5 Diversity Recruitment Trends in 2023

Diversity and inclusion are becoming more important in the workplace these days, and not only as a result of more progressive thinking. Data has indicated clearly that companies prioritizing inclusion are more resilient. For instance, companies with “more than 30% women” on executive teams have been shown to be more likely to outperform their counterparts with fewer women, and businesses with “greater ethnic and cultural diversity” were 36% more likely to outperform their peers in the last year before the pandemic.

It is largely for these reasons that companies are aiming to promote diversity and inclusion. And this process often begins with the aim to eliminate instances of unfair recruitment and give everyone an equal opportunity to be hired.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at the subject of workplace diversity and some of the specific related changes and trends occurring in HR.

What is Diversity in the Workplace?

First, let’s dig into this question a little more deeply. Diversity in this context refers to the notion of recruiting talent from a wide range of backgrounds: people with different native languages, sexual orientations, races, and other identifying characteristics that may, in the past, have barred them from consideration with certain companies. Businesses embracing workplace diversity are using various tactics (which we’ll explore below) to attempt to provide equal opportunity to all candidates. This is a sharp contrast to the biases that have existed in recruitment and hiring in the past and leads to a more diverse workplace.

Why Is It So Important?

While some look at “diversity in the workplace” as a sort of buzz term, the simple fact is that it has numerous benefits. First and foremost –– as noted previously –– more diverse workplaces have been shown to outperform their counterparts. In this sense, any given company only stands to benefit by prioritizing more inclusive hiring practices.

Additionally, though, diversity in recruitment is meant to steer us past clear instances of workplace discrimination that still happen all too frequently. Only a few years ago, studies showed that minority job candidates who “whitened” their resumes gained a better chance of being hired –– with companies proving more than twice as likely to interview minority candidates who concealed their race on resumes than those who did not. It’s merely one example of how hiring practices often work directly against diversity and inclusion –– but it’s a stark one.

How Are Workplaces Incorporating Diversity Today?

Observing Celebrations and Movements

As we’ve highlighted in the past, we have a whole month devoted to women’s small businesses. It’s an occasion meant to promote and celebrate women entrepreneurs, and women in the workplace in general. Such occasions have also become excellent opportunities for businesses to tap into diverse markets and practice inclusive outreach.

Sticking with the example of National Women’s Small Business Month specifically, recent years have seen companies like Spectrum, UPS, and Verizon, among others, promoting the #NWSBM hashtag on social media. In this way –– simply by observing celebrations and movements revolving around minority populations –– businesses and their HR departments can perform effective public outreach to a more diverse range of candidates.

Inclusive Job Ads

Far too often, job ads have non-inclusive language that turns potential candidates away. Naturally, this can become a problem even when it’s not done intentionally. But with more companies now focusing on inclusivity, HR departments are making more of an effort to make job ads inclusive.

There are a number of ways in which this is done. Job ads can be written with inclusive, gender-neutral terminology; they can stay brief and focus solely on skills and requirements; they can even explicitly state a company’s commitment to diverse hiring. Any of these approaches can increase the likelihood of a company successfully diversifying its hires.

Interpersonal Skills Being Prioritized in HR

HR departments can also promote diversity and inclusion through direct interaction with candidates. Indeed, it’s been noted in discussions about today’s human resources careers that interpersonal skills are increasingly being prioritized. Currently, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7% job growth (between 2018 and 2028 specifically) in human resource managers specifically –– with leadership and interpersonal skills being among the core qualities establishing people’s qualifications for the role.

This is vital with regard to the need to handle the complexities that come with an increasingly diverse workplace. Particularly with automated tech now driving hiring processes and in many cases helping to foster greater diversity, the actual HR employees in a company need to be prepared to be equally welcoming and professional toward all candidates and hires. HR managers should be able to convey, on a person-to-person basis, that the workplace stands behind whatever increased diversity it may be bringing about through altered hiring practices.

Remote and Hybrid Work Options

Despite a post-pandemic push for more employees to return to the office full time, some companies are proving willing to cut a deal with their employees, allowing them to work from home either part-time or full-time. This is largely in response to the fact that earlier this year, it was found that 61% of employees still working from home were doing so by choice. Preferences have shifted, and many companies are accommodating that shift.

As much as this is framed merely as a change in how we work, it also makes workplaces more welcoming to a more diverse range of current or potential employees. For instance, allowing for more flexible working conditions makes it easier for working parents to spend time with their little ones (which was often simply not an option in years past). It can also provide more opportunities for employees or prospective hires who live in remote areas or may have handicaps or other disadvantages that make it difficult to commute.

Diversity Training

It is one thing to incorporate diversity in recruitment –– but it’s another thing completely to encourage a peaceful work environment between diverse new hires and existing employees who may have outdated mindsets (even if only subconsciously). This is the part where the aforementioned interpersonal skills of HR employees come into play. But beyond basic interaction, it’s also important for companies and HR departments to design specific diversity training programs in order to ready workplace culture for change and inclusion.

The most effective diversity training programs are those that tie the issues to the mission and/or values of the company, as well as those that involve various forms of instruction –– such as lectures, practical exercises, and interactive discussions.

At this point, it is clear beyond any doubt that diversity and inclusion benefit companies and do so in multiple ways. As more businesses become aware of this reality, changes and trends like the ones outlined here will only continue to improve recruiting and training practices and make workplaces more equitable.

Also read: Everything You Need to Know About the Business Plan for Your Startup