Global recruitment strategy drives diversity in SIM

BY TIM ALLAN, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

A passionate commitment to diversity is one of SIM’s defining characteristics.

We very often talk about our multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-skilled teams, working to share the gospel with people who have never heard of Jesus Christ.

One of our core values says we are strengthened through diversity. But sometimes that commitment is hard to put into practice.

I remember once being part of an SIM team on a stand at a big Christian conference in my country. Whenever people came up to talk to us, I made a big point of our diversity and our commitment to multi-cultural teams.

But when I turned and looked at the others working on the stand, I realised how far we had to go … we were all male, all over six feet tall, all white and all from the same culture.

It is often very difficult to recruit workers from diverse backgrounds. Many things play into anyone’s decision to apply for mission: Is this an organisation I could fit into? Do I have the right skillset for the role? Do I feel God is calling me? Will there be sufficient funding for me? Will the hours fit with my family? For those reasons, and maybe more, we often find that most applicants come from a small handful of cultures.

That is one of the key reasons SIM International is pursuing a global recruitment strategy. We want workers on our team who come from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds and locations. We want them to help us have a truly global perspective, which takes account of the huge diversity in our teams worldwide.

Another reason is cost, a factor which cannot be ignored and has played into this discussion for many years. Back in 2013, a review recommended decentralising our office staff, both to diversify the team and to reduce cost. In 2017, a mission-wide survey sought feedback about relocating the International office. The results indicated the need to disperse the International Leadership & Services team to many regions.

Our two latest International appointments, in finance and IT, are both Kenyans, working from Nairobi. Our International Leadership Team now has people from more than six countries.

It seems this is all in God’s perfect timing. We know there will be challenges when we work with people remotely and with people from different cultures and time zones.

But if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we can work in that way. We can make good use of Zoom and we can be flexible in the way we meet, in the times we meet and in how we keep teams functioning well.

Our journey towards greater diversity continues, and this is a significant step forward.

To find out about the global recruitment strategy, email International Personnel Director Helen Heron (international.personnel@sim.org).

Tim Allan, SIM International Communications Director