One of the crucial functions of an organisation’s HR team is identifying, selecting and recruiting candidates. They come from diverse back grounds and possess different skills and expertise. To ensure that so many different people work cohesively, creating a culture of inclusiveness is a requirement for every organisation. It not promotes healthy work environment but increases productivity too. But inclusivity cant work in silos. Focus on inclusivity should start with the hiring process, it should not be restricted to the existing employees of an organisation only.

Refrain from Discrimination at workplace-

Discrimination is when minority candidates “feel” at a disadvantage or loss compared to other non-minority candidates. At the time of hiring, it may be akin to the act of subjecting a few applicants or candidates to an unfair advantage on grounds of their race gender, race, age, national origin, religious beliefs. A few practices which would promote inclusivity at work place are as follows.

• Going beyond referrals- Recommendations and referrals are very common when it comes to hiring. It may also lead to hiring similar kind of people and lead to groups at the workplace. Other options could be to reach out to candidates through campus recruitments, job fairs, seminars, walk in interviews or through recruitment agencies.
• A well-defined approach to the goals of the hiring process- The hiring policy should clearly state that there would not be any segregation in candidates on basis of social and physical factors. The job profile should also be defined clearly so that reasons for selections and rejections are understood and not interpreted as discriminations.
• Avoid unconscious bias- It may happen that certain names or addresses may impact the recruiter’s perception, the same should be strictly refrained from. Computerized hiring may be resorted where ever feasibility exists.
• Promote panel interviews- Arranging panel interviews includes multiple people coming from different backgrounds and values. This would enable the process of employee selection to be better inclined with Company’s requirement and eliminate chances of favouritism or discrimination. Panel would also ensure inclusivity because people from different verticals would be involved for hiring not only for their requirement but for different departments across the organisation.

Diversity led hiring promotes an inclusive work place-

Recruitments should be guided with the goal of diversity in mind. Diversity at work place nurtures inclusivity at work place by helping its employees in relating to the much wider people base and helps in creating a fun and productive work environment. Diversity is also crucial because it manifests in building reputation for the company which results in increased profitability thereby leading to better opportunities for employees.

Conversational communication with existing employees-

Open communication with existing employees is a pre-requisite for developing a frame work for effective recruitment process. This would include comprehending the background and mind set of the current workforce, understanding their grievances and giving them a sense of belonging to the company. Once the internal workforce is made to feel important and value is attached to their requirements and feedbacks, the corner stone to inclusivity is laid.

A well-structured interview pattern-

This ensures that each and every candidate is fairly interviewed and hasty decisions about hiring of any candidate are not made on basis of conscious or sub-conscious favouritism. It also means that the questionnaire as well as accepted answers are set in line with the expectations from the role for which hiring is being done. Going by a pre-fixed pattern avoids oversight and bias and ensures a fair chance is extended to every applicant.

Adhering to the practices discussed above may promote creating an inclusive work culture at place of work. Reach out to us if you want to build a diverse workplace in your organisation.