Inclusive recruitment and nurturing talent

Inclusive recruitment practices

We all want to feel like we belong. It’s human nature. In achieving a sense of belonging, we first need to feel accepted and included by others. As an employer, being welcoming and inclusive of everyone matters - at every stage of an employee’s journey.

That means we need to recognize and value diversity, right from the start.

15% of the world’s population have a disability. That’s 1 in 7 people. Around 15-20% of us have a neurodiversity such as Dyslexia, Autism and ADHD. With an accessible and inclusive recruitment process in place, we can truly promote equal opportunities for everyone. A process where every candidate feels invited, understood and empowered to succeed. This allows us to recruit the best person for the job.

Not only that, employees with disabilities are often empathetic, tenacious and resilient. People with neurodifferences often think and behave in unique ways. With this comes out-of-the-box thinking, creative solutions and more. Inclusive recruitment allows us to benefit from a wealth of talent that’s often forgotten. In fact companies that champion disability inclusion report 30% higher profit margins compared to their peers. Despite this, just 51% of people with disabilities of working age are employed. That compares to 81% of people who are not disabled.

6 ways to make your recruitment process inclusive

Below, we take a look at six ways you can ensure your recruitment process is genuinely unbiased and inclusive - allowing you to hire the best possible candidates.

1. Write inclusive job descriptions
   Every organization develops their own language; it is part of the world you operate in every day. If you want to attract people who are different from the status quo, they need to understand what is expected from the start. Make sure the description is written in Plain English, and free from jargon. Ensure the criteria is clear and reflects the skills and competencies needed to do the job.
   
   It’s also helpful to invite applications in alternative formats, or provide tools on your website to help individuals complete an application, or submit their CV.
   
2. Inclusively design the application process
   Think about how easy you can make it for a diverse range of job applicants to apply for roles. In your recruitment system, check that the messages and instructions displayed throughout the application form-filling process are friendly and inclusive, not overly formal. Design the application process in a simple way that does not confuse or frustrate applicants.
   
   By looking at the language used in recruitment outlets, we can help improve the accessibility and inclusion of the process.
   
3. Be flexible to different needs
   An inclusive interview and selection process will recognize diversity, and be flexible to different needs. To improve, we must be willing to challenge the way things have always been done.
   
   Encourage candidates to demonstrate their talents in different ways. For many people, interviews can be overwhelming. This is especially true for people with neurodifferences, and leaves many people unable to showcase their talents. Rather than relying on a written CV and interview alone, allow candidates to share their talents and suitability for the job in other ways. For example, by submitting a video CV, a portfolio of existing work, or completing a work task or trial.
   
   Provide candidates the opportunity to share their life circumstances, every step of the way. To give all candidates a fair chance to show you how good they are, it’s important to ask candidates if they require any adjustments at each stage. But do so mindfully. Rather than asking for candidates to ‘disclose’ or ‘declare’ a disability, we can simply ask if there are any supports or adjustments they need to help make the process a more positive experience.
   
4. Prepare for an inclusive interview
   During the interview stage it’s important that we’re mindful of unconscious bias. With preparation, the panel will know exactly what to look for and how to elicit the information needed. This can reduce the chances of making a biased decision, and an evidence-based one instead. Preparation involves agreeing in advance:
   
   - the individual roles of panel members
   - the questions that will be asked
   - how the candidate’s answers will be scored
   - whether there will be supplementary questions
   - the potential impact of implicit or unconscious bias.
   
   Planning gives us the time we need to concentrate on the things that really matter during the interview: setting the right tone, finding the best means for candidates to demonstrate their capabilities, asking questions, listening, writing notes.
   
   Now that many interviews are held online, we also need to include more time in interviews for sound delays, screen freezing, and any technical issues that might come up.
   
5. Create a disability inclusion and neurodiversity policy
   A lot of the advice given so far helps us to reduce systemic bias throughout recruitment. By putting policies in place, we can support hiring teams to follow best practice. Having a policy can also help us to be more inclusive throughout all other stages of an employee's journey. It helps us to make sure that all employees are treated fairly, and have what they need to succeed.
   
6. Involve a diverse panel
   We can reduce bias further by making sure that selection and interview panels include a diverse panel. Including multiple people throughout the process helps to balance decisions. This is improved by making sure the panel is representative.

Nurturing neurodiverse talent in the workplace

Employees thrive best in a place where they feel supported, valued and celebrated. That’s why, alongside inclusive recruitment and onboarding, it’s also important for us to build an inclusive company culture. This means a place that embraces differences, makes sure employees feel heard, and helps the entire workforce to feel connected.