How important is diversity and inclusion in recruitment?
There is room for everyone, including in the labour market. It is therefore important to bring ever more care, attention and sensitivity to recruiting and selecting people.
A good leader should know how to encourage diversity and inclusion as more than a simple number.
Why is it important to invest in diversity in recruitment and selection?
Companies frequently already know what they want in a professional. Taking on a role goes beyond technical skills and aptitudes; behavioural profile makes all the difference when it comes to hiring and training.
Challenges
The greatest difficulty for companies is still a lack of knowledge. Although they have some sense of the subject, few companies go into it in depth. That is why it matters to distinguish diversity from inclusion. A diverse environment has different people in it; an inclusive environment is welcoming and safe enough for anyone to be themselves.
Unfortunately, there are still companies that treat age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and other characteristics as decisive factors when hiring. Overcoming that kind of preconception requires building a collective awareness in the company, through conversation, training, policy and so on.
Management
Bosses and managers need to be prepared to work with every kind of profile. A good leader should know how to encourage diversity and inclusion as more than a simple number. Equally, a company's recruitment and selection process should make its inclusive stance clear.
So why invest in diversity in recruitment and selection?
A more diverse team and an inclusive environment help you stand out in the market.
Above all, it is essential to have a workplace with opportunities for everyone. Promoting diversity in recruitment and selection creates a working environment that is more dynamic, more creative and more respectful for everyone.
Equally, potential investors see more potential in a company that respects those principles of inclusion and diversity. Every organisation, after all, also has a social function.
Because it allows healthy exchange between colleagues, it also brings new points of view. We live at a time when these discussions are necessary. To situate ourselves in the current context properly, in a way that does not hurt anyone, a diverse workplace is ideal for healthy and varied discussion.
A diverse workplace makes understanding and acceptance essential day to day, which makes the team more tolerant and more empathetic. A more diverse team and an inclusive environment help you stand out in the market. The best results appear in teams that work with more engagement and have the best ideas.
We know there is a long road ahead at practically every company, in Brazil and worldwide, before diversity and inclusion are genuinely practised. One of the fundamental pieces is the HR function, which needs to rethink how it runs its selection processes and, above all, develop a culture in which every profile feels accepted, welcomed, respected and given equal opportunity at work. 🌈🏳️🌈