3 steps for improving diversity and inclusion
What your small business can start doing today
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) may seem like an initiative aimed at larger companies, but it’s become a major focus for organizations of all sizes. For small businesses, improving DEI can begin with three steps: prioritizing DEI, writing inclusive job posts, and reducing bias.
Understanding why DEI is important
Why should DEI be top of mind at your small business? Let’s take a look at how improving it can help you boost innovation and retention.
New perspectives lead to better results.
A diverse workforce encourages innovation. Studies show that diverse companies experience greater profitability and performance. And with the rise of flexible work, your small business has more freedom than ever to source candidates from underrepresented groups — no matter where they’re located.
DID YOU KNOW?
Diverse companies report 45% higher revenue attributed to innovation, with a 25% profitability differential between the most- and least-diverse companies.
Candidates look for inclusive environments.
Inclusive environments can help your small business hire and retain candidates. It’s an opportunity to improve your business results while helping people feel like they can be their authentic selves at work. For many candidates, this directly impacts whether they move forward with a company.
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearly four out of ten respondents in a McKinsey study said they’ve turned down a job or decided not to pursue a job because of a perceived lack of inclusion at an organization.
Prioritizing DEI
Especially within a small business, DEI should be a priority for everyone on your team, not just those in roles that handle recruiting. Here’s how to start incorporating DEI into your company culture.
Make it everyone’s responsibility.
It’s important to communicate to your team that you value diversity and inclusion. Educate them on why it matters and follow through by turning your words into actions. Craft diverse interview panels, give your team the tools they need to hire equitably, and ultimately, make sure everyone is involved.
DID YOU KNOW?
While 69% of talent professionals agree their organizations are committed to more diverse hiring, only 47% feel their hiring managers are held accountable for interviewing a diverse slate of candidates.
Be intentional about your hiring process.
While you may need to fill open roles quickly, moving too fast can lead to predictable hiring decisions that don’t bring as much value to your small business. When posting a job, be sure to build in enough time to attract and evaluate a wide range of candidates who could help your small business grow.
PRO TIP
Rather than looking for candidates who would be a culture fit, encourage hiring decisions that would be a “culture add.”
Writing inclusive job posts
Job posts may be a candidate’s introduction to your small business. Reaching more people from underrepresented groups — and encouraging them to apply — starts with making sure all of your job posts are inclusive.
Use inclusive language.
To attract more candidates from underrepresented groups, avoid using language that keeps them from applying. This free, online Gender Decoder tool can help you spot gender-coded language, while assistive writing tools like Textio, Datapeople, and TalVista can suggest more neutral phrasing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Women apply to 20% fewer jobs than men and are often deterred by a belief that they have to meet all the job criteria listed in the post.
Take a skills-based approach.
Remember, a college degree isn’t always required to do a job well. As often as possible, focus on skills by highlighting responsibilities over requirements and separating “must-haves” (the true minimum requirements) from “nice-to-haves.”
PRO TIP
Consider including an assignment for a candidate to demonstrate their abilities, such as a writing sample for a copywriter position.
Reducing unconscious bias in the hiring process
Everyone has some form of unconscious bias. In order to make fair hiring decisions, it’s important for you and your teams to be aware of these biases and take steps to actively reduce them, keeping them out of the hiring process as much as possible.
Use deliberate techniques.
From creating a talent scorecard to using standardized questions in all interviews, these 10 steps can help you and your team reduce interviewer bias.
DID YOU KNOW?
Affinity bias makes interviewers more likely to favor a candidate who is similar to them.
Support your team with solutions.
Resources from LinkedIn can help combat unconscious bias. For example, use this feature to hide candidate pictures and names so that recruiters can evaluate candidates solely based on qualifications and skills.
And through April 2022, give your team free access to this popular course from LinkedIn Learning: Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Recruiting and Interviewing.
DEI is a journey.
For small businesses in particular, DEI is about making progress where you can. It may not happen overnight, but taking a few small, intentional steps can lead to significant positive change.
Ready to build a more diverse team?
Find qualified candidates on LinkedIn.
