Events of the last 12 months mean many businesses are refocusing efforts in areas that were once overlooked. For most, diversity is now a board level objective yet still an area where significant improvements are required to create and sustain more inclusive workplace in 2021.
Research has shown that having a diverse workforce is fundamental for maximum productivity and overall business success. McKinsey’s recent report found that businesses focused on racial and ethnic diversity were 36% more profitable than those that were not. Additionally, it highlighted a 48% difference in financial performance between the most and least gender-diverse companies.
With candidates increasingly calling for employers to define and demonstrate D&I strategies, coupled with research that diverse groups, including women, LGBTQ+ employees, people of colour and working parents, were the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s clear why there’s a greater sense of urgency surrounding D&I in 2021.
Omni’s Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey, delivered in partnership with the CIPD, confirmed that some progress was already underway in 2020. Overall, 52% have a formal diversity strategy, although most take some steps to recruit a diverse range of candidates; and two in five (41%) actively recruiting a more diverse workforce compared to the previous 12 months. However, our findings also suggested that more progress needed to be made, as less than a quarter (23%) were going beyond legislative requirements on protected characteristics regarding their recruitment and selection processes.
Implementing a strategy that helps attract, recruit, onboard and retain diverse talent requires time, intention and robust planning. Here are the key areas of focus for any organisation looking to achieve the business imperative of D&I.
It’s vital to establish areas for improvement from the outset. Look at the employer brand your business is portraying from a job seeker’s perspective. People want to see themselves represented in your business and, if they don’t, they will more than likely look elsewhere.
Employer branding messages extend further than a ‘Meet the Team’ page on a website and covers the design of your working practices; job design and your communication style. Online language checkers are available if you are unsure of the suitability of the language used in recruitment advertising, for example. Conducting an audit will provide a snapshot of where you are now and help to highlight your next steps.
It’s not enough to claim you are a diverse organisation; it must be demonstrated. Transparent internal and external reporting on diversity strategies and processes will ensure it remains a priority and that the right people are held accountable. Many FTSE 100 companies are now sharing diversity figures each year and the steps they are taking to improve.
Sharing regular updates with employees will also help grow and nurture an internal culture reflective of D&I, further boosting your employer brand to diverse talent.
Omni’s Resourcing Effectiveness Assessment is the ultimate health check for your organisation’s talent acquisition strategy. Our D&I measures alone look at Fair by Design; Inclusive Attraction; Fair Selection and Measures of Inclusion. Take our online REA assessment to identify your current strengths and development areas and receive a report on how you can increase resourcing effectiveness and become more agile in 2021. Complete Omni’s Resourcing Effectiveness Assessment now.
Absolutely. Omni’s development centres are specifically designed to unlock the potential of your existing employees. Our structured assessments, aligned to your internal frameworks, are designed to identify individuals’ strengths, skills gaps, and areas for improvement, informing targeted developmental activities that drive real impact on individual and organisational performance.
Our assessment solutions are designed to elevate your hiring process by identifying the best candidates based on their skills, potential, and fit for the role. We help you define the critical competencies required for success, develop tailored assessments that accurately evaluate these competencies, and provide deep insights into candidates’ aptitude and personality traits. This evidence-based approach improves productivity, reduces turnover, and ensures a positive candidate experience. There are several benefits that personality profiling can bring to the recruitment process, such as supporting inclusive hiring, improved decision making, and increased efficiency.
Omni enhances your Employer Brand by presenting your organisation in a way that resonates with different candidate personas. By identifying these personas through rigorous market research and engaging them where they spend time online, Omni ensures that your recruitment marketing is relevant and broadens your access to talent. This approach pulls on relevant levers that are important to candidates’ values and drivers. Enhancing the employer brand to attract and retain talent remains one of the top key trends in recruitment and Omni’s Talent Strategy team can help your organisation do so.
The Resourcing Effectiveness Assessment (REA) is a rapid and flexible audit of an organisation’s resourcing maturity. The REA takes an integrated approach with key data derived from surveying recent hires, regretted candidates, and hiring managers; focus groups with strategic leaders, hiring managers and HR/TA teams; align with desktop research. Evaluation uses Omni’s four-level maturity index across five key areas: Strategy, People & Experience, Process, Tech & Data and EDI, with a further 20 sub-categories.
