O
Catalyst | On Topic
Frost argues that talent acquisition
must come second to inclusion: “If
you recruit diversely but you don’t
include people, this will increase your
attrition rate. Start with inclusion,
then do talent acquisition,” he urges.
Shariff warns that, in talent
acquisition, there is still a fixation
on “exact skills, knowledge and
experience”. She advises broadening
the criteria to open up the talent
pools and career paths into roles.
One way organisations attempt
to level the playing field for all
candidates is through the ‘blinding’ of
CVs – removing personal details such
as gender and age from candidates’
applications.
New technology can help determine
who sees what information and when
during the candidate journey.
AI recruitment platform Eightfold
offers a candidate-masking capability
within its Talent Diversity product:
in a bid to reduce unconscious
bias, recruiters, but not hiring
managers, see the personal details
of an applicant.
Steve Feyer, a spokesperson for
Eightfold, explains that one of the
benefits that companies see is “a
greater interview rate for female
candidates” leading to more women
being hired. For example, he reports
that one client using the product
required at least three out of ten
female interviews and also specified
that at least one candidate should be
a US military veteran.
Using technology to solve a
problem rooted in culture, however,
does have its drawbacks. Anglo
American’s Douglas issues a word
of warning: “All tech has a human
interface behind it.”
Embedding D&I
Frost argues that there are three
ways companies go about addressing
diversity: they go through the
motions, because they have to;
they pursue it because they hope
it makes them look good, or they
embrace D&I and genuinely embed
it in the decisions the company
makes because it is recognised to be
of benefit. Most companies, he says,
fall into the first or second category.
In order to graduate to the third,
companies must understand that
D&I applies to every single person.
“The majority of executives still think
diversity is about other people,” he
says. “If you’re not disabled it’s about
wheelchair users; if you’re straight
it’s about gay people; if you’re white
“Start with inclusion, then
do talent acquisition”
it’s about black people. They don’t
actually realise that it’s really their
own behaviours and leadership that’s
the critical variable.”
Simon Fanshawe, a partner at
consultancy Diversity by Design,
notes that employees are rarely
convinced by company mission
statements; they need to see things
changing from the very top. He
advises senior staff to identify
the diversity they require in their
organisation and state why it is
important to them and how it will
help meet clients’ needs.
Frost says that to deliver D&I in
real terms, organisations must embed
it into overall organisational strategy;
supply initial data in order to
measure progress; reflect on how
decisions are made (who is in
the room? Who is accountable?);
understand that D&I isn’t just
about ‘other people’, and implement
practical solutions such as CV
blinding and other tools borrowed
from behavioural economics.
Ultimately, organisations must
focus on achieving company-wide
culture change, driven from C-suite-
level commitment. There needs to
be authentic leadership across all
levels of the organisation, especially
at mid-level management, which can
sometimes be perceived as a blocker
to change. Talent acquisition can be
used as a lever in this regard, but it
shouldn’t be considered the panacea
when it comes to D&I.
A focus on employee value
proposition and employee base is
crucial; an organisation’s people
will become external advocates for
their company, which should clearly
communicate inclusive promises
internally and externally – and ensure
these promises are delivered. Finally,
organisations need to remember to
set realistic goals; building a truly
inclusive culture, where people are
able to be themselves, takes time.
Issue 3 - 2019
49