Career Advice

You may have heard that companies are engaging in diversity recruiting.  But what is that exactly and why does it matter?

Why diversity recruiting?

In the last half decade, the business world has begun to understand the importance of humane employee inclusion and equality as well as the monetary value of a diverse workforce. Now, companies are not only trying to make their current employees feel more appreciated but also seeking new hires with a diverse heritage.

It is important to understand the environment in which the change of how employees are being treated is happening. The basics of what you probably already know, without having to delve into the history of the so-called glass ceiling and other related storylines, is that seeking employment and maintaining a successful career as a diverse individual has not always been easy, which for some may be an understatement. Underrepresentation and the poor treatment of certain populations have run rampant for most of modern American workplace history. Current movements have illuminated these unfair practices and even made a negative example of certain companies or industries for their practices. Now, working under the pressure to remain unnamed by the news media for poor diversity practices has become commonplace.

With a newer generation of leadership, many companies are actively engaged in caring for their employees because it is no longer risky to act with empathy while generating a profit. Furthermore, research shows that employees who feel cared for perform better and produce more.

These companies are not just treating current employees better; now they are actively seeking new hires that come from unique backgrounds. The idea that variety of opinions is valuable is now based on research, so companies are now fully participating in diversity recruiting. Diverse teams are more creative, which is a key component of innovation, business success, and profit-enhancing practices.

“The benefits of having a diverse management are significant; businesses with the most diverse management have an operating profit margin of an average of 12.6 percentage points more than companies with the least diverse management. In addition, the most diverse companies have an operating profit margin on an average of 5.7 percentage points more than their competitors do.” (Anderson & Anderson, 2016)

This means that diversity recruiting should matter to companies as well as job-seekers because it is the future of business.

To find jobs with companies who care about these principles and engage in diversity recruiting, start your advanced job search here.

To learn more about why recruiting for diversity could benefit your business, contact us!