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10 Reasons Why Inclusivity Needs To Be Part of Your Diversity Strategy

The technology industry still struggles with diversity and inclusion. Most companies often fail to attract diverse talent due to inclusivity issues within the workplace. For businesses looking to sharpen their diversity and inclusion programs, the change can seem rather daunting. According to EY, companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have higher financial returns than their industry peers. Additionally, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are also 15% more likely to perform better financially than their peers. So, it seems simple – diversity and inclusion drive business revenue and profits. However, it seems we often neglect the ‘I’ in the D&I conversation. The challenge is in having a culture where all employees feel included. It’s a huge investment in time and money to bring talent into your organisation, so why bring them in if they’re not happy when they get there? You’ve got to get the inclusion part right. To make employees feel more included, appreciated and safe in the workplace, initiatives must be targeted to achieve specific results - inclusive workplaces attract and retain the best talent. Nowadays, top talent see their workplace as an extension of their lifestyle; if their core values are not reflected in those of the company, it is unlikely that your employees will thrive in your business. 1. What are your diversity goals? There are multiple considerations that need to be made when building a diversity strategy, but the first is understanding your end goals. Studies have shown that organisations building strategies that focus on one group, often alienate that same group. For example, it has been highlighted that programmes focused on increasing the number of women in IT, can have a positive and negative impact as it is perceived that not enough is being done to hone in addressing other diversity issues; including, racial profile, sexual orientation or disability. The case for diversity must also be a holistic one, taking into account the benefits of diversity for organisations (such as enhanced employer brand, contribution to society, and corporate reputation) alongside the benefits for individuals at work. 2. Where does inclusivity fit in to your hiring strategy? Diversity strategies and goals are a substantial consideration for all growth businesses, however a lack of understanding of the local talent pools and the impact on corporate culture creates greater problems for those whose sole focus is diversity. Studies have shown that too often, leaders focus diversity and inclusion efforts disproportionately leading to a forward thinking talent attraction programme and a lesser focus on retention and championing the vision that attracted the talent in the first instance. To retain and nurture top talent, it’s critical to take an honest look at the end-to-end employee experience, with an eye toward creating conditions that promote inclusion on a daily basis and designing ways to measure the impact. Inclusion strategies are a great way to understand the impact on current employees who are not a target focus when driving diversity; different groups may feel disadvantaged due to diversity, not ability. Whilst building diversity and inclusivity programmes, retaining ALL talent in competitive markets is vital. 3. Use inclusive language First impressions count and anyone applying for a job online through social media or a corporate website will build a picture of your culture and determine the fit before deciding whether to apply. Therefore, it is vital that your company literature is appealing to the audience that you are aiming to appeal to. Social media company, Buffer, challenged their use of language used in computer programmer job descriptions as only 2% of applicants were female. This improved after a review of their job descriptions and job advertisements determined that there was unconscious usage of gendered wording. 4. Look beyond culture fit Most employers seek to hire employees based on culture fit. Whilst it’s understandable that companies should wish to hire people who will fit in, it can lead to a homogeneous workforce. Instead, employers should hire for culture add – targeting candidates that bring something unique to the company culture that doesn’t currently exist. Cast your recruitment net wider to include people from underrepresented groups. Reach out to professional hiring organisations, attend conferences and networking events that cater to a diverse crowd. 5. Build a Mentoring Community Every great community need mentors. Mentors voice concerns and overcome challenges for their community members. Communities can vary from race, gender, age, sexuality, religion and even remote workers - it's important that everyone feels respected and included in the same way. These mentors should take the time to learn about different cultures, races, religions, needs and backgrounds represented by their colleagues. 6. Acknowledge holidays of all cultures One way to build awareness of diversity and foster greater inclusivity is to be aware of, and acknowledge, a variety of upcoming religious and cultural holidays. Your employees may be at work, but this matters to them on a personal level. Use your company’s internal communications to help employees be more aware of, and keep track of, multicultural religious or holiday celebrations. Be respectful of these days when scheduling meetings and understand that employees may have different needs and therefore require flexibility. 7. A top-down approach isn’t enough Top-down approaches drive compliance, not commitment. From senior leaders to frontline employees, every individual must see and understand their role in company culture. This means identifying differences in employee experiences and values across the organisation, so that change can be made relevant for each person and knowing that lasting change must activate different parts of the system. 8. Inclusion is ongoing — not one-off training It isn’t enough to just teach employees what it means to be inclusive. Like any form of behaviour change, inclusion requires individuals to identify key moments in which to build new habits or “microbehaviors” (daily actions that can be practiced and measured). When these habits are put into action in an environment that supports honest conversations and healthy tension, real change becomes possible. One way to do this is to identify change cohorts within the organisation outside of the executive or management level. By equipping employees with the skills and information, you help them champion change within their departments, teams and working groups. This is much more effective than one-off training sessions which don’t move the needle; you want employees to incorporate these ideas and beliefs into their daily lives. 9. Embrace flexible working There is a clear link between flexible working and the ability to attract and retain diverse talent. This ranges from flexible hours and ad hoc remote working through to dynamic working, part-time and job share opportunities. Changing your default position to be a flexible employer can be a positive step in the right direction, especially as this is becoming more of an important option to today's employees. It's important that they feel as included and valued in company communications and team decisions as those based in your office. 10. Consider your brand Brand and culture go hand-in-hand. The way in which you offer your products and services to the world reflect your values, and your biases. In the journey toward building a more inclusive organisation, it’s important to consider the relationship between what’s happening inside and outside of your company. What is your brand saying about who you are as a culture? What experiences are being left out or misunderstood? This should be refined and made transparent to potential employees, so they can make an accurate assessment about the cultural fit before applying to a vacancy. ________________ Workplace inclusion is something every workplace should strive for. It ultimately leads to increased productivity and employee well-being. It’s worth remembering that a diverse workplace does not necessarily lead to an inclusive one. A targeted inclusion strategy can go a long way to fostering long-lasting diversity and inclusion within your workplace culture.

Struggling to Hire ServiceNow Professionals? - Here's why

Sourcing high quality senior ServiceNow professionals with the right certifications and skills is becoming an ever-increasing challenge for hiring managers. Competition Approaching things from a positive perspective, you are not alone when it comes to recruiting exceptional cloud professionals. The whole market is struggling. That means that the good candidates will always have multiple organisations vying for their services, some of which will go to incredible lengths to secure talent in the current climate. If you have not already, you’ll need to understand how you differentiate in the mind of the candidate and play to your strengths; recognising that you aren’t always able to offer everything to everyone. Salary Because of the skills gap, the market effect of this has meant the price of ServiceNow talent has dramatically increased. Because ServiceNow is a relatively new technology, candidates may often have less experience and higher salary expectations than your business may be expecting. Candidates recognise that the value of their skills (irrespective of experience levels) can be inflated, as some corners of the market will pay for it. This in tun is driving up salary levels and making it increasingly more likely that churn will occur in all organisations as the demand intensifies. Skills Gap The demand for talent globally is at its peak, yet the volume of candidates has not kept pace with the number of jobs. Therefore, companies that require the skills are facing significantly more challenges than before and companies under threat of losing the skills are fighting harder than ever to retain their talent. Technology Technology is of course impacting the way hiring managers and recruiters do their jobs, and to be successful, you need to embrace technology to improve the speed and efficiency of the hiring process. Technology also enables potential candidates to see the presence companies have online, from your own website, social media or Trustpilot reviews, as well as job rating websites such as Glassdoor and Kununu. ServiceNow professionals are of course more likely to apply to companies with a positive reputation and active presence than those who have a negative one or lack one completely. Companies are no longer able to get away with keeping their internal culture a secret. In fact, the more transparent companies are about their business, the more likely they are able to attract potential high-level ServiceNow candidates. Candidate Experience Poor candidate experiences are not exclusive to the interaction a hiring manager or recruiter has with a candidate; it’s also the way candidates navigate the entire application process. One of the reasons companies lose great talent is because they create unnecessary mazes for applicants to jump through. If you want to attract and win over ServiceNow talent, you must start by assessing your current recruitment strategy from start to finish and close any gaps that pose challenges for potential candidates. Developing a smooth and easy flow helps strengthen the way applicants navigate the recruitment process creating an overall positive candidate experience. Skillset A hiring manager must take a few things into account when looking for ServiceNow professionals; ServiceNow is a relatively new technology, the majority of your candidates may have fewer than 10 years of experience, some of their salary expectations may be higher than you are anticipating, and still some of them may have talents and skills you’re over-looking because they might not seem relevant at the time. Companies like Google and Microsoft are retiring University degree requirements in favour of more hands-on experience. Passing on CV’s and applications because candidates don’t tick all of the boxes is the quickest way to miss out on top talent. It’s unfair to assume candidates who have all the educational requirements outsmart candidates with more drive and hands-on experience. Last year, ServiceNow CEO John Donahoe said that his company will need to recruit talented candidates with different skillsets: “We have a goal to be a $4 billion business by 2020, on our way to be a $10 billion business. The way I think about it is, what is required to be a $4 billion company? What kind of leadership? What kind of skillsets? What kind of requirements? One is we need to do everything we can to develop the talent we have today. We have wonderful talent, but our leadership needs are going to be extraordinary going forward. We must invest in our top talent today and do everything we can to grow and develop them. Two, we’re going to have to continue to recruit, and recruit effectively. We will need to recruit different types of skills, the breadth of skills that’ll be necessary to be a $10 billion business.” Training & Development ServiceNow specialists enjoy learning as the platform constantly evolves - one of the top reasons why candidates join a company is the exposure they will get to the platform and further career opportunities. Of course, offering to support them through their certifications is also a massive positive at all levels. If you can articulate your plans for the platform and the opportunities that will be available for them, you are much more likely to get your desired hire. Contractors Tapping into the contract talent available offers your business an additional and more extensive candidate pool. A 2017 report found that the number of freelance professionals is expected to exceed non-freelancers by three million by 2027, whilst nearly half of Generation Z (46%) are freelancers, a number that is set to increase as 61 million are projected to enter the workforce in the next couple of years. Similarly, nearly half of all millennials (47%) operate on a freelance basis. While considering contract professionals may be a viable option for your company, your contingent workforce still requires robust and effective support, direction, and performance management to maximise the use of their skills within your organisation. Creating a consistent and positive employee experience by focusing on engagement for all your workers should form a central component of your overall hiring strategy. Use a specialist ServiceNow recruitment consultancy A StaffHost Europe specialist recruitment consultant will know what’s what in the industry and be able to vet candidates who have the latest knowledge. Plus, a good recruitment consultancy will have specific specialists with candidates across the countries and regions in which they operate, and they will know what it will take to get that candidate onboard. When you engage with a specialist recruiter, typically the qualification of candidates will have happened many months before. As with any other industry, specialists will take the time to intimately understand their product or service, the competitive landscape, risk factors and things that are positively impacting the landscape. Specialist recruiters invest in candidates for the long-term. They may be happily employed now, however things do change. It may be 3 months, 6 months, 2 years; however, when it does happen, the specialist recruiters will know first as they have maintained relations and dialogue with the candidate for the entire period. If you post a ServiceNow job online, you will no doubt get plenty of applicants, but a specialist recruiter is armed with highly skilled, pre-qualified candidates, who are ready to improve their career when the right opportunity presents itself.

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