76% of employees and job seekers said that diversity was a key factor when considering job offers. Diversity in the workplace gives employees a sense of belonging and allows for various perspectives and experiences.  

Here are three ways to increase workplace diversity:  

Look through your job description  

Many job descriptions contain unconscious bias or a lack of inclusivity, so leaders should consider using these tips when revising their descriptions.  

  • Use gender-neutral language (e.g., gender-neutral job titles and adjectives)  
  • Avoid derogatory terms that are associated with a certain ethnicity, race, or indigenous group.  
  • Use inclusionary language that implies people from all backgrounds are welcome to apply. 
  • Avoid affinity bias (e.g., college bias, religious bias, GPA bias, location bias)  

Conduct diversity training 

It is important for all leaders to be on the same page when it comes to diversity. Conducting diversity training can help boost diversity awareness and help leaders appreciate differences among their employees. A diverse and inclusive workplace increases employee retention and satisfaction, so it is important that leaders understand the importance of diversity.  

During these training sessions, leaders should address unconscious bias and ways to help prevent it from happening in the workplace. Unconscious biases can affect hiring decisions and decrease workplace diversity.  

Blind recruitment  

If leaders are struggling with unconscious bias, it can be helpful to implement blind recruitment techniques during the screening process. When reading through a resume, leaders should try to read from the bottom up, that way their first impression is based on the applicant’s experiences and skills rather than their name, gender, and other nonessential information.  

Employers should also create a list of key information they are looking for in a resume and then rank it from the most important to the least. This can help give employers a checklist to use when going through a resume and help eliminate unconscious bias.  

 

Many employees want diversity, and it will benefit businesses by expanding on experiences and skills. It is important for leaders to learn different ways to increase the diversity in their company, so that they can continue to maintain employee satisfaction.