Glassdoor has released new data revealing greater resources are expected to be devoted towards improving a lack of diversity over the coming year. One in three (35%) hiring decision makers expect to increase investment in diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts and only 3% expect it to decrease; the remainder are continuing to invest at the same levels.
The report, conducted among 750 hiring decision makers (those in recruitment, HR, and responsible for hiring) in the U.S. and UK, also finds that job candidate demographics are one of the most important recruiting metrics to hiring decision makers.
“In today’s era of the informed candidate, job seekers are hungry for as much information about a company as possible before they take a job. Job seekers want insights into what businesses are doing to build a workforce that is diverse in all aspects of the word be it age, gender, ethnicity or thought,” said Carmel Galvin, chief human resources officer of Glassdoor—said in a press release. “Driving toward greater diversity in the workplace is a high priority effort for many businesses. With increased investment in diversity and inclusion programs, it signals that employers are recognising the value these efforts are having on recruiting and on financial performance.”2
Investment in D&I Impacts Recruiting Efforts
The report also shows recruiting is less effective when companies do not invest in D&I programs. Nearly three in five (59%) hiring decision makers report that a lack of investment in D&I is a barrier or challenge their organization faces in attracting and hiring quality candidates. Candidate demographics are a highly important measure of recruiting success.
In fact, the costs a company incurs for generating applicants and securing a hire are the only two measures more important than candidate demographics, according to hiring decision makers. They report candidate demographics are more important to recruiting success than the following measures: How long it takes to fill a role; how long it takes to deliver a job offer; the success a company has in converting job seekers to applicants; and applicants to hires.
Information on D&I efforts can help sway candidates. Nearly one in five (18%) of those surveyed report that D&I initiatives are among the top elements that have the greatest influence on a candidate’s decision to join their organization.
“The opportunity today for employers is to highlight and leverage their company’s diversity and inclusion efforts by enabling their recruiters, employees and others to speak about it online and off so that job seekers can gain access to this valuable information where and when they need it,” added Galvin.
Improvement in D&I Efforts Can Help Make Recruiting More Efficient
While only one in four (28%) are optimistic that they will make more progress towards achieving their D&I goals in the next 12 months, the benefits of achieving those goals can be quite fruitful. Of this group, more than half (52%) responded that they expect quality of hire to improve compared to 20% that expect quality of hire to worsen. Plus, of the hiring decision makers that responded that D&I will improve over the next year, they also reported that they felt six times more likely to convert applicants to quality hires.
In addition, not having a D&I focus could be costly to more than just a company’s recruiting funnel. Ten percent of hiring decision makers believe employees will voluntarily leave their organization in the next 12 months as a result of no D&I programs.
