Karen Brownrigg, CHRL, CEC
Senior human resources leader and executive coach
Recruiting a diverse workforce begins with a deep analysis about how the behaviour of people and systems influence and impact the organization’s ability to establish an inclusive environment; one that respects individuals for their talents, skills and abilities to the benefit of the collective.
Having biases is human. How would your employees rate your organization on the meritocracy and inclusivity of your HR practices?
Despite our best intentions, when unconscious bias gets in the way, the outcome may not result in our desired impact of an inclusive workplace. The key to success is creating a safe process for an open dialogue across all levels and teams to better understand what people are unwilling or unable to report.
Successful recruitment programs take into consideration how the systems in the organization may include or exclude various groups based on the unconscious biases of the ‘insider groups’ that exist in every organization. Our belonging to an insider group can have a greater influence on our perspectives, experiences, and behaviours than if we were left to interpret situations from our individual perspectives. Understanding the various insider groups in an organization can shed light on how selective perceptions may result in placing a higher or lower value on screening criteria at the various stages of recruitment. These selective perceptions may also impact the decisions affecting the growth and development of employees throughout their tenure in the organization. At the organizational level, consider the impact insider groups are having on the organization’s culture, philanthropic activities, as well as customer outreach and support. It all starts by opening up the dialogue and inviting outsiders into your insider groups to creatively problem-solve around how best to be inclusive. From that open dialogue, diversity and inclusion will flourish.
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