“Diversity in the workforce.” If you’re an HR professional, you’ve surely heard this phrase. But the rise in prioritizing diversity is not just a trend or new buzzword to include in company descriptions. To properly focus on diversity within an organization takes a shift in mindset and long-term commitment. It cannot be a passive value but instead an active one. 

Diversity in the workforce is not necessarily a simple value, either. That’s because diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can refer to a variety of factors, from age to race to educational background. But at the end of the day, the simple fact remains that prioritizing and valuing diversity in the workforce is beneficial to organizations—and to the employees working for them.

Where To Start?

Your organization is committed to prioritizing diversity in its workforce. But where do you, as the HR professional, start? If the introduction tells you anything, it’s that DEI is multi-faceted. There are a lot of avenues that can and should be explored when it comes to authentically creating a diverse workforce and culture of inclusion at your organization. And one of the best areas to begin? Hiring. If you have open job listings, you should be prioritizing diversity.

Prioritizing Diversity In Hiring May Mean Brand New Processes

For many organizations, embracing a holistic approach to DEI will likely also mean taking a look at old processes. Many times “tried-and-true” now translates to “tired-and-outdated.” We can’t expect to build effective DEI initiatives by using the same processes we used many years ago before diversity was adequately prioritized. 

What’s a recruitment technology that can help with your organization’s diversity pledge (and enhance recruitment in general)? Artificial intelligence—commonly known as AI.

Beyond The Bias With AI

Humans have biases. Even those of us who claim to be objective are never 100% so—it’s just part of being human. But what we don’t want is our biases to become a part of is the hiring process. AI recruitment software may have first been lauded for its ability to speed up inefficient processes, but now it is being recognized for its ability to help eliminate the hiring biases that can affect the pool of candidates who make it into the interview process.

AI is particularly helpful in the early process of hiring. Some platforms, like PandoLogic’s own recruitment technology, PandoIq, have the ability to take diversity data points into account when programmatically advertising your job. This will help you source a more diverse and inclusive group of candidates. Additionally, AI software can filter through data without being biased by factors like age, race, gender, or location—factors that sometimes hinder a candidate from making it to the next stage in the hiring process because of someone’s unconscious biases.  

AI itself does not not create more diverse candidates—but it can help foster a more diverse workforce by helping you find a variety of qualified candidates who might just be the perfect fit for your open job listing.

Diversity in the workforce, eliminating bias, and prioritizing DEI in hiring is an ongoing effort. But it’s made easier by using AI to mitigate unconscious bias. 

How AI Can Help With Retention

As we mentioned earlier, an authentic culture of inclusivity cannot be a passive thing. It will become clear to employees all too quickly if the organization is not standing behind its commitment to diversity in its workforce. Hiring a more diverse workforce does not mean much if the organization cannot retain its employees. It may seem unlikely, but the same AI that can help eliminate biases can help you with retention—by giving you back valuable time.

Hiring can be a long and involved process. AI software can help automate time-consuming and menial to-dos. This can, in turn, free up your time for other projects, including those that may increase retention—such as employee resource groups and CSR initiatives. Such programs show to your employees that the organization is actively committed to a culture that prioritizes DEI. 

Overall, adopting AI can promote diversity in the workforce and help your organization keep DEI at the forefront.