In this episode of Talking Talent, we’re going deep on an issue that is top of mind for so many employers: diversity, equity and inclusion. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of work done in this area, but there is always more to do. And we know that every organization is at a different point on its DE&I journey.
This episode specifically focuses on building an employer brand and a recruitment process that is equitable and inclusive of candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. What are the best strategies? How can you build a process that takes things like intersectionality and social mobility into account? And finally, how do you get the buy-in within your organization to make changes—especially in a challenging hiring environment?
Joining us to talk about these issues is Paula Simmons, our Director of Employer Brand & Communications Strategy. Paula’s background is a combination of PR and corporate communications, recruitment and employer branding. Her role at PeopleScout UK enables Paula to do what she enjoys most: delivering actionable insights and consultancy to clients across a range of industry sectors, nationally and internationally. In essence, helping them to understand, articulate and measure what makes them unique places to work. Alongside this, she also leads our work to help clients better understand and engage audiences from underrepresented groups.
In this conversation, Paula explains the traditional ways that talent acquisition professionals have recruited candidates from underrepresented groups and then explains a new way forward. She explains how intersectionality and social mobility should factor into DE&I programs and provides a pathway for talent leaders to get buy-in and balance long-term goals with immediate needs.
To learn more about DE&I at PeopleScout, take a look at our Resource Center, and download our ebook about the role of talent acquisition in building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace.
When people of different backgrounds with different experiences come together, they drive innovation—both in the workplace and in the world at large. In fact, there’s substantial research that DE&I initiatives bring many advantages to the workplace, including increased profitability and creativity; greater productivity; and better problem-solving, among others.
Employees with diverse backgrounds also bring their own perspectives, ideas and experiences, which help to create organizations that are resilient and effective and that outperform organizations that do not invest in diversity.
Yet, despite the obvious benefits of increased diversity and inclusion in the workplace, the reality still leaves much to be desired. For instance, research from Boston Consulting Group shows that diversity and inclusion efforts have yielded sparse results: Although nearly all companies have programs in effect, only 25% of employees from diverse backgrounds feel they have personally benefited from them.
Clearly, employers must do more, and the responsibility for diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) belongs to the entire organization—including talent acquisition and HR leaders. So, in this article, we’ll cover the different areas of the business that contribute to DE&I; how you can determine your DE&I program maturity; and areas where talent acquisition leaders can have the greatest influence.
So, Who’s Responsible for DE&I Initiatives?
For years, talent acquisition teams have led diversity efforts within organizations. In some cases, employers hire a chief diversity officer (CDO) and provide a budget for DE&I initiatives. However, the responsibility for DE&I initiatives is much broader, and everyone from senior leaders to entry-level employees in everything from marketing to IT has a role in creating an inclusive workplace. Here, we outline the roles that different areas of the business play in DE&I efforts.
Talent Acquisition & HR
More than any other group or individual, talent acquisition and the broader HR organization are responsible for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. According to a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, in 59% of organizations, HR and talent acquisition oversee diversity efforts and, at 64%, they’re tasked with implementing diversity initiatives.
Leadership
An organization’s leadership team is responsible for diversity outcomes at 25% of organizations, according to a Deloitte report. But, leadership must play a role in the DE&I initiatives at all organizations. In fact, having a C-suite member as the diversity and inclusion program leader is one of the biggest differentiators between organizations in which diversity is not considered a barrier to progression versus ones where it is, according to PwC’s data.
However, to be successful champions of diversity, leadership needs to be fully engaged—because an inclusive and equitable culture must be present from the top down. Notably, if time and other responsibilities that accompany their jobs make it difficult for executives to be fully engaged, organizations may want to reconsider having their C-suite remain heavily involved in their diversity efforts. In this case, you might consider appointing another individual (or individuals) who is more able to focus on the work and, as a result, bring about more change.
Diversity Committees
Not every organization has the resources to support a full-time diversity role. In fact, the larger the employer, the more likely it is to have dedicated diversity staff, according to Xpert HR. However, as SHRM found, smaller organizations may be able to aid diversity and inclusion programs by taking a cue from the 17% of employers that have an advisory group/committee comprised of volunteer staff members. This can actually be quite an effective approach, as employee sponsorship corresponds with lower levels of reported bias within an organization, according to Center for Talent Innovation research.
Identifying Gaps in the Maturity of Your DE&I Initiatives and Programs
When it comes to really progressing your organization’s DE&I program, the best place to start is by asking yourself where your organization stands today. That way, you can best identify where to place your initial efforts in order to create the greatest influence. Below, we outline the different stages of DE&I program maturity. Note that your organization may be at different levels in different areas.
Beginner: Generally, employers at the beginner level of maturity tend to be more reactive rather than proactive; they may narrowly define workplace diversity, and leaders usually have limited involvement in driving DE&I forward within the organization.
Intermediate: Employers at the intermediate level typically focus on more purpose-driven DE&I initiatives, with leadership assuming a greater role in progressing DE&I in the workplace. At this level, the definition of diversity expands to include less-visible characteristics, like disability, religion, class, age, regionalism, sexual orientation and more. Additionally, at this stage, an employer may employ a dedicated staff and provide a budget for DE&I.
Advanced: Employers at the advanced stage focus on multi-dimensionality and intersectionality when thinking about diversity. In this situation, leaders practice inclusive leadership skills and are held accountable for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. They also often have DE&I resources and budgets distributed throughout the organization to ensure organization-wide diversity.
Leading: Employers at this level take a sustainable approach to DE&I, in which leaders are expected to lead holistically and inclusively; be key DE&I initiatives change agents; and hold the organization accountable. In addition to their internal resources, they often have external DE&I advisory boards that guide them on leading practices.
Identifying your organization’s DE&I maturity level allows you to better measure your progress on key areas of workforce diversity, including communication, employee education, company culture, resource investment and the involvement of leadership. This will help guide your next steps toward creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, as well as allow your organization to focus on interventions that are targeted and specific. Plus, in organizational environments facing a multiplicity of DE&I issues at once, the ability to pinpoint current state, plot out the desired state and craft the roadmap to get there is critical.
What is DE&I? The Role of Talent Acquisition
While the responsibility for DE&I is spread across an organization, talent acquisition still plays a major role. Recruiters, sourcers, hiring managers and HR leaders are powerhouse roles that must work together to find the right candidate for the job, while also demonstrating an organization’s commitment to DE&I from the company’s first interactions with employees.
As talent acquisition leaders, you also play a key role in bringing to life diversity and inclusion as values that are deeply embedded in an organization. More precisely, your team plays a particularly critical role by sourcing, engaging and eventually hiring candidates from underrepresented groups.
Does your organization have a talent pool of diverse candidates? Do your interviewing practices reduce unconscious bias? Do you have a strong reputation for being a diverse workplace? These are some of the critical questions that you and your teams should attempt to answer to deliver on the organization’s diversity agenda.
By understanding your role and performing it effectively, talent acquisition teams can work with leaders in other areas of the business to build a truly holistic DE&I program. Here, we discuss some of the tactics that talent acquisition can adopt to overcome diversity sourcing, selection and hiring challenges.
Championing Diversity
Once your talent acquisition team establishes awareness and accountability, members should become champions of diversity hiring; you have a tremendous opportunity to drive the diversity agenda by reinforcing the case for diversity hiring. For instance, engaged recruiters can champion diversity and make it an everyday dialogue with hiring managers. That’s because recruiters are responsible for ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly and equally in a process that removes bias. They’re also the first step in demonstrating how the organization appreciates and celebrates its diverse employees.
Diversity Sourcing
To ensure that your talent pool is representative of diverse candidates, source your candidates from a variety of talent channels. Clearly, you can’t rely on the same sources repeatedly when seeking out new candidates; focusing only on the sources that you know best can result in a talent pool of similar candidates and a lack of diversity.
Instead, seek out opportunities to source candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. For example, there are many online and offline groups dedicated to women in technology. This could be a great opportunity to meet and connect with high-caliber, female candidates directly—instead of waiting for them to find you through platforms like Indeed. And, the more initiative you take to find these channels, the more likely it is that your talent pools will be diverse.
What’s more, if you’re struggling to find diverse talent, reach out to employees from diverse backgrounds and encourage them to share your job ads with their networks; then, give them the tools they need to promote open roles within your organization. As a result, your employees and candidates will both feel that your company values their opinions and contributions, which is fantastic for team morale and engagement.
DE&I Initiatives: Building Inclusivity
Building an inclusive workplace is central to creating a workplace environment in which every employee feels valued. Granted, every organization is different, so the content and structure of an inclusion program needs to meet the conditions of your organization. To get you started, SHRM offers an inclusivity checklist for HR that provides a good place to start:
Make sure that company leaders understand that inclusion is about ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard, opinions are considered, and value to the team is evident.
Train managers to show that inclusivity is a core competency—and hold them accountable.
Form an inclusion council with genuine influence and power.
Value differences and create an environment in which people can feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.
Identify the needs of underrepresented groups, and give them the necessary support and resources.
Provide workers with a safe space to voice their concerns.
Benchmark key aspects of your organization’s culture and understand the employee experience before making changes to promote inclusivity.
Remember that daily interactions are the most telling sign of whether your company has an inclusive culture.
Unconscious Bias & Candidate Selection
One of the key reasons companies lose out on diverse talent is unconscious bias, which can have detrimental effects on the diversity hiring process. The concept of unconscious bias or implicit bias was first introduced in 2006 as “the new science of unconscious mental processes that has a substantial bearing on discrimination law.”This challenged the longstanding idea that people are guided only by explicit beliefs and conscious intentions.
One example of unconscious bias is that a candidate’s last name—which implies their ethnic background—can adversely affect their chances of landing a job. Unfortunately, studies by Ghent University show that the last name appearing on a candidate’s résumé can reduce the possibility of receiving a call back by 25% in Germany; 29% in Sweden and the UK; and 50% in the U.S. Accordingly, to address unconscious biases, some companies mask candidate demographics while presenting them to the hiring team in order to shift the focus from ethnicity to experience and skills.
In another strategy highlighted by DiversityJobs, a large utility company in the U.S. moved away from the practice of long interviews with a few leaders and started exposing candidates to more interviewers in multiple, short interviews. This reduced the chance of a single, biased assessor significantly influencing a hiring decision. Additionally, the organization was also able to showcase a more diverse selection team to all new hires.
Diversity at Work: Converting Candidates From Underrepresented Groups Into Employees
However, winning over diverse candidates goes beyond just locating them and ensuring that they’re treated fairly during the hiring process. Rather, to win diverse talent, organizations should demonstrate the authenticity of their commitment to DE&I by leveraging their employer brand through career sites and social media channels, as well as by showing how diverse and inclusive they are through their employees and leadership.
Furthermore, talent acquisition can also play a role in reinforcing these messages by:
Adding a link to diversity and inclusion policies and practices in job advertisements and recruiters’ email signatures.
Minimizing adverse effects of recruitment discrimination by complementing recruiters with talent acquisition technologies like PeopleScout’s AffinixTM.
Ensuring job-related information is accessible to all groups. (For example, ensure your career site is accessible to those with visual impairments through design, alt text and screen readers; and ensure presentations and videos include subtitles or sign language.)
Scheduling interviews in locations that are accessible and convenient for all candidates, such as parking for people with disabilities; Braille script on elevators and signage; and female, male and gender-neutral restrooms.
Sharing relevant stories about a diverse set of employees in the organization and involving diverse employees and senior leaders in the interviewing process.
Respecting candidates’ gender identity. Because gender identity is internal, a person’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others, so asking candidates what pronoun(s) they prefer to use in interviews and other communications can make a difference.
DE&I Initiatives: Talent Technology
The right talent acquisition technology can be a powerful tool for reaching your DE&I initiatives and goals. And, as you begin to recognize and fix disparities in hiring processes and work environments, data can be an important tool in determining the effectiveness of those efforts. No DE&I initiative can be successful unless it can be measured.
To that end, diversity dashboards—like those available in PeopleScout’s Affinix Analytics—can break down your hires by gender and ethnicity. Then, with that information, you can identify where the most diverse hires have been found. From there, you can focus on which recruitment strategies are most effective in bringing in candidates form underrepresented groups. And, once those initiatives are in place, you can track your success over time.
The goal of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace should be a central pillar in any organization’s journey. Embracing a multitude of viewpoints and cultures drives innovation; improves decision-making; increases employee productivity and retention; and leads to better-served employees—and, by extension, customers. While responsibility for diversity, equity and inclusion is shared across an organization, talent acquisition leaders have a significant influence.
Getting inclusivity and diversity right for talent acquisition teams means properly sourcing, interviewing and hiring candidates from underrepresented groups. What’s more, talent teams must understand not only where different candidates search for jobs, but also the factors important to those candidates.
To that end, a PeopleScout survey of job candidates focuses on inclusion and diversity, found important differences in how diverse groups find, research and apply for jobs, and employers can use these insights to make their recruitment process more equitable and inclusive. The survey focused on job candidates throughout the U.S. from a wide variety of backgrounds. However, due to the relatively small sample size, these survey results should be taken as purely directional. Below, we share the most important insights.
Talking Talent On-Demand Webinar
Data and Diversity: Using Technology to Achieve Your DE&I Goals
Inclusivity and Diversity: Candidates From Underrepresented Groups Find & Research Jobs Differently
Racial and ethnic minority candidates are more likely to hear about a job opportunity through word of mouth than white candidates. More precisely, nearly half of Black or African American candidates report learning about their most recent job through word of mouth, while only 35% of white candidates found their most recent job in the same way.
Black or African American candidates are also the most likely group to research an employer or job opportunity by talking to people in their communities—at more than double the rate of white candidates.
Inclusivity and Diversity: What This Means for Talent Acquisition
Your current employees from underrepresented backgrounds are important partners in sourcing and recruiting diverse talent; they understand your culture and values and can share both job openings and their experience at your organization with other candidates.
Women Rely on a Larger Range of Sources When Researching Employers
Notably, women in the workplace are more likely than men to research an employer through third-party channels, whereas men are more likely to rely on your careers site. For instance, while half of men report researching an employer through the employer’s careers site, only one-third of women do the same. Women are also twice as likely as men to use employer review sites, like Glassdoor.
What This Means for Talent Acquisition
Many candidates rely on your careers site for research. As such, your careers site should showcase your employer brand, but it cannot be your sole focus. Instead, also invest in improving your employer brand through employer review sites, like Glassdoor. Additionally, encourage your employees to share their positive experiences of working at your organization on social media sites, like LinkedIn.
The way you showcase diversity efforts also makes a difference to candidates, with the biggest gap between white and Black or African American candidates. For instance, when asked about the factors that candidates consider when applying to a job, Black or African American candidates were five times as likely as white candidates to consider your diversity efforts. Black or African American candidates were also more than four times as likely to consider whether your careers site features “people who look like me.”
What This Means for Talent Acquisition
Your diversity efforts are important to your candidates; they want to hear about what your organization is doing to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at your organization. And, in a competitive talent market, it’s important to feature those commitments, as they could be the deciding factor for candidates.
Supporting Service Members with Career Counseling for a Major Retail Chain
A major multinational retail chain partnered with PeopleScout to support its counseling program for transitioning members of the military, veterans, military spouses, and National Guard and Reserves who are looking to take the next step in their career.
Dedicated career coaches for all program participants
Customizable career paths for participants
Virtual intake meetings and ongoing calls
Situation
This retailer has partnered with PeopleScout since 2013 to support its veteran hiring initiatives. In 2013 when the program launched, veteran unemployment was higher than civilian unemployment. PeopleScout supported the client with direct placement, helping veterans honorably discharged on or after Memorial Day 2013 to find jobs at the retailer. The spouse component was added in 2018.
In 2019, while the veteran unemployment rate had dropped to just under 3%, the retailer was aware of the challenges that military service members were still facing when transitioning to civilian employment. The client wanted to reinvent the program to put an emphasis on career coaching and counseling for all service members to help them apply their leadership skills and teamwork experience to new careers.
Solution
The new program, which officially launched in May 2021, broadens the umbrella of the program to include veterans of any era and actively serving members of all branches of the military, military spouses, and National Guard and Reserves as well. It connects program participants to a plethora of resources from various organizations that have been vetted by the client.
When a new member registers for the program, PeopleScout assigns them a coach who helps facilitate the transition into civilian work. The PeopleScout coach schedules a virtual coaching session with the participant to perform an initial intake. This intake assesses skills, helps identify goals and determines the time commitment they can make to the program.
From there, participants confirm three paths: employment, education, or entrepreneurship.
EMPLOYMENT
PeopleScout career counselors help participants assess their strengths, build their resume and translate their military experience in a way that it applies to the civilian workplace. They also help service members and spouses find opportunities that match their career goals—whether that means employment with the retail client or another organization.
EDUCATION
PeopleScout coaches help participants get the educational foundation they need to reach their overall career goals.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PeopleScout helps connect participants with the right resources to start their own businesses.
This emphasis on career counseling allows the participant to drive the program at their own pace and use their coach as much or as little as they like. Service members and spouses can take what they want from the program as they build their future.
Results
3,500+ registrants since program launch
At a Glance
COMPANY Multinational retailer
INDUSTRY Retail
PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Talent Advisory
ABOUT THE RETAILER This U.S.-based retailer operates in 24 countries with 2.3 million employees. The organization has a rich history of supporting and hiring veterans and their spouses.
Progress in Action: Moving Toward A Globally Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
Improving organizational diversity is a honorable pursuit for employers across all industries and should be a consistent point of focus for forward-thinking talent teams. Building productive teams from a pool of qualified job seekers irrespective of nationality, gender-identity, ethnicity, religious background and sexual orientation is essential to creating a workplace that reflects the communities that it serves.
So, how can you help your organization better connect with, source, engage and recruit a more diverse and inclusive workforce? In this ebook, we examine how your organization can update your DE&I program with modern diversity strategies.
In this ebook you will learn:
How to accurately measure your DE&I program’s progress and goals
How to source candidates from underrepresented groups
[On-Demand]: Data and Diversity: Using Technology to Achieve Your DE&I Goals
Leading talent professionals understand that creating an inclusive, equitable and diverse workplace is more than just the “right” thing to do. In fact, implementing an effective diversity and inclusion program can change the game by challenging the status quo and creating a vibrant and more productive workplace culture. Positioning DE&I at the heart of your talent acquisition and management program now will equip your organization for long-term success.
But how do you know if you’re making progress against your goals? Do you have the data to fine-tune and optimize your recruitment process?
Join PeopleScout’s Elizabeth Karkula, associate product manager, and Jason Kaplan, business intelligence manager, for our on-demand webinar Data and Diversity: Using Technology to Achieve Your DE&I Goals.
Elizabeth and Jason will discuss practical and immediately applicable strategies that have the potential to transform your organization’s DE&I program.
This webinar will cover:
Three smart ways to leverage data for DE&I success
How to accurately measure your DE&I program’s progress and goals
How to optimize your sourcing channels for candidates from diverse groups
At PeopleScout, we are committed to providing you with information to help guide you on your DE&I journey. We aim to cover a wide range of DE&I topics, including issues regarding BIPOC, the LGBTQ+ community, gender gaps, people with disabilities and more. This article is the next in our library of DE&I resources, and specifically focuses on the Hispanic and Latinx community.
In the U.S., National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15 to honor the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latinx Americans by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
And it’s no doubt their contributions have been great—especially in the workforce and to the economy. Consider the impact this group has had and will continue to have in the future:
Creators of Jobs Within the last decade, 86% of all new businesses in the U.S. have been launched by U.S. Latinos, with Latinas creating business six times faster than any other group.
Yet, organizations still lack Hispanic representation across all seniority levels. People of Hispanic or Latinx ethnicity make up 18% of the labor force but only 4.3% of executive positions in the U.S., making the gap between the labor force and executive representation wider among Hispanics than any other group.
So how can organizations do their part in closing this gap? Employers should make conscious efforts to attract and retain this diverse group of talent and provide them with opportunities for growth and development.
Understanding the Many Names of this Diverse Group
Before you can effectively attract candidates from Hispanic and Latinx backgrounds, it’s important to understand the terminology that identifies this unique group.
According to Pew Research Center, “the terms ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’ are pan-ethnic terms meant to describe—and summarize—the population of people living in the U.S. of that ethnic background.”
Some have drawn distinctions between the two terms, and their widely used definitions can be summarized as the following:
Hispanic: A person residing in the U.S. with descent from Spanish-speaking countries (this excludes Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language).
Latino: A person of Latin American descent residing in the U.S. (this includes Brazil but excludes Spain).
However, this group has mixed views on how they prefer to describe their identity, with over half describing themselves by their country of origin.
In recent years, a new term has emerged as an alternative to Hispanic and Latino: Latinx. The term is one of many in the global movement around gender-neutral language. Latinx serves as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino and Latina and aims to encompass Latin American and Hispanic people from all racial backgrounds while also including those who identify as transgender, queer, agender, non-binary, gender non-conforming or gender fluid.
According to trend data from Google, the term first appeared online in 2004, but didn’t begin to gain momentum and wider usage until 2014. Today, it sees use around the world, most often in the U.S.
And much like the terms ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’, surveys also reveal mixed feelings on ‘Latinx’ among the population it is meant to represent. Younger people, ages 18-29, are most likely to have heard of and use the term, while older people 65 and up are least likely. Specifically, use is the highest among young Hispanic women—14% say they use it, compared to the 1% of Hispanic men in the same age range. Here are other factors that impact how likely a U.S. Hispanic person is to have heard of Latinx and use the term:
Whether the term Latinx should be adopted as a pan-ethnic term for the U.S. Hispanic and Latino population is still up for debate, with one third of those who have heard the term believing it should be used more broadly, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
Like many scholars, journalists, activists and publications, PeopleScout will opt to use the term for the remainder of this article in an attempt to better include the many groups of people who make up the Latinx population.
Strategies to Recruit and Retain Hispanic and Latinx Candidates
If your organization is committed to improving its diversity, equity and inclusion practices, Latinx employees are a vital group to include in this initiative. Latinx individuals come from a wide variety of backgrounds, making the group extremely diverse in culture within itself. By including people from this group across your organization and in executive positions, your business will be better equipped to evolve and innovate as time goes on. Consider these strategies for recruiting and retaining Latinx candidates.
Recruit with Intention Employers need to be intentional in improving representation of Latinx employees in leadership and across the workforce. Make it a point to recruit from industries and universities that are highly diverse.
“If you do not have intentionality with diversity and inclusion, you have nothing.” – Cid Wilson, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (via Invariant)
Utilize Employee Testimonials Show candidates that your organization is home to diverse talent by showcasing those employees in your recruitment marketing tactics. You can share their experiences working for your organization through quotes, videos, personal stories or recruiting case studies. It is especially important to highlight diverse talent from all levels of your business.
Expand Your Search When possible, it can be beneficial to expand your talent search nationwide, or even internationally as your organization allows. With the immense rise in remote work since the onset of the pandemic, many Latinx candidates will be looking to organizations with remote and flexible work options as they make the next move in their careers. Or, if your business requires in-person work, a competitive offer might have that top talent considering relocating for the position.
Leverage Employee Networks Look to your existing Latinx employees, as well as all employees, for diverse referrals. In addition, you should seek input from these employees on how to attract candidates with similar backgrounds, as well as hear their ideas for organizational change and goals. In other words, empower them to have a voice.
Provide Mentorship Even if your organization is highly diverse, any member of a minority group might feel excluded at times. By providing opportunities for mentorship both with individuals of the same background as well as those with different backgrounds, employees will feel more included. Encourage mentors to help employees meet their professional goals so they can grow within the organization.
How to Support Your Hispanic and Latinx Employees
Recruiting Latinx employees is the first step in improving diversity in your organization. The next is focusing on ways to make those employees feel supported and included.
For example, at PeopleScout and the broader TrueBlue organization, we have the Hispanic Opportunity & Latin Awareness (HOLA) employee resource group to embrace and support our Latinx employees and associates within the communities we serve. HOLA aims to increase cultural competency and awareness around Latinx issues and concerns throughout TrueBlue, support TrueBlue’s efforts to attract and retain the best Latinx talent and provide the development and support necessary for Latinx employees to grow both personally and professionally.
Here are examples of other companies with impressive initiatives to support their Latinx employees:
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola’s “Hispanic Leadership Business Resource Group” offers its Hispanic and Latinx employees development, networking, community involvement opportunities and helps the company drive innovative business ideas. In 2017, the group had an idea for a Point-of-Sale Spanish Adaptation Tool which allowed bilingual employees to submit their interpretation of Coca-Cola taglines and phrases in different Spanish dialects to avoid the phrases losing their meaning through literal translations.
Furthermore, the company showed their commitment to Hispanic and Latinx employees when there was uncertainty about Dreamers in the U.S. by covering the $500 DACA renewal fees for employees in the program.
Ellucian Ellucian, a software and solutions development company for higher education, gave employees a sense of belonging by celebrating their heritage. The company planned volunteer events, office potlucks celebrating Latinx and Hispanic culture, highlights of influential Hispanic Americans, and an Instagram takeover for Latinx employees to share their experiences working at Ellucian. The first takeover on the company’s Instagram account came from the leader of ¡wepa!, the company’s Latinx ERG.
General Motors General Motors, a vehicle manufacturing company, supports Hispanic employees from the very beginning by specifically targeting professional Hispanic organizations and Hispanic Serving Institutions as part of their recruiting strategy. The company focuses on raising the number of Hispanic professionals in STEM through their recruiting efforts and by providing over $5 million in scholarships for Hispanic STEM students.
Leidos When the defense, aviation, IT, and biomedical research company discovered that the Hispanic and Latinx community was being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 nationwide, they made it their priority to help. Leido’s Latinx ERG partnered with the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs in Washington, D.C. and Neighborhood Health in Alexandria, VA to donate more than 6,000 face masks and 1,500 bottles of hand sanitizer to help combat the spread of COVID-19 within Latinx communities in those areas.
You can find more examples of companies who prioritize their Hispanic and Latinx employees here.
Hispanic and Latinx Inclusion in the New World of Work
The new world of work is not just about where and how work is done, but it’s about the people who are doing the work. It’s a candidate’s market, and people will choose employers who care about their employees as people. In order to be truly successful, organizations must fully understand their workforce, starting with their employees’ diverse backgrounds and identities.
By understanding your underrepresented groups of people, like Hispanic and Latinx employees, consciously recruiting them, celebrating their heritage and investing in their growth, we’ll work our way toward a workforce with equal representation and strong inclusion of diverse groups across industries and at all levels of seniority.
We all know that the past year has been tough – especially for women in the workforce. In fact, job losses have disproportionally affected women, who also typically handle the lion’s share of the work at home – which is multiplied once you add lockdowns and homeschooling into the mix. But, we also know that female leaders across the globe have a wealth of knowledge – lessons they’ve learned throughout their career and lessons they’re learning now, as well as advice for other women in the workforce.
That’s why we’re sharing the stories, experiences and advice of our diverse group of female leaders at PeopleScout: We reached out to women from all around the world and at all levels of the company – from our rising leaders to our most senior executives – about what it means to be a woman in leadership in 2021, how they got to where they are, and how to create work environments where even more women can succeed. Here are some of their thoughtful insights.
What does leadership mean?
ANDREA BROGGER chief people officer
TrueBlue, U.S.
“Leadership means flexibility and it means courage. A courageous leader knows when to step ahead and lead when no one else wants to, but they also know when to take a step back and encourage others to step forward and take over the lead. A resilient leader knows their own and their team’s strengths and weaknesses and knows when and where to tap into those as a project or situation changes. They know how to get back up and keep driving forward even when things don’t go as planned.”
CAROLINE SABETTI senior vice president, global marketing and communications
PeopleReady, PeopleScout, U.S.
“Two key leadership practices that I find helpful are maintaining a long-term perspective and seeing the opportunity in obstacles. We all naturally have self-doubts, particularly at times of change or when taking on a high-profile, challenging project. I have found that when you remain mindful of your past successes and remember the obstacles that you have already overcome, you can own the grit, tenacity and power that you possess. Tapping into that power, believing in it, and remembering that you can face more than you may feel in the moment is empowering. And when you maintain that confident and positive outlook and raise your hand to take on more when faced with change or challenge, the biggest opportunities often come your way.”
Any good leader is a lifelong learner taking in experiences, learning from mistakes and listening to mentors. So, what lessons shape our leaders?
ALLISON BRIGDEN interim head of business operations
PeopleScout, U.S.
“One of the lessons that has helped me in my career I learned at a very young age. I remember whenever I would mention something about my sister or brother to my parents, they would say, ‘You should focus on yourself in terms of what you need to do and what your goals and objectives are and not worry about what everyone else is doing.’ That advice has served me well in my career and focusing on what meaningful ways I can personally contribute to our mission and objectives. Everyone has a unique offering they bring that can contribute to the mission and objectives we have as an organization.”
SARAH LUNDGREN director of MSP
PeopleScout, Australia
“After 15 years, I’ve learned many lessons, but the most important to me is that opportunities don’t just happen; you need to create them. I’ve found that networking and building relationships before I needed them were so invaluable to my future opportunities. I also found that I wasn’t afraid to say when I didn’t know something. I was able to validate a time that would work for everyone to return an answer. This also tied back into an opportunity to leverage my network and relationships that I previously built and tap into their knowledge to help me solve what I was looking for.”
SHANNON BENNETT digital marketing manager
PeopleScout U.S.
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned that has contributed to my success is a mindset of learning through obstacles. The hallmark of my career has been figuring out how to accomplish big goals with a very small team. It’s challenging. And, it really has resulted in so much confidence in my ability to grow. If I don’t know something, I learn it. If I don’t have someone to teach me, I find the right resources to teach myself.”
KATE DENNIS senior director, brand & creative
PeopleReady, PeopleScout & TrueBlue, U.S.
“Don’t be afraid to lean into responsibility and take on tasks or projects that might challenge you, even if they may not fall into your official job description. We, as humans, learn and grow through problem-solving, so we’re able to enrich our skillsets and feel accomplished when we overcome obstacles. By raising your hand often, your colleagues and leaders will learn that they can count on you. And, when you follow through on your promises to them, they learn that they can trust you.”
What advice do you have for the next generation of female leaders?
NUTAN PANDA senior director, global support
PeopleScout, India
“There is no secret to success. It is sheer hard work and investment of the most valuable resource that you have: Your time. I believe moving out of your comfort zone and overcoming your fears by first accepting and then solving for them helps you stand strong and move forward in your career. Get real and acknowledge that you may not be able to do everything on your own. Build your tribe by staying connected with people across functions and teams.”
“The best advice I can give – that I’ve also received – is to be vocal and speak up. Constantly communicate which opportunities and projects you would like to be involved with. Remember, your leaders are not mind-readers, so you need to be very vocal about career goals and the support you need from them so they can help and guide you.”
SARAH CANDELARIO senior director, marketing & communications
PeopleScout, U.S.
“I recommend finding either a mentor or a support structure, whether that’s within your family, with peers or even just friends you have in similar situations. Create a network where you can reach out; ask questions; get feedback and advice; and just talk through some of the issues that you might face being a leader or just being a woman in the workforce on a daily basis. This structure can be a place where you can communicate; talk about ideas and solutions; and get that reinforcement to help you be more confident in your day-to-day job and as a leader.”
Whether it’s family, a manager, a mentor or a friend, we all have at least one person who has contributed to our success. Who provides our female leaders with inspiration?
AISLING HOLLOWOOD delivery director
PeopleScout, UK
“When I was approached about applying for the maternity cover of my manager, I felt a little anxious and hesitant about stepping into that role and what that would mean. A client partner in the organization who’d been there for about 20 years gave me a call [and] told it to me straight. She said, ‘If you don’t go for this, you’ll end up training your manager and knowing that you could have done it better. What do you want to do?’ Sometimes, you need those people to give you a nudge in the right direction and really lay it out for you [in] black and white.”
KASIA FUCHS business support manager
PeopleScout, Poland
“During my career with PeopleScout, I’ve had the pleasure to meet many inspiring women whose passion, work, and impact have encouraged me to follow my career path and become empowered in my everyday work. These are women working on different seniority levels, having different experience, and coming from different cultures and backgrounds. The trust and the support within our current team of women is extremely important and makes me strong and confident.”
We all have a role in making the workplace a better and more equitable place for women and people of all backgrounds. So, how do we do that?
REBBIE HOWELL vice president, client delivery
PeopleScout, U.S.
“I think we underestimate the empathy and the personal aspect that women bring to work. A lot of times, it’s looking to be a leader that listens and understands what’s going on from a work/life balance perspective. Yes, I want to hear about your successes at work, but I also want to get to know you and what drives you outside of work. I would also say empower. It’s fostering an environment and empowering women within the organization to feel comfortable, to be authentic and to speak up. It’s giving a safe space to be able to come to work and do that.”
ANNA TURNER vice president of product
PeopleScout, U.S.
“One of the things we can do is being more thoughtful about the events we have and when they’re occurring. For example, with a team happy hour, one of the challenges is that evenings can be tough for women who have young kids. If you’re a leader thinking about setting up events to help build relationships, consider what might be possible during the workday to accommodate all team members. In addition, start paying attention to who is getting time to talk. The more we level the playing field and give everyone a voice, the better it is going to be for diverse perspectives to emerge.”
A leading manufacturer turned to PeopleScout for a unique, technology-powered candidate attraction campaign to increase women in their workforce.
A PeopleScout manufacturing client operates in an industry that has historically been male-dominated, but the client wants to change that perception. The manufacturer partnered with PeopleScout with the goal of increasing the number of female applicants and hires.
PeopleScout worked with the client to develop the Women in Manufacturing campaign. PeopleScout interviewed nearly 20 women who work in roles across the company and who love their jobs. Using this information, PeopleScout built out candidate personas to target women interested in the industry, and created a campaign featuring real women who work for the client.
Using Affinix®, we built a dedicated landing page and talent community for female candidates. On International Women’s Day, the four-week campaign, Women in Manufacturing, launched to showcase the woman-friendly, inclusive culture at the company. The campaign features employee spotlights, videos and stories to showcase how women are integrated into the culture of the company and integral to the company’s success.
The campaign features profiles of women who work in a range of manufacturing positions.
Employee profiles feature advice and insights for female job candidates.
The customized, targeted landing page was created with Affinix.
The campaign is featured on the company’s social media accounts.
“To make a lasting change, you need to consider both your stakeholders and the sustainability of your effort. Throughout the process of brainstorming, designing, and executing our Women in Manufacturing recruiting campaign, the team has balanced the technological, brand consistency, and tactical challenges to produce a thoughtful program of materials to support us. Through rapid, data-based decision making, they have quickly adapted to the fluid needs on an ongoing end-to-end recruiting campaign.”
– Matt W.
Director – HR Strategy, Analytics, & Talent Acquisition
We all know that the past year has been tough, and it’s been especially tough for women in the workforce. Job losses have disproportionally impacted women, and women typically handle the lion’s share of the work at home – something that gets multiplied once you add lockdowns and homeschooling into the mix.
But we also know that female leaders across the globe have a wealth of knowledge – lessons they learned throughout their career, lessons they’re learning now and advice for other women in the workforce.
We reached out to our diverse group of female leaders at PeopleScout. We heard from women from all around the world and at all levels of the company – from executive leaders to team leaders and managers – about what it means to be a woman in leadership in 2021, how they got there and how to create work environments where even more women can succeed.
You’ll hear a lot of voices in this episode and a variety of perspectives. But the one thing that ties them together is leadership.
