25 Jun How Can Companies Improve Their DEI Recruiting Process?

At Scion Staffing, one of our core values is the belief that every level of our organization should operate with a strong lens for diversity, equity, and inclusion, also known as DEI. We firmly believe that diverse teams are much more than a strength, but rather are essential for overall success. This spans across our staffing and recruiting services, as well as our executive search services, but especially within our internal staff and leadership team. We don’t just promote these values throughout our firm and our partnerships we create with our clients, we practice them at every level as well.

Six months ago, we produced a blog explaining the impact that DEI had on Scion in 2021 and what it could bring for 2022. In that piece, we spoke with the co-chair of the Scion Staffing DEI committee, Cheryl Nantang about the impact and what the outlook for the future would be for 2022 and beyond. In this article, Cheryl returns to give some insight to current DEI trends and how companies and organizations alike can improve their recruiting and hiring process to build more diverse teams and keep their word on being a more equitable and inclusive workplace for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or racial and ethnic backgrounds.

What is DEI?

We visited this in our previous article, but here is a short refresher on what DEI stands for and what it means for the recruiting and staffing world. DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It recognizes the value of diverse voices, as well as focuses on inclusivity and employee wellbeing as the most critical parts of a business’ success. In order for these values to be taken seriously and brought to life, companies must implement programs, as well as initiatives that make their offices more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The definition of each of these is as follows:

• Diversity:The presence of differences within a given setting. In the workplace, specifically, that means differences in race, gender, ethnicity, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class.
• Equity:The act of ensuring that processes and programs are impartial, fair and provide equal outcomes for every individual.
• Inclusion:The practice of ensuring that people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace. It should mean that every employee feels comfortable and supported by the organization when it comes to being their authentic self.

DEI Trends by the Numbers

Before we get into our conversation with Scion’s DEI committee co-chair Cheryl Nantang, there are some key trends in the DEI landscape to address. According to a report by Culture Amp, companies do value DEI, but they aren’t investing enough resources at the right levels to drive significant change.

According to the report, only 34% of those surveyed said that their organization had sufficient enough resources to support their DEI initiatives.

However, 85% agreed that their company was building a diverse and inclusive culture. This is a sign that while companies may be behind on allocating resources to support DEI within their organization, they are doing a better job at building up their diversity and building a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture.

How can companies continue to improve their workplace culture and recruit more diverse employees?

Why is DEI Recruitment Important for Employers?

Cheryl Nantang: Representation truly matters. DEI is vital for organizational innovation, and it has been proven that diverse companies have more financially successful than those that are not and provide greater retention. It is also shown to be conducive to higher employee performance and engagement and it greatly impacts a company’s recruiting efforts, and overall reputation. It’s important that employees feel a sense of belonging.

What are the Latest Trends in DEI Recruitment?

CN: We have seen shifts in incorporating diversity in hiring goals and strategies for organizations. They have taken time to look inward and set goals around diversity. The end goal of DEI recruitment is to ultimately have a diverse workforce, but in order to do this, you need to be able to attract diverse candidates. Showing that DEI is important to the organization is important, as candidates are more apt to engage with organizations that have proven to take DEI seriously. A specified statement that relates to your brand, values and mission is an incredible to convey goals to clients, employees and attract candidates. It needs to show that DEI is more than a box we check off.

Is it Important for Organizations to Reassess and Review Their DEI Strategies for Success?

CN: It’s important for companies and organizations to refine their DEI strategies internally to ensure success. Organizations that regularly review their strategies and programs help make their DEI efforts more effective for employees and candidates.

Is Remote Work Helping Organizations Hire More Diverse Candidates?

CN: Remote work allows organizations to hire a more diverse workforce. Limiting search to local demographic can narrow your search and decrease diversity. Allowing for a remote workforce can widen the talent pool by reaching beyond the limited geographic range. Remote work also helps marginalized groups feel a greater sense of safety and allows those with caregiving responsibilities flexibility.

What are Five Steps Organizations Can Take to Improve Their DEI Recruitment Process?

CN: There are five big steps that organizations can take to improve their recruiting process to better reflect these values. They are:

• Revamping job descriptions and expand on minimum qualifications, emphasize abilities, and apply inclusive language that is inviting to all.
• Assessing the interview process and remove probable methods that could put bias in the process.
• Diversifying the recruitment process to see what can be changed to bring in a more diverse pool of candidates.
• Reassessing remote work if it is not already offered.
• Look at and review onboarding processes to include a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive lens.

Scion Staffing Prioritizes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Scion Staffing recognizes diversity, equity, and inclusion as one of its core values at every level of our organization. From our internal and external recruiting process to our partnerships with clients, we make sure that our candidates, clients, leaders, and employees share these same values. To learn more about these values, please visit the website of our DEI consultant, SPARK, and find out what prioritizing DEI might do to help improve your own organization and workplace culture! Learn more about Scion’s mission and core values and how we implement them into our world-class recruiting and staffing services here.