Diversity Hiring Practices

Open Letter to all D&I professionals: if you’re not bringing socioeconomic background into your work, then you’re failing at your job. When we have conversations about diversity in isolation of socioeconomic background, the opportunities that arise from them typically skew towards the already privileged, i.e. - privileged women - privileged people of colour - privileged people from the LGBTQ+ community, etc. In the UK, black working-class professionals have earnings that are £6000 LESS than privileged black professionals in the same set of jobs 🤯 & this occurs when a persons education, the hours they work, and their level of experience, are taken into account, meaning that the pay-gap can’t be explained away by conventional indicators of ‘merit’ 🤔 If we want to have ENDURING impact on equality and diversity we HAVE to start looking at socioeconomic background. Class cuts through all areas of diversity in a way that other diversity characteristics can’t. It’s because of this that I KNOW we can’t make significant progress on diversity until we bring socioeconomic background to the TOP of the D&I agenda 📈 What do you think? 👇🏾 #SocialMobility #PayGaps #MadFactMondays ------- Hey 👋🏾 I’m Gary, Co-Founder of Tangent. Every Monday I share a “Mad Fact” about socioeconomic background. If you like this content, repost ♻️ it & follow me to catch the next one next week!

Is the white boys club being replicated with a white girls club? In the USA it appears that is exactly what’s occurring with just two Black women currently serve as Fortune 500 CEOs. They are Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Roz Brewer and TIAA chief Thasunda Brown Duckett. Other Fortune 500 leaders who are women of colour include Fannie Mae's Almodovar, AMD CEO Lisa Su, and Yum China CEO Joey Wat. Coupled with the other 47 women CEOs, that constitutes a meagre 10.4% of the 500 largest companies in the USA that are run by women. Source: https://bit.ly/3ubFGn1 Australia can’t be smug either with the CEO of Chief Executive Women apologising for how “woefully” the group had performed when it came to including culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) women in its ranks. This coupled with the fact that less than 1% of executives (not even CEOs) in the ASX300 identify as CARM means that there is most definitely the potential for an old white girls club to form in the top ranks. Source: https://bit.ly/46iADP9 ACTION: know your numbers. Is your organisational leadership dominated by male AND pale people? ACTION: is your workplace culture favouring a male AND pale dominant group?

Are your role requirements excluding Disabled Individuals? Here are four of my personal icks when it comes to role requirements. **Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment** Not everyone navigates and interacts with the world in the same way. Some of us might take a little longer to complete tasks because of barriers that you probably aren't even aware exist. Adjustments/ accommodations might help us overcome some barriers, but this statement doesn't consider this and instead creates a barrier from the offset. **Must have strong verbal communication skills** This statement may exclude candidates who are Deaf, Neurodivergent, Autistic, or have Speech Disabilities. This does not mean these individuals cannot communicate. It just means they may excel at communicating through other means like sign language, written communication, or the aid of assistive technologies, etc… **Must hold a Degree** Education is a privilege. Many Disabled individuals have struggled to receive an equitable education. Meaning we have not had the same opportunities. We might have struggled with barriers resulting in us leaving education. By enforcing this requirement, you are potentially excluding a chunk of Disabled candidates. **"Must hold a driver's license"** This one is my biggest pet peeve. If a person is applying for a role such as Bus Driver, Taxi Driver, Race Car Driver, etc., then ask for a license. But if it is an office-based role, etc., then this shouldn't even be a requirement. If travel is required, an adjustment/ accommodation should be made for alternative travel arrangements. But again, unless I'm applying to be a race car driver, please stop excluding Disabled folks who are unable to legally drive. What are your personal icks when it comes to exclusionary job descriptions? Image Description: A dark background with outlines of stick figures representing non Disabled folks. Scattered across are solid blue and orange stick figures representing visible and non-visible Disabilities. A white text box reads, "Whether it's intentional or unintentional your job description might be creating barriers that exclude Disabled candidates. Meaning it might be ableist.” #TuesdayThoughts #DiversityAndInclusion #DisabilityInclusion #Ableism

Companies believe they're doing diversity when, in fact, they're merely scratching the surface. My understanding of corporate diversity has evolved too, and so have my efforts. 💡 I began by raising awareness of its importance, then tackled exclusion, followed by driving systemic change. Now, armed with experience, I'm ready to guide companies towards the transformative power of collective intelligence through diversity. But you can't reach the destination without knowing the route. 👇 Let's unpack the key aspects of each stage: 🔍 Recognition ▫ Stopping to ignore diversity. ▫ Acknowledging diversity within your organization. ▫ Realizing that diversity includes visible (demographics) and less visible aspects (cognitive, background, experiences). 🤝 Non-Discrimination ▫ Moving beyond recognition to promoting a culture of non-discrimination. ▫ Creating policies fostering respect for diversity. ▫ Starting the conversation on inclusion and equity. 🔄 Integration ▫ Realizing that acknowledging diversity and not excluding isn't enough. ▫ Integrate diversity into processes, structures, and behaviors. ▫ Reviewing employee lifecycle practices, implement diversity training, create inclusive leadership. 🌟 Leveraging Diversity ▫ Recognizing diversity as a strategic asset. ▫ Actively harnessing diverse perspectives, experiences, and talents. ▫ Creating diverse teams in terms of appearance, background, thought, and experiences to align with the goals they need to accomplish. 🧠 Collective intelligence is a testament to the power of collaboration, diversity, and shared vision, where the whole truly becomes greater than the sum of its parts. This journey of diversity evolution is one I invite you to embark on with me. Stay tuned for more updates, and don't hesitate to reach out for support. ________________________________________ On the lookout for more DEI-related insights? 📨 Join my free DEI Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/duxDH3Q7

There’s a dangerous assumption creeping into UK businesses: that if DEI is under attack in the US, maybe we should quietly pull back too. Don’t. An exceptional new paper by Caspar Glyn KC and Olivia-Faith Dobbie from the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) lays it out clearly that rolling back DEI in the UK is not only risky, but legally incoherent. While the US continues down a deeply polarising path fuelled by recent political shifts – it’s crucial to remember that the UK’s legal framework is completely different. Some important things to note: 📌 The UK Equality Act 2010 allows for positive action, not quotas. It promotes equality of opportunity, not outcomes. 📌 Indirect discrimination - where policies seem neutral but disproportionately harm marginalised groups - is prohibited in the UK. 📌 UK DEI policies already align more closely with the current, more restrictive US legal view - meaning there’s no concrete legal basis for scaling back. And importantly, UK employers are under additional obligations including: ⚠️ Taking reasonable steps to prevent harassment (with stronger duties incoming). ⚠️ Showing evidence of inclusive practice under tribunal scrutiny. ⚠️ Implementation of thoughtful, lawful DEI policies supported by data, proportionality, and purpose. And here’s the kicker - removing DEI policies puts your business at greater legal risk - not less. So to every business leader considering their next move: Now is not the time to step back, or become complacent when it comes to designing inclusive workplaces. DEI is foundational to good governance, legal compliance, talent attraction, and business reputation. Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/ePcfQ4rK Would love to hear what you think? 💡💡💡 #diversity #inclusion #belonging

Inclusion isn’t a one-time initiative or a single program—it’s a continuous commitment that must be embedded across every stage of the employee lifecycle. By taking deliberate steps, organizations can create workplaces where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. Here’s how we can make a meaningful impact at each stage: 1. Attract Build inclusive employer branding and equitable hiring practices. Ensure job postings use inclusive language and focus on skills rather than unnecessary credentials. Broaden recruitment pipelines by partnering with diverse professional organizations, schools, and networks. Showcase your commitment to inclusion in external messaging with employee stories that reflect diversity. 2. Recruit Eliminate bias and promote fair candidate evaluation. Use structured interviews and standardized evaluation rubrics to reduce bias. Train recruiters and hiring managers on unconscious bias and inclusive hiring practices. Implement blind resume reviews or AI tools to focus on qualifications, not identifiers. 3. Onboard Create an inclusive onboarding experience. Design onboarding materials that reflect a diverse workplace culture. Pair new hires with mentors or buddies from Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to foster belonging. Offer inclusion training early to set the tone for inclusivity from day one. 4. Develop Provide equitable opportunities for growth. Ensure leadership programs and career development resources are accessible to underrepresented employees. Regularly review training, mentorship, and promotion programs to address any disparities. Offer specific development opportunities, such as allyship training or workshops on cultural competency. 5. Engage Foster a culture of inclusion. Actively listen to employee feedback through pulse surveys, focus groups, and open forums. Support ERGs and create platforms for marginalized voices to influence organizational policies. Recognize and celebrate diverse perspectives, cultures, and contributions in the workplace. 6. Retain Address barriers to equity and belonging. Conduct pay equity audits and address discrepancies to ensure fairness. Create flexible policies that accommodate diverse needs, including caregiving responsibilities, religious practices, and accessibility. Provide regular inclusion updates to build trust and demonstrate progress. 7. Offboard Learn and grow from employee transitions. Use exit interviews to uncover potential inequities and areas for improvement. Analyze trends in attrition to identify and address any patterns of exclusion or bias. Maintain relationships with alumni and invite them to stay engaged through inclusive networks. Embedding inclusion across the employee lifecycle is not just the right thing to do—it’s a strategic imperative that drives innovation, engagement, and organizational success. By making these steps intentional, companies can create environments where everyone can thrive.

Change the system, not the individuals. This trans day of visibility, I encourage organizations to change their environments for transgender & gender diverse (TGD) inclusion. 🗺 Co-design workplace initiatives, practices and experiences with transgender & gender diverse (TGD) folks. Pay, recognise and reward them for this unique and vital contribution. This is not volunteer work, this is a form of research, this is culture building, this is experience design. This has an emotional tax so pay the bills. 🛑 Drive a zero tolerance approach for all forms of transphobia. Clearly define what’s a teachable moment (i.e. make a mistake, acknowledge it, apologize, aim to not make the same mistake, show growth) and what’s a sackable moment. Embed this into your code of conduct, policies, practices, training and values/behaviors efforts. Hiring? Here are Some Specific Edits at “Joining” Stage of the Employee Lifecycle. Systems: Review all systems and forms where gender markers and pronouns are asked. What options do you provide? What comes next and is it an ID/verification check? If so, what happens when someone’s government name and documentation doesn’t match their name on file? Can this be avoided and if not, are you teams trained on inclusive customer/employee experience? If a candidate is likely to meet 4-5 people during the hiring process, how will you ensure you limit the risk of them being misgendered or deadnaming occurring? See Envato example in comments. Process: Review your recruitment practices end to end with TGD employees and/or experts. Where you think you are being equal, you may need to consider where it is necessary to be equitable. Sameness isn't fairness. This includes when you collect information and why, unbiased interviews and selection practices and making sure your role descriptions and selection criteria are robust and line up otherwise, it’s left to “gut feel” and bias will come into play. Not all trans colleagues or candidates are out at work, and no two trans people will have an identical journey or transition. So remember to treat everyone uniquely, and without bias. Language: De-gender your targets, adverts and language. Use “they/them” as a default. Ensure you have 40/40/20 targets not 50/50 gender targets as nothing tells a non-binary colleague they aren't welcome in the exec team more than a target that literally denies their existence. Demonstrate: Show candidates not tell them. On your careers page, adverts and key hiring process points remind candidates that they can access someone in your team who is trained and aware of the barriers trans and gender diverse people face through the application process, and in work. See: Coles example in comments. Leverage (and credit) some great trans-led organizations who are specialists in this work. I’ll drop examples in the comments. What would you add?

„Companies spend millions on antibias training each year in hopes of creating more-inclusive—and thereby innovative and effective—workforces. Studies show that well-managed diverse groups perform better and are more committed, have higher collective intelligence, and excel at making decisions and solving problems. But research also shows that bias-prevention programs rarely deliver“, schreiben Joan C. Williams und Sky Mihaylo in der Harvard Business Review. Statt auf ineffiziente Programme fokussieren die Autorinnen auf Möglichkeiten, die einzelne Führungskräfte in der Praxis haben, um Vorurteilen entgegenzuwirken und Diversität zu verwirklichen. Es beginnt für sie damit, zu verstehen, wie sich Voreingenommenheit im Arbeitsalltag auswirkt, wann und wo ihre verschiedenen Formen tagtäglich auftreten. Das Motto: „You can’t be a great manager without becoming a ‚bias interrupter‘.“  Ihre Empfehlungen gliedern Williams und Mihaylo in drei Hauptpunkte. ▶️ Fairness in hiring: 1. Insist on a diverse pool.  2. Establish objective criteria, define “culture fit” (to clarify objective criteria for any open role and to rate all applicants using the same rubric), and demand accountability.  3. Limit referral hiring.  4. Structure interviews with skills-based questions.    ▶️ Managing Day-to-Day:  Day to day, they should ensure that high- and low-value work is assigned evenly and run meetings in a way that guarantees all voices are heard. 1. Set up a rotation for office housework, and don’t ask for volunteers.  2. Mindfully design and assign people to high-value projects.  3. Acknowledge the importance of lower-profile contributions.  4. Respond to double standards, stereotyping, “manterruption,” “bropriating,” and “whipeating (e.g., majority-group members taking or being given credit for ideas that women and people of color originally offered). 5. Ask people to weigh in. 6. Schedule meetings inclusively (they should take place in the office and within working hours). 7. Equalize access proactively (e.g., if bosses meet with employees, this should be driven by business demands or team needs).   ▶️ Developing your team: Your job as a manager is not only to get the best performance out of your team but also to encourage the development of each member. That means giving fair performance reviews, equal access to high-potential assignments, and promotions and pay increases to those who have earned them. 1. Clarify evaluation criteria and focus on performance, not potential.  2. Separate performance from potential and personality from skill sets.  3. Level the playing field with respect to self-promotion (by giving everyone you manage the tools to evaluate their own performance).  4. Explain how training, promotion, and pay decisions will be made, and follow those rules. „Conclusion: Organizational change is crucial, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Fortunately, you can begin with all these recommendations today.“ #genderequality #herCAREER

1%. That’s the proportion of C-suite promotions earned by Asian American women. Women are forced to contend with the glass ceiling. Asians are made to encounter the “bamboo ceiling.” But, for Asian women? Let’s call it out for what it is: A concrete ceiling. It’s similar for Black and Latino women as well. Women of color make up 18% of the US workforce – but only 6% of C-Suite executives. So, what can you do about it? 1️⃣ Encourage your organization to measure these discrepancies. I’ll bet that if you asked your company for statistics on employee leadership advancement rates, they could show splits based on gender and based on ethnicity, but never both combined. That intersectionality of gender and ethnicity isn’t captured because, frankly, it’s so bad organizations would get sued. 2️⃣ Support women of color early on in their careers. Women, and people in general, usually don’t receive leadership training until they’re director-level or above. Catch them when they’re at the very first rungs of the ladder, as individual contributors. Put in place scholarship programs, mentorship opportunities, or coaching sessions geared toward women of color. If you don’t fill the pipeline with women of color from the outset and measure your efforts, there’s no way you’ll be able to put a single crack into that concrete ceiling. #AAPI #womeninleadership #growth