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The principle of “first, do no harm” has been a fundamental tenet within the medical community for centuries. It emphasizes the critical importance of avoiding harm to patients when treating them. As our world grows increasingly diverse, this guiding principle takes on even greater significance, transcending the boundaries of medicine to foster a culture of empathy, understanding, and inclusivity across all sectors and workplaces.

It reminds us in our daily interactions with people of different races, ethnicities, religions, genders, abilities, neurodiversity, and sexual orientations that we are acutely mindful of our actions and words and recognize the potential harm that can stem from ignorance, bias, and intolerance.

When people ask us what we do at Team JTC, we proudly and confidently say, “We help organizations effectively increase diversity without doing harm.” This powerful statement is at the heart of our mission. In fact, our biggest competitor isn’t another organization offering training and consulting. Instead, it’s the workplace that tries to increase diversity on its own without proper guidance. Though these workplaces may have noble intentions, they often end up doing more harm than good, even creating harm in the first place. So, we keep on nudging organizations that good intentions are not enough.

When your diversity initiatives do more harm than good, a lot of resources go to waste, not to mention having to undo the damages before starting all over again. Let’s call them “Unintentional Harmful Actions.”

To help you avoid these pitfalls, I present five unintentional harmful actions that hurt your organization’s diversity recruitment efforts. Keep an eye out and take action to stop them in their tracks!

Ready? Let’s begin!

Unintentional Harmful Action #1: Ineffective Language

Language significantly impacts how people perceive themselves and others. When organizations use terms that “other” individuals, they inadvertently create division. For example, referring to someone as “diverse” implies that they are different, while diversity should be understood as encompassing everyone within a group. To avoid this, companies need to educate employees on inclusive language and consistently review and update their communication policies.

Unintentional Harmful Action #2: “Reverse” Discrimination

Some diversity initiatives may “feel” discriminatory to employees, which can backfire, leading to resentment and reduced morale by employees who do not benefit from the initiative. Some may call it “reverse discrimination,” but there’s no such thing as forward or reverse when it comes to discriminating against people. Discrimination is, after all, discrimination.

To prevent this, ensure your approach to diversity recruiting does not imply that employees must be hired based on how they identify. That is not the goal of diversity recruiting. Diversity recruiting focuses on increasing representation within the candidate pool, removing bias in the hiring process, and hiring the most competitive person for the role. That’s it.

Unintentional Harmful Action #2: “Reverse” Discrimination

Some diversity initiatives may “feel” discriminatory to employees, which can backfire, leading to resentment and reduced morale by employees who do not benefit from the initiative. Some may call it “reverse discrimination,” but there’s no such thing as forward or reverse when it comes to discriminating against people. Discrimination is, after all, discrimination.

To prevent this, ensure your approach to diversity recruiting does not imply that employees must be hired based on how they identify. That is not the goal of diversity recruiting. Diversity recruiting focuses on increasing representation within the candidate pool, removing bias in the hiring process, and hiring the most competitive person for the role. That’s it.

Unintentional Harmful Action #4: Tug-of-War between Hiring Managers and Recruiters

A lack of understanding and collaboration between hiring managers and recruiters can lead to strained relationships and ineffective diversity recruiting efforts. This is often due to miscommunication, differing expectations, and a lack of shared responsibility.

To foster better cooperation, organizations need to invest in training programs that coach both parties on how to work together, set clear expectations, and share accountability for diversity recruitment outcomes.

Unintentional Harmful Action #5: Ignoring Resistance, Confusion, and Discomfort

Resistance, confusion, and discomfort are natural reactions to change, especially when it comes to diversity initiatives. However, when these feelings are left unaddressed, they can hinder progress and create a toxic work environment.

Failing to address and support those experiencing resistance, confusion, or discomfort in diversity hiring efforts can be detrimental. Organizations should create safe spaces for open dialogue, provide support and resources to help employees navigate these emotions, and continuously evaluate their diversity efforts to ensure they remain inclusive and effective. We need to help frontline workers – recruiters, hiring managers, leaders, and other interview team members (or “ambassadors” as we call them at Team JTC) – to work through these feelings.

This list of five is only the beginning of the many ways in which organizations may do harm when trying to implement diversity recruiting initiatives. We keep a long list that we’ll keep discussing and unpacking in future articles. For now, imagine a world where “first, do no harm” isn’t just a principle but the very heartbeat of your organization’s diversity initiatives. At Team JTC, we constantly strive to turn that dream into reality, transforming how diversity initiatives are approached. We strive to do the opposite, helping organizations increase diversity without causing harm.

Let’s bring this more to the table. Join me in the comments to share more examples of what harm you think can occur when diversity recruiting is done ineffectively.