In recent years, diversity and inclusion initiatives have taken center stage in the corporate world. Far more than a virtue signaling practice to prospective hires and industry elites, diversity and inclusion initiatives have been shown to elicit better results from employees and help build a positive company culture.
Getting up to speed in this department can require time and effort, however. No firm can become more inclusive overnight; it will take dedication and intentionality to develop and introduce initiatives that make a difference. Here are three tips for doing so.
Align the Management Team
You cannot expect your employees to buy into a mentality, thereby building a positive company culture around it, without the management setting the example. In executive and board member meetings, establish the firm priority of developing and implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives in the near term. Make it clear that these have become core values of the firm and should be treated as such.
Going forward, your supervisors should have diversity and inclusion in mind not only when giving keynote addresses, but throughout their daily work lives. Their communication with their team should reflect a renewed commitment to hear all reasonable voices and respect the opinions of others.
Establish Frameworks That Last
Cultivating true diversity and inclusion in your workplace will take more than a mental effort. It needs to be consistently reinforced by processes, workflows, and organization.
If you haven’t already, establish networking groups and career building platforms for marginalized groups. Plan events for subsets of your team, such as women, BIPOC and/or veterans to engage in relaxed but meaningful connection with one another. Promote the celebration of these identities through firmly established initiatives and scheduling.
Many firms are investing in diversity and inclusion initiatives by appointing a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) or other similarly titled position. By cementing your commitment to these ideals through the development of a new department, you pave the way for meaningful frameworks to persist over time.
Sustain It Through Inclusive Hiring Practices
The positive company culture you have built will adjust slightly with each new hire. To ensure that your ideals endure, you must implement inclusive hiring practices that align with your newly established goals.
Put your commitment into action by evaluating candidate resumes with names removed to avoid biases. Update your recruiting effort to include candidates from non-target schools and those with atypical backgrounds. True inclusion involves remaining open-minded to the unexpected and uncommon, so try to see each candidate for who they truly are as a person, not as a data point in the application pool.
By combining these strategies, you will set up your firm to realign under a more diverse and inclusive culture, and sustain it for years to come.
Invest in Inclusive Hiring Practices with Turn2Partners
Crafting the legacy you want for your business starts with finding the right people – the right way. At Turn2Partners, we’re dedicated to providing a fully customized search process that puts your firm’s priorities first. By getting to know your management team and core values, we source candidates who will fit in with your company culture and be a positive addition to it. In an ever-changing job market, work with a search partner who understands the hiring landscape and has your best interest at heart. We’d love to help build your vision – get in touch with a team member to get started.