A growing concern among many businesses is workforce diversity. Gone is the prejudice of the past, and companies are beginning to recognize the importance of employing people from all different walks of life.
Different lifestyles and backgrounds often mean different outlooks, which can be incredibly beneficial in business. Getting unique perspectives on an issue can help employers make more educated, informed decisions.
As the world transitions into the new remote working trend, we’re gradually seeing more diverse workforces emerging. In addition, due to the location and financial barriers removal, remote jobs appeal to a much more comprehensive range of candidates. In this article, we look into how businesses can ensure they’re promoting diversity when advertising new roles.
Use inclusive language
Businesses may need to realize it, but the language used in a job advert often can make some candidates feel excluded from applying. To appeal to a diverse audience, using inclusive language is vital.
This means avoiding gendered or exclusive wording and writing clear and concise descriptions. Also, avoid using complicated jargon that could be off-putting to those that may find it difficult to understand.
Share the advert on diversity boards
As the importance of having a diverse workforce becomes more apparent, fortunately, it hasn’t taken long for recruitment services to catch up. There are now plenty of diversity-focused job boards available online.
These are great places to share job opportunities, as they’re specifically designed to help businesses reach a diverse range of candidates. It also shows that the company is committed to promoting diversity and helping to find applicants with similar views.
Highlight your company’s commitment to diversity
If diversity is a crucial value for the business, job advertisements are an excellent opportunity to discuss that. Discuss the company’s values and ethos, highlighting relevant diversity and inclusion policies. It can also benefit current employees to share their experience with the business’ diversity initiatives, helping build trust with potential applicants.
Opt for fully remote versus hybrid
Although remote work attracts more diverse candidates, this often isn’t the case when the role is only remote part-time. In addition, hybrid working patterns mean candidates must be within commuting distance, automatically appealing to a less geographically diverse pool.
Traveling to the office also removes some of the flexibility of remote work. For example, parents that need to do the school run each day would often be unable to commit to a hybrid role.
If a business is genuinely dedicated to targeting a diverse pool of candidates, it should consider offering fully remote roles wherever possible. This instantly removes several barriers, including the monetary cost of commuting. Admittedly, it might require a bit of a longer vetting process, but it’ll be worth it once the correct candidate comes along.
