The power of inclusive recruitment

There is a currently pronounced trend in businesses using D&I recruitment strategies to future-proof operations and remain competitive. If you’re wondering exactly what inclusive recruitment involves, you’re not alone. Recite Me’s CEO, Ross Linnett explains.

If your company doesn’t already incorporate D&I into recruitment processes, it’s time to start. The increased tendency toward remote working and WFH policies coupled with wider economic impacts like ‘The Great Resignation’ means there’s never been a greater need for teams to be able to connect, collaborate, and communicate effectively and more equitably. Even in in-office settings, D&I based recruitment initiatives are essential in achieving the kind of positive cultural change that improves productivity and retention and reduces absenteeism and turnover.

What is inclusive recruitment?

Checking the box on diversity hires is not enough. Physical disabilities are already considered in most D&I policies. However, there’s a long list of non-physical conditions that affect digital accessibility too. We call these hidden disabilities. Examples include vision problems, neurological differences, cognitive impairments, language issues, and learning difficulties. Inclusive recruitment focuses on ensuring these individuals are supported throughout the candidate journey so you can hire the best talent for your teams.

Why is it important?

Embracing individual differences makes teams stronger, more innovative and adaptable, and creates an organisational culture that fosters employee engagement and supports long-term business success.

Leading the way

Peoplebank and Michael Page lead the way for inclusion in the Australian recruitment industry. Providing additional support enables them to attract diverse hidden talent and support everyone through their digital job search.

Brent Leahy, Executive General Manager at Peoplebank commented, “The launch of the Recite Me toolbar provides candidates and clients with a more inclusive experience. We want to make the Peoplebank website easily accessible to ensure all qualified candidates have equal opportunities to apply.”

What the data says

At Recite Me, we’ve been working with industry leaders to compile comprehensive D&I recruitment guides and develop assistive technologies that ensure websites, intranets, and staff learning platforms are inclusive.

Our most recent 12-month data shows that over 710,000 people have used the Recite Me toolbar to support their job search online. 4.5millions website pages were viewed on recruitment websites, with an average session time of 6.5 pages, 230% better than the industry average.

5 steps to get started

1. Reassess existing policies to identify and address barriers to inclusion.

2. Provide an inclusive candidate journey.

3. Build diverse interviewing panels.

4. Set inclusion KPIs.

5. Invest in accessibility software.