variety of populations and include explanations about your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion on your social media profiles and within your job descriptions.

Offer Diversity Training

Often companies run into the issue of successful diversity when it comes to hiring, but not for retention. To reduce turnover among employees, offer diversity training as a resource to your management team. This can help educate them to ensure they are providing a welcoming environment in which employees across all demographics feel comfortable.

Attract Top Talent

Expand your candidate pool and get access to a wider array of prospects with IFG. We provide accounting and finance staffing solutions to clients throughout Canada and the U.S. Our team of experts is dedicated to understanding our clients’ needs and strategically evaluating candidates to find the best matches. Contact us to learn more about our recruiting services.