How to Create an Inclusive (DEI Compliant) High Volume Hiring Strategy 

Workplace diversity is about accepting different individuals and creating an inclusive environment for all. If diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are valued in an organization, it means it allows each employee to make contributions based on their unique experiences, skill sets, and attitudes. Naturally, it unlocks the potential to create an overwhelming impact on the work culture, productivity, and morale of the employees of that organization. Diversity is just not a fad, rather companies of all sizes, and ages keep trying to attain upward spikes for benefits attached to building heterogeneous teams.

As a high-volume hiring manager, you shall delve deep into how a diverse team can make your business a true representative of society and bring a better understanding to all its stakeholders. Essentially, it helps you market and sells yourself in a much-personalized way. A study by LinkedIn points out that diversity roles are up by 71% over the last five years. Importantly, the incidents of outcry over systematic racism had intensified the demand for diversity and inclusion in volume hiring, making it as much a moral imperative.

Now, how to ensure diversity in the workplace during volume hiring. Below are some steps to guide.

1. Review Your DE&I Strategy Before Volume Hiring

McKinsey and Deloitte in their research reports have pointed out that high-performing companies focus more on creating inclusive talent systems to outperform their peers, statistically. McKinsey’s study shows that gender-diverse companies outperform 15% and ethnically-diverse companies are likely to do the same by 35%. This correlation does indicate that when hiring managers keep D & I in the top quartile, they are more successful. Diverse companies are more likely to win employees’ trust, and improve decision-making with better customer orientation and leverage.

Hiring managers can set the following objectives before volume hiring to have a good baseline.

• Have you created a job description for each role, listed necessary skills, and removed elements of bias-ness in those job descriptions?

• What do you want to see in an ideal candidate? Don’t forget to include different cultural characteristics, and skill mix to broaden your search for it. 

• What impact do you want to have with each role, and why? And, to whom will this role impact the most?

• Under which influence did you initiate hiring for these roles? Any intrinsic or extrinsic factors? What long-term impact will they have on the mission and philosophies of your business?

If you have taken the time to assess yourself on the things above and still give a go-ahead to hire, then it’s time to talk about how to make hiring for DEI roles.

2. Making Volume Hiring for Diverse and Inclusive Roles

Industries contrast in nature and address their unique issues differently. The first-timers shall set hiring strategies for high-volume hiring, find out what works/doesn’t work, and then redefine them accordingly. To reach your hiring goals successfully, the next set of answers shall be on these questions:

• Determine how you will reach the candidates. Are you hiring the candidate from the talent pool-internally or externally? If hiring from the internal pool, how will you weigh a person with little experience and training in such roles? And, if hiring from an external source, how are you going to cast your net wider and stay unbiased during the interview process?

• How concise, rigorous, and measurable will the interview be for DEI candidates?

Now, if your search has landed your desired candidates, see how to set the success further.

3. Mapping Success Ahead After DEI Volume Recruitments

Companies taking their DEI efforts cannot enjoy victory celebration, as inclusion never stops, and success always remains illusionary. However, small wins, inevitable best practices, and some compelling efforts can help businesses to gain traction in their sight. Doing homework on another set of questions can help you triumph.

• Have you set the accountability rightfully? And, ensure that the newly recruited are engaged and aware of these communication lines clearly and therefore, journey.

• Are they clear with the seniority level? And, is it communicated thoroughly for its roles, intentions, and reasons for such preparedness?
• Is the picture clear on the budget and other financial implications attached to these roles? What tools, training, sponsorships, partnerships, and memberships are you referring to when finalizing these items? 

No matter which corner of the world your company is headquartered in, achieving diversity and inclusivity is still challenging related to centralism, biasedness, silos, perception, team burnouts, and more. The way out is to see DEI, as more of an integrated business function rather than merely an HR function. 

A team at the organization level needs to sit together, frame direct or dotted lines, and embed efforts simply beyond plain hiring. What’s more, the diverse leaders shall not forget to support the core cause publicly- in person or on social media- to lead with the jobs of the moment.