As companies continue to plan their rehiring strategies, they need to remember one very important thing, candidates want to see more diverse talent hired, advanced, and highlighted.
75% of our audience said they would not work for a company that doesn’t show efforts towards supporting a diverse and inclusive work environment.
Here are a few tactics companies can take to show their support to help them attract top talent.
Show the stories of diverse employees
One of the most powerful things companies can do to attract top diverse candidates is to tell the stories of diverse candidates who are already in the company, especially those who are in upper management positions.
When a candidate sees a leader that looks like them, i.e; is a woman, a person of color, older workers, or a member of the LGBTQIA community, they will feel enthusiastic about your company and they will know that as a company you have already helped people like them grow in their career. Most candidates want to work somewhere that will allow them to advance and provides a future for them.
There is still a lack of diversity among hospitality upper management, although 54% said the industry presents equal advancement opportunities regardless of an employee’s race, religion, national origin, gender, ability, or age, only 47% of those who agreed identified as Asian and 33% identified as Black or African American.
A way to show these stories is to create a landing page on your website where you can highlight the stories of your employees and give them a chance to share their own experience, and how you helped them become a senior leader, where candidates can easily find them when researching your company.
Show your action plan and statistics
Last year, there were many companies that pledge to become more diverse companies. That’s a great first step, however, now candidates want companies to put their money where their mouth is. People want to see actual strategies a company will be implementing and statistics that show a company is trying and/or meeting its diversity goals.
Try creating some infographics or a webpage that tracks your progress as a company against your own action items. If it makes sense, create a report that candidates can download that encompasses all of your company strategies, statistics, and efforts.
Give current employees a reason to talk
We recently spoke with Nikki Massey, Senior Vice President, Human Resources – Americas for Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and when asked about companies becoming more diverse, she said, “when it comes to diversity, as an organization, employers can make a lot of statements about their intent, but the real proof sits with the colleagues themselves.”
If your diverse employees feel supported in the organization, they will speak highly of your organization to potential candidates within their communities. As an organization, allow your employees to give regular feedback to make sure you are meeting employee expectations or if you need to improve your efforts.
It’s important for companies to remember that candidates and guests want to see companies going beyond making statements of support, they want to see the steps taken to truly show their support.