Hiring and Retention: Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace

“If you do not intentionally include, you unintentionally exclude.”
—Ekaterina Walter, Forbes

Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matter in design as well as everywhere designers work. To optimally impact individual experience, corporate culture, creative output, and bottom lines, diversity of thought must be embraced at the executive level and supported through inclusive practices. The following opportunities and tactics can be used by business owners and managers as best practices in hiring (and retaining) with D&I as priorities.

Hiring

Interview stage: Influencing the screening process

• Be aware of the effects of unconscious biases in creating barriers for underrepresented groups, and make efforts to reduce such obstacles
• Include diversity statements in job postings, e.g. “Women and minority applicants are strongly encouraged to apply”
• Use social media to reach underrepresented groups
• Participate in school/community job fairs in geographic areas that have diverse representation
• Involve applicants in the discussion: “What is your take on D&I in the workplace?”
• Identify critical characteristics that match your redefined corporate culture
• Create a blind application process that focuses on skills sets
• Examine the structural and status divides between those overseeing diversity recruitment versus those who have the power and authority to hire
• Empower your diversity team to influence the final decision making

Retention

Training and mentoring

• Make D&I training (see example here) mandatory company-wide and consider the most effective means and messages
• Tap into existing talent by creating upward mentoring initiatives
• Establish a mentorship (or “buddy”) program as a way of retaining underrepresented groups

Establishing an inclusive culture

• Let all staff know your commitment to D&I when seeking referrals
• Create a D&I committee that can examine, analyze, and recommend solutions
• Highlight D&I efforts and resources during orientation and special events
• Encourage collaboration across departments and levels to foster engagement
• Develop a climate assessment including demographics/psychographics of administrators
• Prevent burnout amongst underrepresented individuals by rotating participation in mentor programs, D&I committees, etc.

Sustaining success

• Consider implementing annual “stay meetings”
• Celebrate diversity through voluntary social engagement, e.g. a multicultural potluck or “Learn at Lunch” series
• Conduct a pre- and post-assessment of the impact of D&I efforts as they impact ROI

Resources & References

• All Business, “What Demographics and Psychographics Mean for Small Business Marketing”
• Ekaterina Walter, “Reaping The Benefits Of Diversity For Modern Business Innovation,” Forbes, 14 January 2014
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance”
• Frank Dobbin, Inventing Equal Opportunity, Princeton University Press, 2009
• Jane Porter, “Diversity Training Myths Your Company Needs To Drop Now,” Fast Company, 3 March 2015
• Jean Martin, “A Fairer Way to Make Hiring and Promotion Decisions,” Harvard Business Review, 13 August 2013
• Jennifer LeClaire, “Buddy system makes new hires want to stick around,” Boston Business Journal, 16 July 2007
• Jens Manuel Krogstad, Social media preferences vary by race and ethnicity, Pew Research Center, 3 February 2015
• Katie Bouton, “Recruiting for Culture Fit,” Harvard Business Review, 17 July 2015
• Madeline Raynor, “Samantha Bee on Diversity: ‘The F*cking Thing You Have to Do Is Just Hire People’,” Vulture, 5 February 2016
• Maren Hogan, “The Art of the Stay Meeting,” Recruiter, 24 January 2014
• Paradigm, Managing Unconscious Bias
• Robin J. Ely and David A. Thomas (Harvard Business School) “Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity Perspectives on Work Group Processes and Outcomes,” Administrative Science Quarterly (vol. 46, no. 2., June 2001)