Creating inclusive workplaces is crucial for any organization that wants to get the most out of its talent. This means creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong, has equal opportunities, is empowered to do their best work, and feels comfortable making requests and contributing ideas. In this series, we asked prominent HR and business […]

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How to use the right amount of automation to streamline your recruitment process and provide a great candidate experience.

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In the digital age, cloud computing has emerged as a game-changer for businesses, providing numerous benefits and transforming organizations’ operations. From startups to large enterprises, cloud computing has become essential to modern business strategies. 

 

Cost Efficiency

Cloud computing offers significant cost savings for businesses. Traditional on-premises infrastructure requires substantial upfront hardware, software, and maintenance investments. In contrast, cloud computing eliminates the need for expensive on-site infrastructure. Organizations can access computing resources on a pay-as-you-go basis, scaling up or down as needed. This cost-efficient model allows businesses to optimize their IT spending and redirect resources to other critical areas.

 

Scalability and Flexibility

Cloud computing provides unparalleled scalability and flexibility. Businesses can quickly scale their computing resources up or down based on demand. Whether handling peak traffic during seasonal spikes or accommodating business growth, cloud services can rapidly scale to meet changing needs. This agility makes businesses more responsive and adaptable in a fast-paced, dynamic market.

 

Enhanced Collaboration and Productivity

Cloud-based collaboration tools and platforms enable seamless communication and collaboration among teams. With cloud computing, employees can access documents, files, and applications from anywhere, facilitating remote work and enhancing productivity. Real-time collaboration features allow teams to collaborate on projects, fostering innovation and efficiency.

 

Data Security and Reliability

Cloud service providers prioritize data security and invest heavily in robust security measures. They employ encryption, access controls, and regular backups to protect data from unauthorized access, loss, or disasters. Cloud infrastructure is often more reliable than on-premises systems, with built-in redundancy and failover mechanisms. This ensures business continuity and minimizes downtime, enhancing reliability and peace of mind.

 

Scalable Storage and Data Analytics

Cloud storage offers virtually limitless storage capacity, eliminating the need for physical storage infrastructure and maintenance costs. Businesses can store and manage large volumes of data securely in the cloud. Furthermore, cloud computing enables advanced data analytics, leveraging powerful processing capabilities to derive valuable insights from data. This empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions and gain a competitive edge.

 

Innovation and Time-to-Market

Cloud computing accelerates innovation and time-to-market for businesses. Organizations can quickly experiment, develop, and deploy new applications and services with cloud-based services and platforms. This agility allows companies to respond swiftly to market trends, customer demands, and competitive pressures. Cloud computing provides a foundation for innovation, enabling businesses to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

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Effective leadership is crucial for creating a motivated and engaged team. A skilled leader understands the importance of inspiring and empowering team members to achieve collective goals. 

 

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their team members by setting a compelling vision and providing guidance. They encourage creativity and innovation, fostering a sense of purpose and meaning in their work. These leaders establish trust and empower their team by delegating responsibilities and offering support. By actively mentoring and developing their employees, transformational leaders create an environment of growth and continuous improvement.

 

Servant Leadership

Servant leaders prioritize the needs of their team members and focus on their personal and professional development. They support their employees by removing barriers, promoting collaboration, and fostering a positive work environment. Servant leaders actively listen, empathize, and value the well-being of their team. By putting their employees first and leading with humility, they cultivate a sense of loyalty and trust within the group.

 

Coaching Leadership

Coaching leaders adopt a mentorship approach, providing guidance and support to help their team members reach their full potential. They encourage open communication and provide constructive feedback. These leaders identify individual strengths and weaknesses, offering personalized development opportunities. By investing in their employees’ growth and skill enhancement, coaching leaders foster a culture of continuous learning and motivation.

 

Democratic Leadership

Democratic leaders involve their team members in decision-making and value their input and ideas. They encourage active participation, collaboration, and diverse perspectives. By creating a sense of ownership and involvement, democratic leaders foster motivation and engagement. They empower employees to contribute to the organization’s goals and initiatives, increasing job satisfaction and productivity.

 

Authentic Leadership

Authentic leaders lead with integrity, transparency, and genuine care for their team members. They build trust and credibility by demonstrating consistency between their words and actions. These leaders foster an inclusive and supportive environment where employees feel valued and respected. By being true to themselves and promoting open and honest communication, authentic leaders inspire loyalty and commitment from their team.

 

Effective leadership is a critical factor in motivating and engaging teams. Leaders need to understand that different situations may require different leadership approaches. By developing a versatile leadership style and tailoring their approach to the needs of their team, leaders can foster a motivated and high-performing workforce. Remember, leadership is an ongoing journey of self-improvement and adaptability, and by embracing these effective leadership styles, leaders can inspire their teams to achieve greatness.

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Diversity hiring has been a much-discussed topic for a while, to the point that some people no longer believe in the sincerity of those trying to extend the participation of underrepresented groups in specific areas.

And I get it, balancing the need to hire quickly vs. getting the right people is the eternal dilemma all organizations face.

Add to that the practice of ensuring you have a diverse team, representative of different genders, backgrounds, experiences, and personalities, and it gets even more difficult.

However, just because it’s difficult it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try! Study after study shows that diverse teams perform better (like these ones here, here, and here). 

So, without further ado, here are my areas of focus to help you create a diversity recruitment strategy that will give you access to a wider candidate pool and help you create a well-rounded team.

This is not a guide on how to tick a box for diversity or meet quotas. These are things I’ve picked up over a career dedicated to creating diverse workforces.

Why a recruiting diversity strategy matters

Better products and services

Recruiting diversity isn’t just an exercise in making your company look good by paying lip service to being diverse. 

Every hire is an opportunity to add a new perspective that will enrich your team. It will require time, it will require commitment but, in the end, it will make your product more competitive, resilient, and widely usable.

An example of this lacking was when the team at YouTube couldn’t figure out why 10% of videos were upside down when vertical. 

Turns out it was because some people shot videos left-handed horizontally and the app later adjusted them for vertical but upside-down. Of course, I’m not saying they should have looked for a left-handed person specifically, but it’s useful to illustrate how important it is to consider different perspectives.

A more concerning example was when facial recognition AI was not recognizing accurately the faces of black women. This is deployed AI, used by the police and governments a few years ago. Very scary that no one in the testing stage thought that this was something to train the AI on.

Recently, I joined a new company and the research team was talking about a project in my native Bulgaria. It was very interesting that, while I knew little about the research, I was able to contribute a lot to further their understanding of the cultural context they were lacking and improve the accuracy of the research.

While we can’t hire people from every nationality, it shows that our differences and unique factors can be your organization’s strength.

Access to more candidates

A focus on diversity will also help you to expand your pool of available candidates. 

For example, Dell’s Neurodiversity hiring program took a targeted look at where and how they could employ underemployed talent on the neurodiversity spectrum in different positions.

It’s a great way to give a career to talent who traditionally find it difficult to find work but still have incredible skills and knowledge to share with the world. And, of course, Dell gets to benefit from that talent and fill their positions!

All this will, of course, impact the bottom line of your organization—a major way to “sell” commitment to diverse and inclusive hiring for those who do not understand that it’s also the right thing to do.

How to ensure diversity recruiting

Diversity in sourcing—expanding the talent pool

Increasing the diversity at the top of the pipeline is where most of your focus should be. 

Ultimately, you still need to hire top talent with the right skill set and experience, so you need to make sure you cast a wide net initially. Here’s what to focus on here.

Allow time for sourcing

You need to dedicate time to sourcing candidates from diverse backgrounds. 

For example, while it may seem like positive discrimination that, if all applicants for a role are male (e.g. my recent software engineering job opening), I take some time to reach out to some female candidates and balance out the pipeline, I am not positively discriminating by hiring based solely on characteristics but ensuring that our role gets highlighted to a wider audience.

Another useful method is slightly decelerating the process.

When I was helping to scale rapidly at Twitch, I specifically said to hiring managers that we’ll take two weeks instead of one to shortlist candidates.

This ensured that we had more time to source and I also saw that, in the second week, the role gets a lot more diverse candidates applying.

When I asked those candidates why they applied at the time they did, they said that they took their time looking into the company as they were concerned that it was a bit of a ‘boys club’ (as a lot of companies around gaming can be).

Inclusive job adverts

Your job advert is likely how most candidates will first come across your organization and an open role. 

There are a lot of things to balance to get it right—for example ensuring that it’s both informative and engaging. Now I’m going to add that you should make sure it’s not excluding diverse talent, either explicitly or implicitly.

Removing exclusionary language

Something I see a lot in job descriptions is words have an implied bias associating them with a specific gender e.g. ‘he/she” or “4-man team”.

Similarly, studies show that women are less likely to apply for roles that overemphasize qualities like dominance and competitiveness, and men for roles that overemphasize supporting and understanding.

Is this fair? No, it should be that everyone feels comfortable applying for any role, but this is likely something picked up during childhood that will take at least several generations to uproot.

In the meanwhile, there are paid and free tools to reduce gendered keywords.

Personally, I always use a couple of free tools because they don’t seem to agree on the same text (e.g.Gender Decoder: find subtle bias in job ads (katmatfield.com) andGender Bias Decoder | Totaljobs think the same text is either feminine coded or the opposite). 

After a while, you will understand which are the really loaded words and be mindful of their overuse. It’s better to aim for understanding than just blindly following what a tool tells you.

Reduce requirements

In my article on how to write zinger job descriptions, I focus on ways to remove generic job requirements like “communication skills” and, if necessary, replace them with something more meaningful like “the ability to communicate across functions and influence them”.

Another added benefit is that this also helps reduce gender bias as multiple studies (see this and this) show that women tend to not apply unless they meet 100% of the requirements.

The more bullet points you add the more likely you are to exclude people who would be otherwise qualified but don’t see themselves as so.

An accessible application process

Something that’s not often talked about is the accessibility of application processes. 

Some can be incredibly exclusive to people from different backgrounds or neurodivergent people e.g. overly long written interviews and psychometrics tests (which already suffer from questionable validity).

These can exclude people with disabilities from participating in the process altogether, even though they can perform their roles perfectly well!

The application process should be reviewed to ensure that only things that are necessary for the role are included. 

For example, I once gave candidates the option to apply with either their LinkedIn profile, their resume, or a set of questions that I had designed to give me enough of an overview to make a decision in my screening.

I did this because there is a generation of workers, and people from certain countries, that have never written a CV in their lives but are amazing workers. 

There is also a lot of talk about blind resumes and blind interviews. Personally, I‘m not a fan of them as I think it is just a band-aid and it can hide biases that will eventually come up over the course of employment.

Perhaps a controversial view as almost every applicant tracking system out there has the option for those now, but, if you truly believe in having diverse employees (not just a diverse talent pool), you will take the time to uproot as much of the bias as you can, not just mask it. That way you make sure that equal opportunity doesn’t stop at onboarding.

Challenge referrals

Referrals are a great way to engage your current employees and get applicants who’re more likely to be the right fit for the role because current employees have a deeper understanding of what you need.

However, when I ask for referrals, I always make sure to add an extra twist to the question.

I always ask “Whose voice have we not heard in your team? How can we get them here to contribute?” because, often, it makes people think about things a bit differently. 

The last time I asked a new team this question I was met with quizzical looks. Then they had a pretty major oversight in the product strategy, which led them to realize that the team had worked together for so long, and the manager had hired so many people just like himself, that they were falling victim to groupthink.

Immediately, they were out there talking to their network and I was getting referrals for candidates they would have never thought of before I asked the question.

Removing Bias From Interviewing

Now that you’ve increased diversity at the top of the funnel, you have to ensure that the interview process is thought of inclusively.

This is where we go from just thinking about diversity to thinking about inclusion as well as part of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) acronym.

Focus on skills and experience

In my article talking about interviewing for insight, I speak about remaining hyper-focused on skills and experience to ensure you get what you really need from a candidate. 

In another of my articles about reducing bias, I talk about the importance of structured interviewing and the relevance of the questions you’re asking to the role. 

A checklist for structured interviewing around skills:

• Is the question relevant to the skillset we require?
• Do you ask the same questions (roughly) of everyone?
• Do your questions delve deep enough into the candidate’s expertise to give you a clear indication of their knowledge?

Asking people about a uniquely identifying characteristic such as their gender, origin, orientation, or race should be irrelevant to the role you’re hiring for. 

Sometimes you may unintentionally focus on this so be careful. 

For example, I have been asked at least on a few occasions where I am from. For context I am from Bulgaria, which is in Eastern Europe, and in the UK there was a lot of negative sentiment for years around people from Eastern Europe. 

That meant that a lot of times people were not able to hide their negative thoughts towards my origin (that being the mildest reaction).

The most severe comment I had was that I probably “Won’t make it in law”, as most of the women where I am from do manual work anyway so “Why law?”. This was said to me while I was a law student by a prominent lawyer I was having lunch with the discuss my career options.

Perhaps some of those people asking were genuinely curious, or perhaps the lawyer was challenging me to see what my motivations and drive were, but the main takeaway here is to focus on assessing the candidate for the position based on their skills, expertise, and knowledge and avoid questions that are too personal.

Biases can be easy to fall into and difficult to get out of, whether it be about ethnic origin or the fact that, in the face of so many brilliant women, brilliance is still seen as a male trait. If you’re interested in reducing your I suggest you read the article linked above!

Avoid the cultural fit trap

Down the years, I’ve seen the cultural question applied very myopically—basically a shortcut of “Can I see myself at a bar with this person?”. But we’re not hiring new friends or drinking buddies. 

The culture fit you should be looking for is a set of values and behaviors towards work i.e. “Can I deliver a project with this person?”

Here’s another distinction that I always talk to my candidates and hiring managers about: you should not be looking for either introverts or extroverts—that is not going to indicate performance in any role (yes including sales, some of the best salespeople I’ve known are total introverts).

However, you should look for the actual behavior towards work that you need e.g. a team player. Both introverts and extroverts can be team players so you have to assess for that.

Diverse interviewers

Lastly, make sure that candidates get interviewed by a diverse hiring team. Sometimes you may need to introduce someone cross-functional in your team if you have no one diverse who can support that. 

This is important to a) make sure that any diverse candidate sees that they won’t be a tick box hire and b) catch out candidates who will not fit into a diverse environment. 

I’ve successfully caught out candidates whose sexism couldn’t even be contained for the course of the interview process!

You read that right, a candidate once treated me like an idiot and then spoke incredibly condescendingly to the female interviewer who was going to be a peer.

Partnering with groups

While this may help you with sourcing, I want to make sure I highlight this separately as special groups of people like “Women in Tech” should not be just buckets of candidates for you. 

You should be aiming to have a true partnership with these groups so that you show your true commitment—put your time and money where your mouth is!

These groups will have diverse talent that is highly engaged in their field, and in creating more diversity in their field, which means that they’re looking for companies where they can continue their work.

Personally, I connected with groups like Women Who Go and Queer Engineer (LGBTQ) and volunteered my time.

I used to review CVs and help with interview prep since I’m not a tech person, but make sure that your hiring managers and teams from each of the disciplines you are recruiting for (sales, tech, product, marketing, etc.) find a space where they can connect with diverse groups and give back to the community.

Bias training

You may create many many processes and guardrails, but people’s unconscious biases can still kick in during an interview process. 

I wrote a fairly lengthy article covering bias in hiring, but make sure that you speak with experts in the area who can run some bias training.

It may seem like another “HR seminar”, but well-run bias training can be eye-opening, unexpectedly engaging, and even cathartic. I was brought to tears in one!

Although unconscious bias has been a fairly popularised topic, you’d be surprised how many people still have not heard of it at all or don’t know how it manifests in reality.

Other initiatives

Here I’d like to highlight a few more initiatives that can be an effective part of your recruiting diversity strategy.

• Apprenticeships. Probably one of the best ways to tackle underrepresentation based on ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and even gender. Also builds up your future candidate pool.
• Returnships. A great way by which parents, carers, or those who have had to take an extended career break can get back into a career!
• Remote/flexible work. A supposedly controversial policy, but there is no denying that companies with flexible work are more likely to find more diverse candidates (e.g. working mums and people with disabilities).
• Part-time/Job share. Think about whether your role can be offered part-time or to two people who can share it.
• Partnering with groups to offer jobs, work experience, and shadowing.

Post hiring

Increasing the diversity and representation of hires is not a one-and-done act or a box-ticking task. Don’t forget that post-hire and make sure that you help your new hires feel welcome.

While you should not be drawing attention to the fact that they may be different from the rest of the team in a certain factor (especially if they’re the first), it’s important to understand that they may require different accommodations.

You do not want to become the manager who struggles with the retention of diverse talent, so make sure you’re at least proactive in creating an inclusive working environment. 

Speak to your team members about their experiences and, if you’re unsure about anything, try to get support from human resources.

I remember in my first job I was moved to a team of only guys. A few days later, I found out that they had a list ranking the bodies of female colleagues. They were so used to discussing the topic that they didn’t realise it was not appropriate at all, let alone with me around.

All of a sudden, one realised I was in the room and said “No worries Mariya, you are not on it, you are one of us”…. as if that was the problem. 

I pulled them all into a room and gave them the lesson of a lifetime that no HR would have delivered (I wasn’t HR at the time). 

An extreme example perhaps, but illustrative of the point.

Wait, no metrics or KPIs?

As you may have noticed, this article doesn’t talk about KPIs or metrics. This is because workforce diversity should be a task for everyone, not just a group that owns the target.

You should keep track and see if participation from underrepresented groups increases in your hiring process, but creating steep targets or worse a “diversity hiring team” can make people feel tokenised and encourage the hiring teams try to game the system just to tick a box. 

Almost every female engineer I know has been reached out to by a “diversity sourcer”, and they actually refuse to reply on principle because they’re engineers first and shouldn’t be approached based solely on their gender. 

It can seem complex when there are no strict KPIs to target yourself and your team, but, as mentioned at the start, a lot of diversity hiring rhetoric has been so insincere that people are losing faith in the notion. Making it a must-metric to hit a goal for the sake of hitting a goal will only exacerbate the problem.

This does not mean you should give up, but, if anything, demonstrate your dedication more and make sure that, as much as possible, people understand the need for their participation too. Discrimination still exists everywhere, so our work is not done!

I’d love to get your feedback or answer any questions here, so leave something in the comments or join the conversation in the People Managing People Community, a supportive community of HR and business leaders passionate about building organizations of the future.

Some further resources to help you hire the right talent for your org:

• How To Create An Efficient, Sustainable Growth Hiring Plan
• Employer Branding: Where To Start And How To Keep It Authentic
• Recruitment Marketing: What It Is And 10 Effective Tactics

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Creating inclusive workplaces is crucial for any organization that wants to get the most out of its talent. This means creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong, has equal opportunities, is empowered to do their best work, and feels comfortable making requests and contributing ideas. In this series, we asked prominent HR and business leaders about the steps they take to create more inclusive workplaces.

Trisch Smith

For a decade, Smith led Edelman’s award-winning Multicultural practice providing senior counsel to a wide range of clients to protect, promote and evolve their brands and effectively engage diverse thought leaders, consumers and other stakeholders. In 2015, she was appointed to serve as the U.S. Managing Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and in fall 2018 she was named Edelman’s first Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. In this role, she oversees diversity, equity and inclusion strategic planning, education, cultural transformation, external partnerships, and recruitment efforts to ensure Edelman’s workforce reflects the increasingly diverse marketplace. As part of her work, she actively strives to ensure an equitable and inclusive workplace.

Hi Trisch, welcome to the series. We’d love to get to know you a bit better, how’d you get to where you are today?

As a young girl, one of the biggest comments from my teachers was that I wouldn’t stop talking. This trend continued throughout my life and, as a teenager, I decided I wanted to go into television broadcasting. 

In fact, I obtained an undergraduate degree in communications and a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. After doing some freelance broadcast work, I shifted my focus from on-air news reporting to public relations, helping clients tell their stories in the media and via other channels.

When I first started at the global communications firm Edelman post-graduate school two decades ago, I often didn’t see others like myself—internally or in client meetings. 

Years later, I would become the firm’s first-ever Global Chief DEI Officer, a role and responsibility I still hold today. 

My early career experiences have motivated me to prioritize and commit to this work, to actively create a place where everyone—even a young Black woman from a small town in rural Southern Maryland, who attended Morgan State University, a Historically Black College & University—can feel that they play a crucial role in a globe firm and industry. 

To know that they are seen AND their voice is heard and respected, and to create a space where they can be their authentic selves every single day.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting and what you learned from that?

I once had a client meeting with an energy company at one of their plants and showed up in the wrong clothes: heels and a skirt. I thought we were gathering for a traditional meeting, not a plant tour! 

Clearly, I missed that memo and I had to race to the only store, miles away, to buy rubber-soled shoes and pants. I learned quite a bit from this experience—don’t assume all the information you need will be shared and ask questions. Finally, always be prepared to pivot and change course, if/when needed.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are?

My mom is one of my biggest teachers and cheerleaders. Even when I’ve experienced moments of self-doubt, she has encouraged me to believe I could do anything. 

As a third-grade teacher in Southern Maryland for 40 years and raising two children, she constantly had to advocate for herself, her children, and her students. 

Her drive, and that of the many women in my family, provided a first-hand example of how women and women of color are capable of all things despite the inequalities and “isms” of society.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? 

One of my favorite life lessons is from Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to serve in the US Congress.  

Chisholm said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” 

She was bold and courageous and summoned people of color, especially women, to demand a seat at the table and fight for our voices to be heard. 

Throughout my career and life, I’ve been empowered by this quote and have also expanded it by adding “Build your own table, if necessary!”

Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self?

First and foremost, you absolutely do not have to prove your value or your worth to anyone. Don’t be limited by others’ expectations or thoughts, or get consumed by how you think you should look or how you think you should operate. Be you and know that you are more than enough—just as you are!

Secondly, you don’t need to have all the answers immediately. Even for those of us who are type-A, I know we like having it all figured out before even getting started but be willing to take – and give yourself – time. The answers will unfold along the journey. 

Lastly, don’t let fear consume you. It’s OK and even healthy to have a bit of it, but don’t let it paralyze you or stop you from pursuing your purpose! Don’t be afraid to fail, rather fail forward. 

Believe me, you will only regret the time you think you lost, the lessons you missed or the opportunities you passed up because of fear.

What systems do you have to ensure your workplace is as inclusive as possible?

First, there must be a dedicated leader and proactive team in place that is committed and dedicated to driving diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and belonging. 

DEI should be integrated into all business operations—not a siloed effort that only the DEI or HR team manages. 

A multi-year plan must be created to drive the work, and there must be systems in place to monitor DEI efforts and track progress against instrumental goals tied to your overall strategy. 

Communicating that strategy and everyone’s roles in advancing the work is imperative. DEI is a culture outcome and an ongoing journey, not an end-goal.  

Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer special report on Business and Racial Justice unpacks the growing expectations for businesses to address racism in the workplace and drive DEI. 

The findings reveal a major disconnect between how senior executives and associate-level employees think their company is doing to make progress on this front and advance inclusion and equity within the organization. 

Our data shows that executives, while part of the problem, hold responsibility for the solution to advancing DEI in their organizations. 

CEOs need to hold their senior management accountable. In addition to this, organizations need to elevate employee voices, establish a shared understanding of the DEI strategy, and communicate the benefits of the work to the organization. 

These components working together advance employee engagement and their sense of loyalty and belonging while unlocking returns on the bottom line.

Based on your experience and success, what are your top five tips for creating more inclusive workplaces?

1.  Establish and maintain accountability. The “diversity” and “equity” parts of DEI are primarily the responsibility of managers and leaders. However, inclusion and belonging are influenced by everyone. How are you equipping leaders and employees with the resources, knowledge, and tools to be effective and then holding them accountable for progress? For example, establishing leader DEI KPIs will ensure it is a priority in their day-to-day work.

2. Cultivate community. This can take a variety of forms such as Employee Networks or Resource Groups (ENGs), citizenship/non-profit initiatives, or volunteer programs. At Edelman, our Employee Network Groups have helped our employees stay connected and support each other through various social issues as we all have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, we’ve leveraged the groups to participate and help lead conversations about race, social injustices, allyship, and more. In the conversations, employees shared powerful personal experiences, transparent feelings, and deep concerns surrounding recent social and racial events. 

3. Provide psychological safety. Create safety through courageous conversations and forums for employees to share ideas and learn from one another to increase understanding. These open, honest discussions have been instrumental during periods of heightened anxiety and uncertainty that derive from times of crisis or violence, like what we’ve seen against different racial and LGBTQ+ communities. Learning and development tools like inclusive leadership training also help leaders to foster psychological safety by creating an environment where people aren’t afraid to ask questions or to fail.

4. Invest in learning and development. This can be done both informally and formally. Courses around intentional inclusion, cultural competency, and unconscious bias are valuable in making real culture change. Informally, you might incorporate DEI learnings into regular meetings by sharing an interesting article or suggesting a podcast to your team.

5. Communicate transparently. Incorporate DEI messaging into all messages throughout the organization, not just those originating from the DEI team or HR. That helps set the tone and tenor and ensures all colleagues understand where the organization stands and its ongoing progress. Everyone has a role in upholding DEI, especially aspects of inclusion and belonging, and everyone needs to be informed and understand what resources are available.

It’s important to understand the unique makeup and dynamics of your organization and its various needs to ensure you create a plan that will resonate.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make while trying to become more inclusive?

• Utilizing a one-size-fits-all approach. DEI means many different things in different parts of the world and to different people. Additionally, every organization and business are different. It’s important to understand the unique makeup and dynamics of your organization and its various needs to ensure you create a plan that will resonate.
• Underfunding DEI activities. Dedicate the proper resources to the work as you would any other business unit or priority. You need proper staffing and a real budget to drive this work. 
• No incremental DEI goals. It’s important to understand where your organization is currently before mapping out your desired outcomes. Are you just starting on your DEI journey or are you a few years in? How will you keep up the momentum and progress over time?
• Not understanding your audiences. It takes time to understand the needs, desires and expectations of your audiences. What do your employees need to grow, develop and feel included? What social issues may be most important to them? Tap into your employee network and resource groups and digest the findings from employee surveys to hear from them firsthand. Similarly, ask yourself what your customers need to hear, know and see as it pertains to your organization’s commitment to DEI. While on your DEI journey, you must keep audiences apprised of where you—have you met your goals? Where are you having challenges? What is your stance on key issues?

How do you measure the effectiveness of your DEI efforts?

While there is no cookie-cutter approach to driving or tracking DEI success, there are several ways to measure the effectiveness of your DEI efforts. 

One measure is workforce diversity and talent representation—are you able to attract and maintain diversity in your workforce? Do you have diversity at all levels, including leadership? Do all employees feel that they can grow and thrive? 

Leadership and employee involvement are other ways to measure efforts. As such, monitor involvement from senior members of your team via DEI-specific KPIs and participation in initiatives like mentorship and sponsorship programs. 

Employee sentiment and feelings of belonging are another type of measurement. Through focused employee feedback surveys or focus group settings, other indicators of employee sentiments on inclusion or belonging can also be assessed.

Incorporating these practices, programs, and culture change initiatives will help you grow the impact and meet changing demands.

Are there other organizations you admire for their approach to DEI? 

Different businesses are driving change in varied ways; it all comes down to staying true to your company’s mission and values and the critical wants and needs of your stakeholders.

I have admired some of the work of our Unilever client’s brands to raise awareness and drive change on key social issues such as hair discrimination and body positivity.

Ben and Jerry’s has also taken a stand on timely issues, like racism and police brutality. Some of the work our Edelman Genentech client is doing to build community internally and create meaningful goals for their workforce and society through their 2025 Diversity & Inclusion Commitments demonstrates their long-term ambition.

What do you do to address Proximity Bias? How do you ensure remote workers are treated the same as onsite workers and have equal access to opportunities?

It’s crucial to consciously practice inclusiveness every day and to encourage managers to do the same. 

Whether a person is in the office sitting next to you or not, every interaction is unique, and each person should be treated fairly and equitably. 

Best practices for hybrid working center on a variety of factors such as modifying how meetings are conducted or changing who sets the agenda. 

Make sure you have inclusive technology tools as well. Perhaps everyone involved needs to use their own laptop so that others watching remotely can see everyone’s faces clearly, or dedicate some meetings to no cameras required. 

It’s also crucial to proactively communicate your commitment to inclusively as well. Take a moment to recall who is or is not on the call. If a meeting is taking place at an unusual or difficult time for another colleague, can you record it to make it accessible to those who could not join in real-time? 

Make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of performance when it comes to performance reviews. Do you ask your coworkers and customers for feedback? Do you fully comprehend the impact your team is having and the contributions made by each member?

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with and why?

There are several people I’d like to talk with but one person who stands out is Oprah. She is part of the reason I originally wanted to enter into broadcast journalism. 

I’d like to discuss how she has used, established and maintained her voice and broadened her platform over the years. In addition, she has always found new ways to amplify her POV and share her views across different mediums—TV, magazines, film and beyond. 

I’d love to hear her incredible stories and powerful insights that haven’t already been shared publicly. 

Thank you Trisch, some great insights in there! How can our readers further follow your work?
Follow me on LinkedIn or on IG at @trischlsmith.

More insights from the series:

• Create A Structure That Makes Everyone Accountable For Creating An Inclusive Environment
• Why You Must Commit To Grounding Every DEI-Related Effort With Data
• To Be A Better Ally, Focus On Everyday Actions

The post For DEI Efforts To Work, There Has To Be Collective Accountability appeared first on People Managing People.

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In today’s corporate landscape, where discussions around pay disparities, gender wage gaps, and unfair compensation practices dominate headlines, the concept of full pay transparency has emerged as a potential solution and, in some cases, as law. 

At Compt, an organization I founded back in 2018, we’ve witnessed firsthand the positive impacts of embracing full pay transparency.

Here I aim to shed light on what pay transparency looks like at Compt, explain its mechanics and influence on overall compensation structures and raises, present real-world examples of its benefits, and provide practical considerations for organizations contemplating this approach.

What pay transparency looks like at Compt

At Compt, pay transparency goes beyond simply publishing salary ranges in job descriptions. It involves openly sharing the process by which we determine salaries with the entire organization.

Compt employees are equipped with a comprehensive understanding of how their compensation is determined, including the factors, criteria, and processes involved. 

We make our salary information accessible across the team should anyone be interested, and one look at the job descriptions sent out to new hires will reveal what range we’re offering for those roles.

We use transparent communication channels like: 

• Regular company-wide meetings
• Open lines of communication with direct managers
• Access to the leadership team through email, Slack, or Zoom.

These channels allow employees to engage in discussions and ask questions about compensation matters. 

When compensation is openly discussed like this, people understand the factors that drive salary decisions—such as experience, qualifications, and skills.

This transparency helps people to align their efforts and skills with organizational goals, fostering a more collaborative and inclusive work environment.

Pay transparency is something we start our employee experience with during the interview process.

We make it clear that we don’t negotiate and we offer a clear salary range for the role. We then explain our data and approach in one of the first interviews so we don’t waste anyone’s time. 

And we do the same thing with the whole team every year. If someone’s salary needs to move significantly, we do big bumps. During our annual salary review, we walk each employee through their compensation and what market research tells us about current rates for their role within organizations similar to ours. 

When employees have access to information about their salaries and total compensation (benefits packages like health insurance, stipends, PTO, and more), they gain a clearer understanding of how their own compensation aligns with the market and the organization’s internal benchmarks.

This knowledge empowers them to make informed decisions about their career trajectory and negotiate from a position of knowledge and awareness.

In best-case scenarios, pay transparency mitigates the need for negotiation, which can be particularly beneficial to historically marginalized employee groups.

The benefits of pay transparency

Compt’s journey toward full pay transparency has been an enlightening one.

Through our commitment to openness, we have witnessed firsthand the positive impact on our culture and bottom line. 

For us, the advantages of pay transparency extend beyond initial expectations. 

Shifting the Focus to Value and Contributions

When employees have access to information about salaries and understand the organization’s compensation philosophy, they can confidently engage in conversations about their own worth and contributions. 

They can leverage this knowledge to request appropriate compensation adjustments, promotions, or career development opportunities. People become empowered to assertively discuss their compensation, ultimately helping dismantle systemic barriers and supporting professional growth.

Early on, one of our engineers expressed his displeasure with the salary increase we were offering during his annual review. 

He had evolved his role and increased his skills, and those adjustments hadn’t been factored into the new salary. He pushed back and gave us the number he had in mind, and we’re glad he did because he was right.

We reviewed his progress, matched it to what we were seeing in the market, and made changes accordingly. He’s one of our most senior engineers now.

As a result of transparency, he and others on our team are more engaged in their work and committed to their long-term success within the organization.

Encouraging Fair and Equitable Compensation

When salary information is openly shared, organizations are compelled to address any existing pay disparities and ensure that employees are compensated appropriately for their roles and responsibilities. 

It provides an opportunity to identify and rectify systemic inequities that may disproportionately affect marginalized employees.

With transparent compensation structures and clear evaluation criteria, organizations can foster an environment where compensation is determined by objective factors rather than subjective biases or negotiations.

Higher Job Satisfaction and Reduced Turnover

Transparency in compensation has been found to positively impact employee morale and engagement. 

When employees trust that compensation decisions are made fairly and openly, they feel more connected to the organization’s goals and are motivated to perform at their best. 

By removing the veil of secrecy surrounding pay, organizations can foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork, as employees understand that their success is tied to the collective success of the organization.

Employees feel valued, motivated, and appreciated, resulting in higher retention rates and a competitive advantage in attracting top talent. 

In the past five-and-a-half years, we’ve been able to achieve a 92% retention rate vs the industry standard of 80-85%. When you consider the time and resources used to replace talent, this has certainly saved us time and money vs our competitors.

We also have a 100% close rate for candidates who originally tried to negotiate for higher salaries. Once we explained to them our process they understood and accepted the offer. 

Job satisfaction at Compt is also measured by our quarterly culture survey. We ask questions about key areas of our business (along with examples as to what these areas mean) and have everyone rank each one on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 is lowest or worst, 10 is highest or best) for how you feel Compt is performing at the time of the survey as well as how we are trending when looking out the next three months. 

Across the board, we see scores of 8 and above for topics like values, accountability, communication, accessibility, transparency, speed, and structure.

Taking a phased approach to full pay transparency

While full pay transparency holds tremendous potential, organizations must approach its implementation thoughtfully. 

While I want to encourage you to dive in, it’s essential to evaluate the unique context and readiness of your company before embarking, especially since it will mean a lot of work for your HR and finance teams.

A phased approach may be beneficial, allowing time for adjustments, addressing concerns, and building a strong foundation of trust and communication.

By gradually introducing elements of transparency, organizations can gauge the reception and make necessary adjustments before fully embracing it.

By actively involving employees in the development and evaluation of the compensation structure, organizations can promote transparency and ensure buy-in from all stakeholders.

Early Steps to Implementation

Prior to implementing full pay transparency, organizations should establish robust compensation structures that are fair, consistent, and aligned with market standards. 

Clear evaluation metrics and performance indicators should be defined, ensuring that compensation decisions are based on objective criteria rather than subjective biases. 

Organizations should also have effective mechanisms in place for addressing employee concerns or grievances related to compensation. 

I cannot overstate the importance of one-on-one meetings with your employees. These conversations are the perfect opportunity to open a dialogue between employees and employers regarding salary data and a revision if the data set is off.

It’s important to it make clear to your team that salary requests cannot be anecdotal and one-off. You’ll always be able to find a company somewhere that will pay your more. 

The data you need to bring to the table to make your case in your organization needs to come from a macro data set or from a recruiter who is telling you what the new range is for your role in other companies of the same size and stage.

By actively involving employees in the development and evaluation of the compensation structure, organizations can promote transparency and ensure buy-in from all stakeholders.

Additionally, providing resources and training to both employees and managers on how to navigate conversations about compensation is crucial.

Open and honest communication should be encouraged, emphasizing the importance of respectful dialogue and confidentiality when discussing salaries. 

This will help create a culture where employees feel comfortable discussing compensation matters openly and constructively.

Careful consideration: Hurdles to overcome

Pay transparency, while bringing numerous benefits, also presents certain risks and challenges that organizations must acknowledge and address. 

One potential risk is the disruption and dissatisfaction that can arise when salary information is openly shared. Employees may discover disparities in pay, leading to discontent and disruptions in the workplace. 

To mitigate this risk, it’s crucial to establish clear and transparent compensation structures and processes based on objective criteria. Regularly reviewing and updating these structures ensures fairness and alignment with market standards (at Compt, we do this annually).

Communicating the rationale behind compensation decisions, and providing avenues for employees to express concerns or seek clarification, can also help address dissatisfaction. This piece is continuous.

Another risk is the potential for pay compression. A study found that when California made city managers’ pay transparent in 2010, average compensation decreased by about 7% just two years later. 

This drop occurred mainly for senior positions, which is evidence of pay compression. To avoid this, it’s important not to reduce salaries based on benchmarking data but rather bring up lower salaries to close the gap. This will also help avoid resentment across seniority levels.

Additionally, the potential for unfair comparisons is another risk of pay transparency. Employees may make unfair comparisons based solely on salary figures without considering variations in experience, qualifications, or performance. 

To mitigate this risk, organizations should accompany salary information with context and relevant factors that contribute to compensation decisions. 

At Compt, we do not tie salary to performance, which mitigates the chance for subjectivity and bias as well as the creation of unrealistic expectations and burnout, which is so prevalent in startup culture. 

Lastly, organizations must consider the potential impact on market competition and external perception. Full pay transparency may reveal compensation information to competitors, potentially putting the organization at a disadvantage during negotiations or talent acquisition efforts. 

But, if you offer a quality work environment and company culture, then this shouldn’t be a worry. Emphasizing the organization’s commitment to fair compensation practices and growth opportunities in external communications helps attract and retain the talent you want.

Final Thoughts

Embracing full pay transparency can revolutionize organizations, fostering a culture of trust, fairness, and collaboration. 

Compt’s experience, as well as the experiences of other founders I talk to, demonstrates that, when employees are empowered with knowledge about compensation, they become more engaged, productive, and satisfied.

The path to pay transparency may be challenging, but the rewards are worth it—greater employee satisfaction, reduced pay disparities, improved retention rates, and a strengthened employer brand. 

Organizations have the opportunity to reshape their workplaces into thriving cultures of equity, transparency, and success. As leaders, it is our responsibility to create environments where every employee feels valued, respected, and fairly compensated for their contributions. 

What are your experiences regarding pay transparency? Leave something in the comments are join the conversation over in the People Managing People Community, a supportive community of HR and business leaders building organizations of the future.

Some further resources to help you with compensation management:

• Why You Need A Compensation Philosophy And How To Create One
• 13 Best Compensation Courses For HR, Business Owners And Managers 2023
• 6 Tips For Effective Employee Compensation Discussions
• How To Improve Pay Transparency & Build A Culture Of Trust
• 10 Best Compensation Management Software in 2023

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