3 Urgent Areas Managers Must Be Held Accountable to Increase Workplace Diversity

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💥This is #IncreaseDiversity, a weekly newsletter + monthly workshop series sharing best practices to employers who want to implement effective diversity recruitment programs. To see previous editions, visit JenniferTardy.com. 💥 

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Hiring Leaders: “I know that increasing diversity is important for our organization, I’m not sure where I fit into it and where to start.”

The more I interview workplace leaders, the more this message surfaces. I have observed that leaders generally want to support initiatives to increase diversity. The challenge is that they are unsure where to start, what they are empowered to do, and where they hold accountability in this initiative. They are often waiting for direction and a green light from the DEI office or Human Resources.  Have you observed this in your workplace too?

If you are on the front lines leading this initiative to increase workplace diversity, I want to share three immediate and urgent areas of priority to consider to help you get started. If you are seeking deeper guidance, these are three areas we unpack more deeply in our inclusive hiring training program for hiring leaders.

Urgent Areas of Accountability for Hiring Leaders:

Priority #1: Selection Decision Justifications

Request that hiring managers justify their final selection decision before making an offer. Making the justification transparent, putting it in writing, and even recording the decision within the applicant tracking system creates accountability. Within written justifications, you will be able to identify the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities that made the selected candidate more competitive and a better addition to the team than other applicants. It does NOT mean that the hiring manager is responsible for hiring the BIPOC candidate, for example. It ensures that bias didn't lead the hiring manager to NOT select them. It also creates space for recruiters and HR business partners to offer checks-and-balances in the selection process.

Priority #2: Promotional Decision Justifications

I believe in implementing internal diversity recruiting programs too. Your external recruiting program ensures that there is an increase in representation among those who get hired into your company. An internal diversity recruiting program ensures that those hired into your company are afforded equitable access to opportunities for advancement. Too often we are thinking about the initiative to increase diversity in context to who we hire. Leaders should also be thinking about increasing diversity in terms of who we promote.

Whether or not you have a formal internal diversity recruiting program, request that managers who are filling positions for internal workplace opportunities (i.e., promotions, lateral moves, short term projects, etc.) justify these selection decisions too. Encourage promotional decisions based on having the requisite skills to meet a business need and avoid giving promotions based on criteria that not all employees have access to (i.e., unwritten rules). Again, create space for recruiters and HR business partners to offer checks-and-balances in the process.

Priority #3: Retention

In context to employees from historically underrepresented populations, hold managers accountable for their ability to retain top talent. Review year over year data. Is there an issue with turnover within a specific business unit? Is there a pattern of turnover within a specific department? Are there disproportionate amounts of turnover – even on a specific team? Employees do not leave companies, they leave managers. There is no way to truly increase diversity if folx are leaving the organization as quickly as they are being hired.

Remember this. Increasing diversity is directional rather than binary, so when it comes to implementing an effective diversity recruiting program we have to measure inputs as we are measuring outputs. As a matter of fact, we need to measure inputs often before we measure outputs. This is hard for organizations to embrace because our first instinct is to ask, "did we increase diversity or not” which is binary thinking (i.e., yes or no) and can unintentionally lead to performative or optical outcomes. Rather, when our thinking is directional, it is more sustainable with longer term positive impact. For example, asking, “are our hiring teams measuring the right qualifications and competencies rather than relying on gut instinct?” If yes, that is a win in the right direction toward increasing diversity. That is a measure of success for sustainable workplace diversity initiatives.

Join me in the comments below. What additional areas do you recommend managers be held accountable ?

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  • Answer frequently asked questions related to diversity recruiting and retention

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✅ Need support implementing an effective diversity recruiting program at your organization? Visit www.JenniferTardy.com to learn about consulting and training programs.

 
BJennifer Tardy