How to Boost Diversity Within Your Company

Even well meaning business owners can sometimes struggle to make sure that their company is diverse and reflective of the population in which the organization is based. If you’d like to see an improvement with regard to diversity in your company, try using these strategies:

Be honest with yourself

The first thing you should do when you’re trying to focus on diversity in your company is to take an honest look at your hiring efforts. What kinds of people are coming in for interviews? Who ends up getting these jobs? Why do the chosen candidates get the job over others who applied? If you’re interviewing dozens of candidates who have the same background, look the same, and think the same, try to mix up how you’re advertising your job listings in order to draw in a wider range of applicants.

Make sure that your company is appealing to a wide range of employees

If your company is very rigid in its rules and procedures, you may find that you struggle to draw in a diverse employee base. For example, if you insist that all employees must be in the office Monday through Friday from 9-5, you may find that it’s hard to appeal to working parents or single parents. If you’re looking to change this, consider putting a remote work policy into place, or think about allowing team members to be flexible with their schedules. When people know that they can still enjoy time with their family when they accept a role within your organization, they’re going to be more likely to want to come in for an interview. One way to illustrate this is by offering video interviews, so that you can have a conversation with a potential employee without forcing them to rearrange their day and their child care in order to talk.

Give employees opportunities to get better

Another way to ensure that your company’s leadership team is diverse is by providing educational opportunities to your staff members. When they can attend seminars and conferences that allow them to learn new skills, these individuals instantly become more valuable to your business, regardless of where they went to school or how many degrees they have. This helps to level the playing field, and shows your employees that you’re invested in them.

How do you help to promote diversity within your office? Let us know in the comments.

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