The employee’s life cycle with the organization
Organizations seeking to attract and retain their top talent create programs that will improve the employee experience. Employee experience is a term used to identify the employee’s life cycle with the organization. Employees who feel that their organization is committed to diversity and inclusion are more likely to feel higher job satisfaction.
The vice president of human resources (HR) has asked for advice on putting a diverse and inclusive hiring process in place for the organization. Specifically, the VP is interested in training recruiters in the HR department. The VP wants to attract and select a more diverse applicant pool to diversify the workforce. You will be presenting your recommendation to senior management.
Your task is to provide a recommendation. Your advice must explain the steps that will facilitate the recruitment and selection of a diverse workforce. Your presentation must include the following points:
The role of recruitment and selection in developing a diverse workforce
At least 3 biases that may exist in this process
A detailed discussion of at least 5 different strategies that can be implemented in the recruitment and selection process to ensure that it is inclusive and free from bias
Sample Solution
Recruitment and selection are the first steps in creating a diverse workforce. They lay the foundation for an organization’s ability to create an inclusive environment, where everyone feels valued, respected and part of the team. Through recruitment and selection practices that consider diversity, organizations can gain access to unique perspectives and experiences which will help their business succeed.
One bias that may exist in this process is demographic bias. This occurs when recruiters or employers form a preference for applicants from specific demographics; such as age, gender or educational background (Jefferies et al., 2019). When this happens, it limits potential candidates who could bring fresh perspectives or innovative approaches to the workplace.
A second bias is confirmation bias. This is when recruiters avoid considering applicants who do not fit the typical ‘profile’ of past employees (Riccio-Berry et al., 2017). As such, they are more likely to hire those people who have similar skill sets, experience and knowledge levels even if these don’t necessarily match up with job requirements or organizational goals.
Lastly, there is cultural fit bias which involves assessing whether an applicant fits into a certain work culture without considering what might be beneficial for them or the organization in general (Staton et al., 2018). This type of unconscious decision making can unintentionally lead to exclusionary hiring processes where only certain types of people get considered despite having excellent qualifications and backgrounds that would benefit any organization.
