There’s a lot of talk about building diversity in the workforce today and for a good reason. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also results in higher profitability for the companies that do it. Building a diverse workforce can be easier said than done, though. Businesses need to build a strategy that ensures they are successful in building diversity.
As a CEO of Everest Business Funding, Scott Crockett knows a few things businesses can do to encourage and promote diversity all the way from the office cubicle to the board room.
1. Get Buy-in from the Top
No new program is going to be successful at your company if you don’t get buy-in from the top. The first step in doing this is acknowledging that diversity is lacking in your workplace and then establishing a goal to become more diverse.
Once the members in your board room or executive suite are fully on board with the idea, then they can help spread the new message to the rest of the workforce. Simply talking about being more diverse isn’t enough, though. You need to take action, too.
This all starts with education. What does diversity mean, and how can you be more inclusive of people’s diversity? Once you answer those questions, you’ll be able to put a plan in place.
2. Offer Diversity Training
A great way to solidify the buy-in from managers and executives is to offer diversity training. You shouldn’t make the training a requirement, but rather just suggest that it’s something you’ll have available for them. You’ll be surprised how much more participation you get if it becomes an option and not a requirement.
Then, you may hire an outside company experienced in diversity training. They can do everything from describing what diversity means in today’s workforce, the benefits of being more inclusive and, most importantly, how you can incorporate it into your daily routines.
3. Change Your Recruitment and Screening Processes
If you want to build a diverse workforce, you have to start by evaluating your recruitment and screening processes. If your main source of recruiting comes from internal promotions or referrals from current employees, you’re not likely to attract a diverse pool of candidates.
Every business should be posting job openings online, and across multiple sites and channels to attract a diverse pool of applicants. Post on various job boards as well as your company’s social media pages.
Before you do so, though, you can use free software tools to screen your job descriptions and adjust them to recruit more diverse people. Some examples of this include Gender Decoder and Textio, which are available for free online.
4. Allow for Open Feedback
One of the most effective ways you can improve diversity in your company is to become more inclusive. As Scott Crockett points out, today’s diverse workforce wants to work for a company that values their thoughts and opinions.
A great way to do that is to create a system where employees can openly share these thoughts and opinions, and give consistent feedback. You can do this by creating regularly scheduled feedback sessions in both groups and one-on-one. Then, allow employees to approach their managers with additional feedback when they have it.
Once you’ve gotten this feedback, take the time to analyze it and act on the ideas and suggestions that make the most sense for your company.
About Scott Crockett
Scott Crockett is the founder and CEO of Everest Business Funding. He is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in the finance industry. Mr. Crockett’s track record includes raising more than $250 million in capital and creating thousands of jobs. Scott has founded, built, and managed several finance companies in the consumer and commercial finance sectors.
