IS DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) a buzz word or a call to action?
After 15 years of working within the realm of HR, Recruitment and Business Development – from recruiting, to selling recruitment and HR software, to business development for recruitment firms. I’ve come to the realization that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is not considered a priority for many organizations. We frequently hear the buzz words floating around, while HR Professionals take a course or two on DE&I (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), but, what is the end result?
It really does seem to be a buzz word for many, but there are those of us who see the value and know the importance of creating inclusive, equitable and diverse work environments. So, how are companies following through with diversity and inclusion initiatives today?
Some companies have no choice but to hire candidates from diverse backgrounds due to labor shortages in various fields, not necessarily because they see the value in having a diverse workforce. We will find a ton of diversity in roles that are in high demand and are typically hard-to-fill technical or back-end roles. So, for a high-demand, hard-to-fill role, let us consider the role of a Software Engineer. Companies looking for Software Engineers with a specific skill set will settle for any qualified candidates they can find from any background, hence the diversity will be there as many qualified candidates are immigrants and come from other countries. Albeit there are those trailblazer companies that do prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion within their organizations. For example, I’ve worked with a few clients that were on a mission to hire and retain female software engineers. Female engineers are hard to find, as there aren’t many in the first place. That’s a whole other issue on it’s own.
Lack of Diversity in Customer/Client facing roles
Now, let us consider the role of a salesperson or a client success manager. These are client-facing roles, which in my experience have been an inherent lack of diversity. So, what does the company end up looking like? A diverse back-end of developers, business analysts, etc., all the roles behind the scenes essentially. But, when you look at the front-end of the or the “face” of the business, it tends to be very white and not representative of the back-end of the company.
How am I coming to this conclusion? I must put forth a disclaimer here as I have a lot of emotions revolving around my experience as a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) professional having worked in sales, recruitment and business development. These feelings throughout my career have been of feeling excluded, not belonging to the team or group or company I work for and of being treated unfairly. I imagine I am not alone in the way I have felt throughout my career as many experience similar “lived experiences.” Throughout my career in software sales, I have often been the only BIPOC female on the sales team and sometimes even within the entire organization. I worked for a company with over 300 sales people and I was the only BIPOC sales person on the entire team. While the CEO and COO were BIPOC and over half of the “back-end” employees were from diverse backgrounds, all their client-facing employees lacked diversity, including their upper management.
Why is it an issue to not have representation in client-facing roles?
First of all, many of the areas these companies sell to have BIPOC buyers on the other end. Wouldn’t it make sense to have representation of the buyers we are selling to as well? On another note, a diversity and the inclusion mindset within an organization has been proven time and time again to increase productivity, quality and the overall wellbeing of an organization.
With all of the above in mind, I told myself…. I can help organizations find talent and keep an inclusive mindset when hiring candidates. I can find like-minded business owners, directors and managers who can see the value in having a diverse workforce and actually help them to make this a reality. This is what drives me; and what drove me to create Hiring Inclusive. I’m on a mission to find like-minded organizations that see the value in hiring from an inclusive mindset and reaping the benefits of doing so.
What are the benefits of hiring from an Inclusive Mindset?
- You get Diverse Perspectives – People from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives can have a different way to approach an issue and solve it. This leads to an organization’s ability to be more creative and think outside of the box.
- You will have more innovation as an organization – following the theme from the last point, when you have diverse perspectives, it’s a given that you will innovate and create more than your competitors.
- You widen your talent pool – You gain access to so many talented individuals when you hire from an Inclusive mindset, as opposed to restricting your hiring within one particular group or type of candidate. When you open your mind to looking outside of what may have been the traditional “norm,” you increase your talent pool and the ability to find the right candidate enormously!
- You end up with happier employees – improved employee morale and employees feeling that their organization is committed to diversity and inclusion is a great way to increase your employee retention. Showing your commitment to DE&I will make employees feel heard, valued and supported.
- Be known as a Trailblazer in DE&I – You will attract like-minded candidates and customers if you showcase your dedication to creating a diverse work environment.
Are you looking to hire from an Inclusive lens? Reach out today and we can help you find the best back-end and front-end (client facing) talent for your organization.
