Diversity and inclusion are no longer an option for American companies. They’re an imperative. Some would argue they should have been a practiced imperative long before now, but movements for social justice over the past year, coupled with a pandemic that disproportionately impacted minority populations, moved the issue to a spotlight that makes it difficult to sidestep.
Which is to say, hiring practices are being watched and scrutinized by an ever-aware, increasingly vocal and activist-minded public in ways that should inspire companies to re-evaluate their internal protocols if they haven’t already. A number of corporations and brands declared their commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives over the summer, in the wake of protests and calls for reform, which is an easier thing to say than do.
This is where technology can offer valuable support to business leaders looking to deliver on the promises they’ve made.
One expert, quoted in Forbes, suggests employers utilize an objective, unbiased testing platform to analyze an applicant’s skill set without factoring in race or gender. The University of Colorado Boulder offered a three-part approach by conducting an anti-racism challenge, offering an online course for inclusive hiring practices and compiling a resource for pronoun education.
So, there are different ways to implement a commitment to diversity and inclusion at any workplace. The most important detail is actually doing it. And when any company does, it universally falls to the human resources professionals within it.
HRNext Direct can offer crucial support to employers and their HR professionals as they implement diversity and inclusion practices. A cloud-based SaaS platform, HRNext Direct provides an important system of accountability for new policies and procedures, especially when it comes to workforce development, which includes hiring, onboarding and ongoing training.
With HRNext Direct, companies have the ability to develop training modules that allow employees to engage from wherever they are and managers to track progress. In addition, HRNext Direct provides valuable reporting and access to system audits that offer insights on hiring patterns and ensure compliance.
Overall, these types of solutions reduce risk and lower liability while creating efficiencies and improving productivity. And, as an added benefit, accountability that leads to actionable results as it relates to new or revised diversity and inclusion practices improves a company’s market reputation and improves internal morale.
And once those programs are implemented, HRNext Direct’s compliance portal allows companies to build a library of policies, procedures and agreements and make them available to the managers and staff members who may need to access them. HRNext Direct’s ability to capture applicant and employee data further supports diversity and inclusion efforts by providing metrics that can be measured against established goals.
Diversity and inclusion initiatives are only effective when measures for accountability are in place, and HRNext Direct ensures that.
To understand how HRNext Direct could help you implement and track your diversity and inclusion policies, contactone of our experts and request a demo.
