Diversity is the top trending topic affecting the future of hiring in 2024, according to a new global recruiting trends report published by LinkedIn.
8,815 hiring managers were surveyed and diversity was considered very or extremely important, beating new interviewing tools (56%), data (50%), and artificial intelligence (35%).
Diversity, the popular phrase of the 1980s, became diversity and inclusion as the movement matured, and today has expanded to diversity, inclusion and belonging.
Here’s why: diversity is being invited to a party, inclusion is being asked to dance, and belonging is dancing like no one’s watching. Belonging is the feeling of psychological safety that allows employees to be their best selves at work. Even at the most diverse of companies, employees will disengage and leave if they don’t feel included and accepted.
The good news is that companies are focussing on all three, signalling an understanding that inclusion and belonging make diversity stick.
As for the payoff?
STRONGER CULTURE
BETTER PERFORMANCE
DEEPER CUSTOMER INSIGHT
Diversity used to be a box that companies checked. But today, diversity is directly tied to company culture and financial performance.The LinkedIn data shows that 78% of companies prioritise diversity to improve culture and 62% do so to boost financial performance. Key forces are at play: changing demographics are diversifying our communities, shrinking talent pools for companies that don’t adapt. Growing evidence that diverse teams are more productive, more innovative, and more engaged also make it hard to ignore.
Diversity practices to put in place
- Use inclusive language in your job descriptions as this will broaden the appeal of your opportunities and let you reach more diverse talent.
- Empower employees to tell their stories as it will boost engagement with employees while growing your reach with diverse candidates in an authentic way.
- Don’t have a diversity ‘strategy’. Instead, think of it as a mindset. Start small to effect change. Weave it into everything your company does, little by little.
- Don’t invest without buy-in from the top! You won’t go far if your leaders aren’t sold on the value of diversity.
- We believe that quality talent is the key to success. Click here to see how Manning Global can help you achieve this.