One of the big mistakes organisations make (this is true across the DEI) is to prioritise more diverse hiring without ensuring that people will be coming into an inclusive environment.
While this is often born out of a good intention to get moving, it isn’t fair on the individuals concerned and is counter-productive in the long term as disenchanted newbies churn out and you’re back to square one again.
The tricky thing with a class audit is that the biases are sometimes subtle or at least so embedded in middle-class assumptions that they appear to be invisible. But step out of your posh loafers for a minute. How might a working class recruit feel about that black tie event, swanky restaurant, golf day or ski trip that you’ve suggested?
Class intersects with all the other aspects of DEI that we need to be thinking about right now. Internships are a particular watchout.
Obviously make sure you pay a decent wage, but also consider subsidising candidates’ living expenses and travel costs, to make sure you’re not limiting yourself to wealthy kids. Be mindful of accents too – while these don’t always represent class distinctions, there’s obviously an overlap and they’re often viewed prejudicially by interviewers.
On that point, it helps if the recruitment process is handled by a diverse team who are sensitive to these nuances and actively looking to expand your talent pool, rather than hire more of the same.
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