BUSINESS OWNERS: How do you like your coffee?
More likely, each individual's answer to this question is very particular and it’s usually the same answer every time unless things occur (like lack of sleep or diet changes) and they have to change up coffee styles or preferences according to the outcome that is needed at the moment.
For coffee, sticking to the same preference is okay. But regarding employees in the workplace, things should never work by that system. You should not — therefore cannot only hire one type of person. I'm sure the goal is always to choose "the best" candidates. But in the case of building a strong team you need variety and diversity. In order for diversity to live and thrive you must implement equity and inclusion along with it. All three of these things are a package deal. Don't make the mistake of wasting time. This happens when one thinks this doesn’t apply to their own situation. Falling victim to that mindset causes you stress and difficulty trying to find candidates who are “different” because now you find yourself in a crunch, bind, or social disaster.
So before you “need to”, take the time to understand that diversity is the right thing to do in every situation, it is the way of life, it makes a stronger workforce, it benefits you and the workers in ways you wouldn’t even imagine, and best of all, your customers will thank you for it.
Diversity is the #1 key to staff your business. In this blog I will give you 4 ways to hire a more diverse workgroup.
Make the job offer easily accessible in multiple locations more than what’s considered “normal” for your company. Dealing with so many uncertain circumstances at this moment in 2022, many people need jobs, a career change or a chance to earn extra income right now. So application awareness and application placement is going to be key. (Remember to always go above what is considered normal for your company when talking about application placement.)
Diverse means to be different, and to have variation within your staff. People can be diverse in age, ethnicity, race, experience, gender, physical ability. So do not look for diversity only in one area. That is the way of thinking that we are trying to stray away from in the first place.
Lift some of the strict (and non-mandatory) applicant requirements. Some that will call for a lot of skilled candidates to be ruled out.
Offer training in areas that may not be pre-obtained from beginner candidates. This may be useful for those who do not usually go for jobs in that field and your whole goal is to attract them.
"It means equality, it's that simple," says Yvette Willis, manager of Unlimited Staffing Solutions in Philadelphia, PA.
We at PG understand that some of these tips may sound like a risk, however. We all know something that someone else does not. Experience and skills aren't the only way or sometimes the right way to measure that. Your best candidate may be the one that the screening process turned away.
We will be posting follow up blogs related to this topic so stay tuned:
Recognizing experience and disability as diversity elements
Time to support your diverse team
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