Inclusive recruitment – how to get it right!
This week on my Speaking of Inclusion… podcast, I sat down with Jo Major from Diversity In Recruitment to talk all about how to get recruitment right. Here’s what she had to say…
Jo Major is a highly experienced recruiter with a career spanning over 23 years, during which time Jo has also taken on roles in global learning and development, focusing specifically on sales training for recruiters. However, Jo's passion lies in diversity and recruitment (obvs!), and she has set up her own training and advisory service called Diversity and Recruitment, aimed at supporting internal and agency-side recruitment teams. Jo's main objective is to help these teams integrate their general ED&I (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) strategy into their hiring and talent attraction processes. Her approach is inclusive, accessible, and equitable, ensuring that all candidates are given equal opportunities. Jo's extensive knowledge and experience make her a valuable resource in the field of inclusive recruitment – plus, she’s a super lovely person, too!
Here are 3 key takeaways from our conversation:
1. Inclusive leadership is crucial for fostering diversity and innovation in the workplace. Good leaders create an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing different viewpoints and challenging decisions. Fragile leaders who shy away from criticism are seen as ineffective.
2. Positive discrimination, targeting individuals solely based on their identity, is not the solution for diversity and inclusion. It is important to create opportunities and choices for underrepresented groups through broadening the search for talent, becoming an employer of choice, and focusing on diversity at the early talent stage.
3. Building an inclusive and diverse workforce goes beyond just hiring people who look different. It requires understanding the organisation's values, creating a safe and inclusive environment, conducting demographic surveys, and providing ongoing training in inclusive leadership. Creating lasting change requires commitment and effort from everyone in the organisation.
So, if you're ready to break down barriers, foster creativity, and create a workplace where everyone feels valued and included, this episode is for you.
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
In this conversation, Jo and I talk about the need for psychological safety and constructive dissent in creating inclusive environments.
How do you, as an inclusive leader, create an environment where team members feel safe to express their opinions and provide critical feedback?