Recrion says:
The one phrase I heard over and over again was "good candidates are hard to find." I came away thinking - "what does good look like?"
Sam is a 35-year-old office worker. She’s bright, capable, skilled and experienced, but she finds her work environment impossible to function in. She hates her job and spends evenings and weekends in tears. At work, she feels undervalued and excluded. She’s also frustrated that she’s not able to realise her true potential, and her career seems to have stalled. She’d like to leave, but thinks ‘What’s the point?’ Because in Sam’s experience, the next job will be no better, just more of the same. She feels trapped in a no-win situation, and it’s causing her to despair.
This begs the question of why, at a time when the UK’s experiencing a recruitment crisis and businesses are crying out for skilled staff, aren’t people like Sam being nurtured and cherished in the workplace?
Sam’s also autistic, and she finds the lack of acknowledgement and support at work incredibly demoralising. When she tells an employer she’s autistic, she feels disheartened because there’s never a discussion of how they can help, or what they can do to accommodate her. She says, ‘We exist. We are a good proportion of the population. We are able and willing to contribute. Include us and involve us.’
So what’s going on here? Where are businesses going wrong?
These days, most businesses are well aware of the importance of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), and how it can benefit their organisation. And numerous studies have shown that when a culture of D&I is truly embraced, it leads to better performance, higher productivity and increased employee retention. However, as Sam’s experience sadly testifies, too many employers still only pay lip-service to it. They treat it as a box-ticking exercise, or do the bare minimum just to comply with UK law, or focus solely on diversity without considering inclusion. This is because either they don’t fully understand D&I, or it’s just too difficult to change their way of thinking and doing things.
Why Diversity can't happen without Inclusion
Diversity and Inclusion are two different but interlinked concepts. A diverse workforce will bring a variety of different views, experiences and perspectives to the workplace. This has many benefits, including fresh ideas, better problem-solving, and more innovation. However, if you don’t then create an inclusive work environment, where each individual feels valued, respected and has a sense of belonging, these benefits will fail to materialise. And you’ll have spent a great deal of time, money and energy on recruitment, only to find an unhappy demotivated workforce just like Sam.
What practical things can businesses do to recruit differently and be inclusive?
The first step to creating more diversity in the workplace is to view difference as an opportunity rather than a barrier. Stop playing it safe by sticking to what you think good looks like, selecting the same type of candidates, and only shortlisting those who meet the exact criteria as set out in the job profile.
Look for the potential in candidates, rather than the ‘ready-made’ option. Focus less on their CV, and more on the innate transferable skills needed for the job. Also consider what other life experience, interests, strengths and talents the candidate could bring to the role.
To encourage more people from diverse backgrounds to apply, all of the above needs to be reflected in the job profile. Rather than following the standard practice of asking for learnt skills, qualifications, education and experience, get creative! Think about the language you use and the criteria you set, and how they could be altered to appeal to a broader, more diverse pool of applicants.
Throw out stereotypical assumptions of how ‘good’ employees behave. We’re all guilty of making snap judgements about other people based on our own subjective ideas and experiences. For example, we may assume that someone who doesn’t maintain eye contact isn’t listening to us or isn’t engaged with what we’re saying. However, making eye contact may be extremely difficult for them to do. The risk is that the automatic assumptions we make about people who are different from ourselves could lead to us discriminating against them and making an unfair judgement.
Let your new employees’ voices be heard. Give your employees the opportunity to contribute to and shape their working environment. Listen to their ideas and allow them to participate in aspects of the business such as designing their own workspace, or drafting company policy. Ask them what would make them feel like they belong. This can be achieved via a variety of mechanisms, including questionnaires and discussion groups.
I wrote this article inspired by a message I received from a job seeker with autism who has never felt included and understood. If we are going to solve the skills shortage we need to be thinking differently and challenge our assumptions, biases and preferences. There are so many talented people out there brimming with potential. We need to up our game, find them, nurture and include them in what good looks like.
If you’d like more support or guidance on how to hire for potential and diversity, please do get in touch. As a Recruitment Coach and Mentor I provide people managers with the skills, self-awareness and a sounding board to become confident recruiters and motivators of teams.