A recruitment software company recently polled 2,000 women and found that 40% of female senior managers and 18% of other females had been asked during interviews if they have children or about their intentions to have children.
This is a huge risk for businesses.
⚠️The prospect of discrimination, harassment or victimisation claims exists before you actually employ anyone.
⚠️Claims, or even just word of mouth could also be reputationally damaging
⚠️You could be missing out on key talent for your business and the opportunity to plug skills gaps
⚠️ You could be damaging your bottom line. McKinsey’s research shows that gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to outperform their peers and ethnically-diverse companies are 35% more likely to do the same.
Are you / your hiring managers clear on what they should include in job adverts, or even where to place the adverts? Do they know what they should and should not not ask during an interview? Is your recruitment and selection process inclusive and not discriminatory? Are your hiring managers trained to recruit? Are they aware of protected characteristics?
It isn’t just about what not to say during interviews. There are a multitude of aspects to consider. For example, CVs, references and cover letters rather than psychometric and aptitude tests put people with diverse characteristics at a disadvantage.
When did you last examine your end to end hiring practices with an inclusion and diversity lens? Contact me if you would like to have a chat about how I could help you with this.
If you’d like to comment, I’d love to hear about any of the great stuff you are doing around Inclusion and Diversity in recruitment.
Also – if you are able to share, I’d love to hear about any positive or shocking experiences you have had personally as a candidate.
Are you losing valuable time or sleep over HR worries?
Get in touch to arrange a no obligation chat to find out how I can help you
Diverse and Inclusive Recruitment
