Management Principle 2
Recruit, select and onboard inclusively
Inclusive recruitment, selection and onboarding are crucial components of an inclusive work environment. Unfortunately, existing recruitment and selection procedures are frequently not inclusive.
Due to conscious or unconscious bias on the part of recruiters and employers, these procedures often lead to the recruitment of new staff with background and characteristics that correspond to the profile of current staff.
So how do you recruit and select inclusively?
- Adapt your recruitment and selection procedure to attract a more diverse workforce.
- Work on raising awareness of personal prejudices.
- Develop a broader frame of reference.
- Communicate openly about the procedure and the choice of a particular profile.
Also pay attention to a warm welcome and a good onboarding process. Do new employees feel welcome? Do they ‘find their way’ in the organisation? Is there someone to whom they can address questions? Are they aware of the diversity and inclusion policy and the activities it includes?
Tips for inclusive recruitment, selection and onboarding
- In vacancy advertising copy, focus only on the essential requirements of the job such as competencies and experience.
- When advertising vacancies, consider adding a diversity clause.
- Screen any images you use in a job advertising. If life philosophy diversity is already a reality in the organisation, make that visible.
- Look beyond the classic recruitment channels and expand your networks.
- Select a diverse recruitment committee.
- Provide clear, fast feedback – also to the candidates who were not selected.
- During the interview do not ask questions about religion or religious symbols.
- Mention how you’re working towards a more inclusive workplace during onboarding.
- Provide someone to whom new recruits can address questions on inclusion and life philosophy in the workplace.
More tips?
Download the research results in printable format.
A Case in point
Almasy is totally committed to having a diverse staff
‘Almasy states, in all of its recruitment ads, that it is a diverse organisation. That we are open to everyone. This lowers the threshold for many candidates and enlarges the candidate pool. We also make it clear from the beginning that we strive for an inclusive workplace. Everything is open to discussion and we regard diversity as a competence.’
Inclusion is not one OR the other
‘Don’t focus on the differences, but convince others by emphasising the many advantages that the differences bring. That makes it easier for everyone to accept them.’
Tools for inclusive recruitment, selection and onboarding
These freely accessible, online tools (in Dutch) help you determine your organisation’s current level of diversity and/or inclusion:
- Checklist voor een leesbare vacature van Verso
- Praktische infofiches om diversiteit een plek te geven in je personeelsbeleid van Diversity Remix
- Tips, tools en voorbeelden om een diversiteitsbeleid uit te werken van Vreemde Vragen
- Ondersteuning bij de uitwerking en opvolging van een inclusief diversiteitsbeleid van eDiv
