diversity & inclusion – Page 3

5 powerful reasons why your company should embrace diversity and inclusion

Posted on April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 by naveen

Diversity and inclusion are now guiding principles of the modern workforce. However, in some regions of the world, talent and employment discrimination is still an unfortunate reality. People of color, for instance, face workplace disparities such as lower hiring rates, unequal pay, deprivation from leadership roles, and negative work experiences. Many leading enterprises are now making conscious changes to all aspects of their functioning to combat this.

Companies like Sodexo, Mastercard, Lenovo, Johnson & Johnson, and L’Oreal are exemplars that have initiated diversity and inclusion in their talent strategy. In fact, more than 80% of CEOs whose companies employ diversity and inclusion strategies strongly advocate for such policies. They believe it enhances business performance and in truth, it does!

There’s a simple reason for this, and it is that diversity uncaps limitations. When companies embrace diversity and inclusion (D&I), they find the best talent, boost employee engagement, and even see better sales figures due to heightened public perception. A diverse culture is in a better position to innovate for a range of communities too.

For a better understanding of D&I in the workplace, its importance, and why adopting it in your business strategy is the right thing to do, read on.

What is D&I in the workplace?

Diversity in a workplace is a staffing endeavour that focuses on hiring across backgrounds. It means having employees of different cultures, genders, races, religions, ethnicities, belief systems, and more. Inclusion, on the other hand, refers to creating a safe, valued, respectful, fair, and supportive working environment for every employee.

D&I together empower employees to work irrespective of identity, background, or circumstances. Both the aspects of diversity and inclusion are equally important, and approaching them separately isn’t as effective. Diversity in an organization without inclusion can lead to toxic work culture. And inclusion without diversity is a tell-tale sign of impending stagnation, be it from the creative or the innovative outlook.

Why do companies need a D&I strategy?

The millennial employee prizes fairness and ethical morals in the workplace. Over 80% of millennials carefully consider employment policies of diversity, equality, and inclusion before taking a job. Companies can’t afford to ignore this requirement, especially if they’re looking to tap into the best of the generation. Other reasons why D&I is a must-have are:

Improves business performance

Businesses that focus on diversity and inclusion are 35% more likely to outperform competitors by earning higher profits, as per a 2020 study. Another report by BCG found that diverse companies earn 19% higher revenue and have 70% more possibilities of capturing new markets. This points to obvious performance gains that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Improves employee well-being and reduces turnover

When an employee feels included, their engagement improves, and they are more likely to go the extra mile. An inclusive work environment also makes employees feel valued. This builds trust and fosters the right type of associations with brand culture. With increased job satisfaction, turnover reduces, effectively retaining quality talent and minimizing overheads.

Increases productivity and innovation

About 83% of millennials get more actively engaged in work when their organization supports D&I initiatives. Inclusion within a diversified team can boost productivity by 35% when encouraged to think outside the box and be innovative, and a Deloitte report confirms that it yields results. According to findings, D&I boosts innovation by 20%. This may also lend itself to the fact that diverse teams are 60% more effective at decision-making.

Grants access to a larger pool of talent

As per a Glassdoor survey, 89% of black people, 80% of Asians, 72% of women, 70% of Latinos, and a significant majority of white respondents deemed the workforce diversity as crucial. Diversifying your workforce expands your talent pool and attracts more talented and qualified candidates, who bring new skills and perspectives to work.

How to achieve diversity and inclusion?

Although there may be roadblocks in inculcating D&I policies seamlessly in business strategy, it is not impossible. Here are a few tried, tested, and approved approaches.

Educate and involve top leaders towards D&I efforts
Structure an inclusion committee and promote learning
Honor global events and occasions for inclusion
Communicate and act on feedback
Follow fair recruitment and workplace equality practices

Navigating the nuances of D&I is no simple task, but it is well worth the effort. Companies looking to create this environment should embrace modern solutions, among which is to approach a trusted talent hub. To access the best talent from around the globe, and to find individuals ready to dedicate to growth, partner with Talent500.

Feature among the enterprises and Fortune 500s that trust us in managing and scaling their teams, be it remote or via the EOR model. Our pre-assessment tests and Intelligent AI fit tool matches candidates across various parameters and help you get the best-fit profiles for every opportunity. To leverage the best in the industry, schedule a free consultation today.

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Strategies to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring

Posted on April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 by naveen

Companies with diversity in the workforce are more likely to be profitable in the long haul. Most recruiters and managers accept the fact that diverse teams help companies be more innovative and creative. According to a McKinsey study, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile—up from 21% in 2017 and 15% in 2014.

There are no surprises here, it has been well researched and well experienced too – diversity and inclusion improve an organization’s overall performance. As distributed working is becoming the new normal, it is easier than ever before to add diversity to your teams. The main reason there’s so much conversation around the need for organizations to have a strong DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiative is because, apart from improving overall production, it adds richness to an organization’s culture.

In this article, we will explore some strategies to help you build more diverse teams.

What is diversity recruiting?

Workplace diversity is an indication of openness that your company has. It is a positive cue that presents your employer brand as friendly and embracing, one that supports individuals of color, race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and physical disability.

Diversity recruiting, simply put, is the practice of a transparent recruitment process, free from biases for or against any candidate. It is merit-based recruitment that aims to hire the best candidate giving all applicants an equal opportunity irrespective of their background. Creating a diverse workforce enables organizations to understand and meet the needs of employees from diverse perspectives, and enables an atmosphere that supports positive and safe relationships, and communications.

Why is having a DEI recruiting strategy important?

Consider this:

According to Deloitte, diversity of thinking produces creativity, enhancing innovation by 20%.
Diverse teams are 70% more likely to capture new markets and are 87% better at making decisions.
According to Boston Consulting Group, companies with diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues.
Such companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in the markets they compete in.
85% of CEOs agree that hiring a diverse workforce has helped their companies improve the bottom lines.
76% of job seekers now look for companies that have diversity in their workforce.

But how can organizations ensure that they are doing the right things to attract and hire diverse team members? A diversity recruitment strategy needs to be well defined. It needs to look into the goals, accountabilities, action items, and success measures for attracting, engaging, assessing and hiring diverse talent with the aim of driving an organization’s business success.

Here are some of the key steps to include in the DEI recruitment strategy.

Audit job ads

An important step in including diversity in the hiring process is to audit the job ads that the organization posts. Incorporating more inclusive words in the language used becomes critical, it needs to consider a broader community of candidates. It’s imperative that managers review each posting to ensure that it is not gender-coded or doesn’t unintentionally use discriminatory language. Organizations would also benefit from adding a powerful statement about the company’s commitment to DIE initiatives.

Encourage diverse candidate referrals

Employee referrals are known to be one of the most efficient ways of hiring. U.S. companies hire 29% of their workforce through referrals. At companies like Ernst & Young, referrals can account for up to 45% of non-entry level hires.

When you are looking to hire someone from a more specific demographic, a good strategy might be to reach out to employees who fall into the same/similar demographics. Encourage them to promote and share job ads within their network. Make all tools available that they will require to showcase how your company values different backgrounds and cultures. This will also make your employees feel more included and valued benefiting overall team morale and engagement.

Develop an employer brand that supports diversity

The organization’s employer brand is the single most effective tool to attract diverse talent without much effort. When organizations create an employer brand that reflects their values and shows their respect towards all, there is an organic resurgence of diverse candidates.

To develop an employer brand, having open conversations about the importance and benefits of diversity with teams, seeking and incorporating (if relevant) their feedback will make it more genuine and impactful. This will help in building a brand that truly values diversity.

Target sources where diverse candidates hangout

Another way to maintain a diverse workforce is to hire candidates from a variety of different places. By relying on the same sources to hire a candidate, it will lead to a limited or fixed pool of talent. This is why organizations need to explore more sources to get access to a diverse talent pool and build diversity in the workforce.

It is easier to seek out candidates with diverse backgrounds when organizations know where to look. For example, there are many online forums and groups where women in technology hang out. Such sources can be great to meet with high-caliber talent for women-tech roles. Such a proactive approach helps organizations minimize the duration of the hiring process, since this process is more proactive, rather than waiting for them to find you.

Create policies that support diverse candidates

It is easy for organizations to claim they have diverse recruiting strategies in place to build competitive teams, but do little to actually ensure that diversity is truly embraced in the workplace. Creating and implementing company policies that hire and nurture diversity among candidates, and take care of their considerations and needs, and protect their best interests once they become employees is what makes all the difference.

Introducing flexible work hours such that candidates can continue to be involved with their communities is an example of an inclusive policy. When employees are forced to conform to a cookie-cutter schedule, it could very well hinder their freedom to be their whole selves. When organizations have such policies in place, it becomes easier to incorporate and promote it during the recruitment process to let candidates know that their diversity is respected.

Use blind resumes

This is an increasingly popular technique used by recruiters to remove bias from the screening process. It entails blacking out any personal information such as name, school, gender, specific locations, etc. on a resume such that there is no factor available that can cause discrimination. This will ensure that recruiters are not subconsciously biased towards certain candidates over others. It is even more important when hiring women for tech roles.

Diverse recruiting is about hiring the best candidate for the role, regardless of their background but it does require effort to create such an environment. These strategies will get you started with the process of improving diversity and inclusion in your company.

Talent500 is a platform for hiring diverse and skilled talent from across 50 countries. We help you build global teams by connecting you with the best talent. Request a consultation today to know more.

Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the modern workforce: learning from 5 tech giants

Posted on March 9, 2022March 9, 2022 by naveen

Every day, we hear about instances of racism, sexism, and slavery, all of which are profoundly prevalent in today’s world. What we don’t hear enough is the word “ableism.” Sadly, it exists, but is not given the importance it deserves. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) constitute the most significant minority in the world. According to the WHO, persons with disabilities represent approximately 15 percent of the world’s population. 80% of this population resides in developing countries such as India, Pakistan, and the Far East.

A disability can happen to anyone from birth, due to a medical condition, or an accident later in life. Therefore, assistive technologies and disability supports, which help integrate people into the labor force, are of massive importance.

In this piece, we discuss the the strategies and best practices adopted by some global technology giants to create a more inclusive environment for their workforces, and the state of general diversity of the modern workforce:

Microsoft

As a company, Microsoft takes a multidimensional approach and delivers well on its promise of inclusivity:

Creating opportunities: Microsoft Real Estate and Facilities (RE&F) partners with employment agencies and vendors globally to create jobs for PWDs within their company. This includes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
Guarding against bias: Their recruiting teams are trained for accommodations, disability etiquette, and supportive expectations.
Expanding the talent pool: The Microsoft Autism Hiring Program reaches out to people within the Autism spectrum and supports them throughout their interviews and jobs. For example, all interview centers are equipped with increased accessibility in terms of accommodating reserved seating, personal attendants, service animals, open captioning, sign language, wheelchair/scooter rentals etc. All interviewees receive ADA housing accommodations. The company also organises Microsoft Ability Hiring Events where PWDs can appear in a one-day interview process.

APPLE

Apple has always been highly flexible when it comes to the needs of its employees with disabilities. According to Barbara Whye, Apple’s VP for D&I, “Inclusion and diversity are cornerstones of the global Apple community. We’re proud of the foundation we’ve built, and we’re clear-eyed about the challenges that remain. Together, we’re committed to continuing this journey with humility and resolve.”

Here are some steps that the one of the world’s most popular companies takes towards inclusivity:

Increasing access: Apple is dedicated to providing reasonable accommodation to job applicants and employees, consequently increasing accessibility for all persons with disabilities in its application process.
Creating awareness: Apple trains all its employees on inclusion, accessibility and human rights upon hiring. This training is an ongoing process throughout the year to ensure an inclusive work culture at a company wide level.
Incorporating feedback: The company understands that the process of inclusion is one that is constantly evolving, and gives due weightage to the experience and feedback from its employees in terms of their limitations and needs.

ACCENTURE

Accenture is a Fortune 500 company that has repeatedly proved itself to be a global leader in accessibility and inclusivity practices. In the words of Sanjay Dawar (MD, Capability and Global Network Strategy, Accenture),

“When we eliminate the barriers to socio-economic inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, we create a safe environment where everyone feels they belong.”

Here’s a list of things that Accenture is doing right:

Increasing access: As the first step, the company tackled the issue of accessibility by creating an IT accessibility program aimed at making 100% of the company’s technologies compliant with global accessibility standards. Accenture is also funding research to raise awareness and educate other companies about the value of accessibility.
Enablement via the right tools: Accenture has opened a world of possibilities for persons with disabilities by ensuring that they have access to all the tools they require during their workday. From training using captions and sign language interpreters to helping its employees upskill, the company believes in truly investing in its workforce.
Creating awareness: Whether it is through their website, publications or research – like this study in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities, Accenture has constantly championed the cause of disability inclusion.

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC

Boston Scientific scored a perfect 100 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI) in 2021 for the sixth consecutive year. The company understands that achieving excellence requires tapping the untapped talent pool of differently-abled persons and managing workforce diversity.

Here are some concrete steps that Boston Scientific has been taken to ensure its perfect DEI score:

Employment partnerships: Boston Scientific is a member of the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN), dedicated to workplace inclusion. This partnership has led to improved comprehension of over 500 regulatory requirements on how to enhance PWDs inclusion in the workplace and at the same time find talent through sourcing partners.

Expanding the talent pool: Boston Scientific partners with various disability services for students with disabilities on university campuses, where they actively recruit talent for their organization.

Reasonable accommodation: The company’s efforts towards inclusion also reflect in its ready access to reasonable accommodations for employees and applicants.

BOEING

“I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams I would be where I am today. I want to represent to other Muslim women who want to be engineers someday that this is something they can do too,”

says Zina Alnoor, Electrical Systems Design Engineer, The Boeing Company. Boeing has made the inclusion of people with disabilities an essential part of company culture. Boeing is a part of “The Valuable 500”, a global campaign to put disability at the forefront of corporate priorities worldwide. The company has also held the perfect score on the Disability Equality Index five years in a row.

Here’s what the Boeing leadership is investing in:

Creating awareness: One of the ways in which the company ensures its participation is by being an active part of the conversation. From its website and company values, to organising conferences like “Diasbility:IN”, a career networking event for persons with disabilities.
Enablement and networking: The company’s commitment to an accessible culture is also illustrated through ongoing investment in professional networks, like the Boeing Employee Ability Awareness Association.
Reasonable accommodations: Like Apple and Boston Scientific, Boeing also ensures that all employees and job applicants with disabilities have access to reasonable accommodations.

Key Takeaways:

Daily life for people with disabilities is the same as what the rest of the world experienced during the covid-19 pandemic. The digital divide concerning people with disabilities predates the pandemic. This challenge cum revolution in the way we work, which took all our jobs and tasks online, has opened new opportunities and pathways for people with disabilities.

Here are some key strategies being adoptedby technology giants to achieve optimal workplace inclusion:

Business leaders and senior management must openly speak out about disabilities and encourage others to come out and do the same. A firm step by the top management helps cultivate an inclusive work culture.
Invest into assistive technology. The integration of enabling tools and assistive technology into the recruitment process, training stages and during actual working is perhaps the best way to bridge this gap. Steps taken by Apple, Microsoft, Boston Scientific, and Google are stellar examples.
A significant amount of research shows that investing in raising awareness and education about the value of accessibility helps the culture of inclusion, both ways.
Ensuring access to reasonable accommodations for PWDs help integrate them better into the organization and perform optimally from day 1.

Workplace inclusion does not only mean that the employees are allowed to be together; it means that they are genuinely valued. Diverse teams bring value to the organization and enable everyone to achieve diverse dreams and the impossible together. The untapped pools of talent of people with disabilities can serve as a goldmine in the fast-changing remote work culture worldwide.

Workplace bias is real: Combat it & attract the best global talent

Posted on December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 by poosarladileep

Sigmund Freud, through his famous Iceberg Analogy, illustrated that the unconscious, what’s not apparent at first, plays a huge role in behavior and decision-making. Simply put, the brain uses mental shortcuts based on past experiences to arrive at decisions. Think of it as the hunter-gatherer in you using a quick pathway to process tons of information. It’s a great route for survival, but is it a recipe for success—and that too in the modern hybrid workplace?

For instance, anchoring bias affects our judgment to the extent that we favor the initial experience or first bit of available information. One may make adjustments, but these are “typically insufficient” suggest Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, psychologists of Nobel Prize fame.

Think of the trajectory of remote work:

Month	% of employed persons who tele-worked or worked at home for pay at any time in the last 4 weeks due to COVID-19
May 2020	35.4
August 2020	24.3
November 2020	21.8
February 2021	22.7
May 2021	16.6
August 2021	13.4

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Is remote work shrinking because of the benefits of on-site work? Or because decision-makers have their views on remote work anchored in a negative experience? Such questioning becomes pertinent when you consider that a McKinsey study posited that 29-39% of the U.S. population could spend more time working remotely without loss of productivity.

The truth is that it is wholly possible for unconscious biases to creep into professional decision-making, especially as we move into the remote and hybrid working models. In such a case, conscious action needs to be taken. To get on the right track, consider these common avenues of bias and learn how to counteract and build a diverse, inclusive, and effective workforce.

Equitable hiring demands objective criteria

A study by MIT and UChicago found that when resumes containing African-American- or White-sounding names were analyzed, those with white names earned 50% more call-backs.

Another study, by researchers at UPF’s Department of Political and Social Sciences, found that on average, women are 30% less likely to secure a job interview than men with the same characteristics.

A third study, analyzing data from Paris found that applicants of North African origin and those linked to Islam faced hiring discrimination, regardless of their religion and national origin respectively.

Why does this happen?

One reason is affinity or implicit bias: This is when recruiters favor applicants who are similar to them or share experiences with them. Age, gender, race, and more often play a role here, becoming attributes that bring up unconscious bias. In a word, the similarity makes recruiters feel safer, but the trade-off is diversity and inclusion in the workforce.

Another reason could be the attribution bias: This is when you make a judgment about someone without sizing them up objectively. Here, persons from certain ethnic groups could easily be looked on as less effective. A Yale study showed that such class bias arises in hiring processes within a few seconds of the applicant speaking.

How to combat it?

The first step is being aware, and the second step is to be objective. A case in point is a study that illustrated how blind orchestra auditions were better for women musicians!

Here are some actionable ways to steer clear of sexism, racism, and ageism:

Have a diverse hiring team
Ask the same questions to all applicants
Give a second look to those applicants that you think aren’t up to the mark
Try ‘name-blind’ resumes
Consider using a voice-changing software
Set targets for diversity and inclusion

Remote work demands a level playing field

The year 2020 was the turning point for remote work, and yet, such may not truly be the case to the extent imagined.

~70% of employees desire remote work options, says a Microsoft survey.
40% of U.S. employees would take a salary cut to retain flexible work, with 47% ready to call it quits if hybrid work wasn’t an option, as per an Envoy survey.
77% of those who worked remotely at least a few times a month, agreed that working off-site makes for increased productivity, as per a study by ConnectSolutions.

Yet, an SHRM research shows that:

42% of supervisors confess to sometimes forgetting remote workers when assigning tasks.
29-34% of remote workers feel that working remotely will dampen their career prospects.

Further, U.S. labor statistics show that:

Remote work is on the decline, from 35.4% in May 2020 to 13.4% in August 2021. (See introduction)

Harvard Business Review also notes that:

When the right to work remotely is scrapped, it’s the lower-level employees who suffer.

Why does this happen?

Earlier, the anchoring effect was considered, where an initial perception greatly determines the final outcome. The danger is that if one’s initial experience is negative, then you end up with confirmation bias, the tendency to search for reasons to support your beliefs. So, if you’ve had a bad experience with Anthony, who slacked off while working remotely, you think that Anna’s delayed submissions are due to lack of effort or because remote work is just a bad concept to start with.

In addition to this halo versus horns contrast that may be unconsciously applied to on-site versus off-site employees, there’s also the issue that statistics point out that, ‘out of sight is out of mind’. It’s natural to feel comfortable about handing over the next big project to the employee who’s at the office day in and day out rather than to someone who works remotely. But as a McKinsey report displays, if you favor fully on-site work talent is at risk. Bias, even unconscious, affects your bottom line.

How to combat it?

Many industry leaders now suggest that if you’re convinced about hybrid work, the tone at the top needs to be clear. In other words, senior management needs to work from home. It sends out a clear signal: “We’re offering flexible work options — and it’s okay to do it!”

A good list of actionable steps include:

Having the executive team work remotely
Using data to track productivity
Avoiding micromanaging remote workers
Cross-checking that you’ve considered remote workers for the next assignment
Planning virtual and in-person meets with remote teams
Providing remote-work perks in lieu of those others get at the office

Unconscious biases can kill talent. It is most commonly seen when emotion and gut override objectivity to the detriment of remote workers and persons of a particular gender, race, age group, or religion. Now that you are conscious of the problem, it’s time to take concrete steps to see diversity and inclusion flourish in your workforce.