Empowering Proud Work: Tackle the Knowledge Gap
Closing the hiring manager knowledge gap around DE&I
While diverse hiring remains a top priority, a critical knowledge gap exists among hiring managers regarding DE&I best practices. This poses a potential challenge when seeking to bring more underrepresented talent into the industry. Concerted efforts around ensuring all recruitment practices and people are well-versed in DE&I is the first (but not only) way to tackle this.
Why does this matter? Well, beyond creating a more psychologically safe space for candidates, which has been shown to help them perform better, when candidates perceive a knowledge gap regarding their identities, the organisation immediately becomes less competitive in the marketplace.
In extremis, this may lead to application withdrawal or actively choosing employers with DE&I-trained recruiters. It is crucial, though, that upskilling here is not seen as a performative solution; companies that embrace this approach with talent and hiring managers living and breathing inclusive approaches, will be best place to win out in the war for talent, long term.
| WHAT DOES THE DATA SAY The GEM 2023 recruiting report found that diversity was the important factor for talent teams when recruiting, however 79% of the respondents said that meeting diversity recruitment goals continues to remain challenging. LGBT Great insights: InQ3 2023, LGBT Great spoke with a range of talent/people stakeholders across our Member network. Our findings suggest a significant knowledge gap continues to exist amongst talent teams regarding LGBTQ+ DE&I. 60% of hiring managers surveyed believed their peers lacked proper training in LGBTQ+ DE&I[2]. In our talent survey of talent spanning 7 countries, we found that 65% of LGBTQ+ individuals felt more at ease during the hiring process if they knew the panel had undergone formal DE&I recruiting training. When taken together, we see huge continued potential for training and upskilling of talent and hiring teams. |
For more information on LGBT Great’s training programmes, please get in touch with Alex Gabbutt (alex@lgbtgreat.com).