Inclusive hiring practices: A complete guide

Inclusive hiring practices are crucial to the success of any organization. They have a significant influence on whether a business is able to attract and retain top talent, foster a positive work environment, and create a rich company culture.

When inclusive hiring practices are not in place, organizations risk missing out on a key source of innovation and creativity. However, by prioritizing diversity and inclusion, they can ensure that they are able to tap into the full potential of the workforce and create a more inclusive environment for all.

At Remote, we spoke to 1,250 hiring managers, employees, and business owners across the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, and France to investigate the state of diversity and inclusion in the hiring process in 2022.

Our survey explores what diversity means to businesses, its impact on the workforce, and the difficulties faced when trying to implement an inclusive work environment and hiring practices.

See also: Building a globally inclusive hiring strategy (Webinar)

49% of job hunters have faced discrimination in the hiring process

We asked employees across the world whether they’d ever experienced or witnessed discrimination in the hiring process. Nearly five in 10 (49%) said they had experienced it themselves, and more than half (52%) of respondents said they had witnessed it.

See the experiences of job applicants in the hiring process split across the US, France, the UK, Germany, and Canada.

Out of the countries surveyed, the United States has the highest percentage of job hunters who have experienced discrimination in the hiring process, at 56%.

France and the United Kingdom follow in second and third place, both with more than half of applicants claiming to have faced discrimination in the hiring process.

Across all countries surveyed, self-reported discrimination occurs more with male applicants than female applicants on average, with 44% of female applicants reporting discriminatory experiences compared with 52% of male applicants.

Young people appear to be the most vulnerable to workplace discrimination, with two-thirds (69.23%) of applicants between 18-24 having experienced discrimination in the hiring process. Reasons for this spike could be increased consciousness of issues related to race, gender, and other potential factors for discrimination in younger applicants.

55% go on to experience discrimination in the workplace after the hiring process

Our investigation discovered that discrimination becomes slightly more prevalent after the hiring process ends, with 55% of employees reporting that they have experienced workplace discrimination and 59% saying they have witnessed it.

Once again, the people who report experiencing discrimination the most are between the ages of 18-24. By gender, 56% of male employees said they experience discrimination at work, while 52% of female employees reported the same.

See below the experiences of employees in the workplace split across the UK, Germany, France, the US, and Canada.

At 59%, the United Kingdom and Germany are the countries with the highest percentage of employees who have faced discrimination in the workplace.

See also: Remote work mental health resource pack

What do diversity and inclusion mean to employers?

Our unique backgrounds, personal attributes, and life experiences all directly influence how we define diversity and inclusion in the workplace, which explains why the concept means something slightly different to everyone.

To find out how definitions vary from employer to employer, we asked business owners and hiring managers, “What do inclusivity and diversity mean to you the most as an employer?” The top five answers are included in the table below.

Educating employees is deemed the most important for employers, with the most popular answer (37%) being “acknowledging and educating team members on unconscious bias and working to eliminate this within the organization and recruitment process.”

When it comes to setting targets for improving diversity and inclusion, it can be helpful to start with one agreed-upon definition for these terms. Ideally, this is a combination of different viewpoints from people working within the company.

From there, employees can work collectively toward a common goal that meets everyone’s criteria and satisfies several definitions of workplace diversity and inclusion.

The benefits of hiring diverse talent in the workplace

Actively seeking out and hiring diverse talent brings a host of benefits to a business, from improved retention rates and happier staff to a better understanding of consumers and improved creative thinking.

See also: How to support neurodivergence in the workplace with remote and async work

To explore the full scope of benefits that diverse hiring practices can bring to a workplace, we asked employers and hiring managers to outline the ways that hiring diverse talent had a strong positive impact on their workforce.

Employers stated the three main benefits of implementing inclusive hiring practices are a widened talent pool, improved employee engagement and performance, and increased creativity and innovation.

Employers should keep in mind that it’s not enough to simply hire diverse candidates; they must also ensure that they are empowered in their positions at work too. Failure to do so would mean the company loses out on the many benefits that a diverse workforce brings.

The top challenges businesses face when implementing an inclusive work environment

Despite the many benefits that diversity brings, it’s common for businesses to face challenges in creating an inclusive work environment.

To find out what kinds of hurdles inclusive workplaces have to overcome, we asked our survey group about their experiences. The table below shows the most common challenges that companies encounter on their journey toward creating a more inclusive work environment.

Managing inequitable inclusion is the biggest challenge that UK employers and hiring managers face, with 36% listing this as the difficulty they face the most. Inequitable inclusion refers to the concept that diversity means different things to different people, which we explored earlier in our survey.

This is closely followed by communication issues related to language barriers, slang, colloquialisms and cultural misunderstandings (35%), and the third most common challenge is finding the time to train employees about different ways of thinking and approaching a scenario.

See also: Understanding and supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace

How to ensure inclusive hiring in the workplace

So we’ve covered the benefits and challenges that come with diversity in the workplace. Now the question is, what can you do to make your work environment feel welcoming to everyone? 

Keep in mind that inclusivity and diversity are more than just labels. You want to build a strong foundation through meaningful steps so your diverse culture can thrive.

Here’s how you can ensure inclusive hiring is integrated into your company operations: 

Create an EEOC company statement 

The first step to making your workplace more inclusive is to draft a company statement that shows potential hires your commitment to diversity. Here’s a great example of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) company statement from Meta:

“Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.”

Use inclusive language in job descriptions 

Next, review how you write your company’s job descriptions. You might not realize it, but your current job descriptions might be pushing people from marginalized groups away from applying to your positions. 

Here’s how you can make your job descriptions more inclusive:

Make all language gender-neutral

Make your job descriptions as gender-neutral as possible. To do this, you can use pronouns such as they and them, list only the job’s essential functions, and avoid gender-coded words. 

Avoid racial bias

Avoid any direct mention of race or national origin in your job description, as well as the phrase “native English speaker,” as this might discourage people of other nationalities from applying. 

Make your job description age-friendly

Ageism is a real problem in the workplace. Sixty-two percent of workers above the age of 50 believe older workers face age discrimination in the office. Even worse, 93% believe this discrimination occurs on a consistent basis. 

Creating an inclusive work atmosphere means welcoming people of different ages into your company. Make sure to avoid wording that could imply you’ll reject candidates from a certain age category, such as:

• “High energy”

• “Young”

• “College grads”

• “Fun”

Include diversity training 

To create a more inclusive workplace, everyone needs to be on board with the company’s mission. You don’t want an environment in which workers make sexist comments, or an employee is fearful of a coworker who adheres to a different religion than them. 

Diversity training can improve employees’ awareness of diversity-related issues in the office and help employees reassess prejudiced beliefs — ultimately making them more welcoming toward others. 

Here are some tips for running an effective diversity training program:

Explain the meaning of and purpose behind diversity

Diversity leads to a better work environment for everyone, as it allows for new processes and more ideas. Explain this benefit to your employees. 

Tailor your diversity training program to your team

Do many of your employees belong to a specific religion? Or do you feel like there’s tension growing between the young hires and the more senior employees at your company?

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to the “best” diversity training. Make sure to customize your company’s training materials to your team. 

Run diversity audits

Diversity audits involve keeping a close eye on the attitude that employees have toward each other. It also allows you to identify if any discrimination is taking place and immediately address it. 

An effective way to run these diversity audits is through weekly surveys that you can send to your employees via tools such as Slack or email. 

Hire globally via remote work 

Hiring remotely helps to build a more diverse workforce. If your company has positions that can be performed from home, you can hire people in foreign countries under contractor agreements. 

While this is an excellent way to make your workforce more diverse, this approach does come with challenges. 

For example, you’ll need to consider which currency you’ll pay your remote contractors in and by which transfer method. Also, you’ll need communication and workload management strategies, especially since these workers might live in different time zones than your own. 

Provide inclusive compensation and benefits 

The benefits you offer to new hires should also reflect inclusion. Examples of inclusive policies include the following:

Paid parental leave for everyone

The birth of a child is a very busy time for parents. Offer gender-neutral parental leave for the employees in your office. 

Floating holidays

Allow your religious employees to take time off during their holidays. For Muslim employees, for example, that could mean allowing them to take a break from work during Eid. For Jewish employees, it could mean allowing them to take time off during Rosh Hashanah. 

Access to mental health services

Discrimination can take a toll on a worker’s mental health. As such, it’s important to make mental health a priority in the workplace. 

Remote’s stance on facilitating belonging, inclusion, diversity, and equity in the workplace

At Remote, we believe an inclusive work environment is a necessity. We proactively embrace, nurture and support job candidates and employees of different backgrounds and identities, and we encourage all other organizations to do the same.

To learn more about how Remote embraces diversity in a remote environment — and to borrow our strategies for yourself! — view our public company handbook, which highlights not only our commitment to belonging and diversity but also our policies on remote work, async communication, and even global compensation.

Get started with Remote.