Collect data and benchmarks
At Omobono, the Diversity and Inclusion team formed back in August 2019 based on their desire to go beyond the efforts to include diversity training. At the time, the board felt like they could be doing more, so one of the first steps to approaching diversity was to start with a survey.
Starting with an initial survey can be the first step to addressing any existing issues or concerns. At Omobono, the team surveyed employees on how the business wanted to learn more about as well as what formats they wanted to learn in. As expected, the business expressed a desire for much more than the once a year formal training approach.
In addition to finding out what employees are looking for, you have an opportunity to capture a baseline of your business’s current levels of diversity, including gender, race, social identity, gender identity, age and background.
Avery says: “The results we found were in keeping with the marketing industry as a whole, predominantly white, young and middle class. That’s a big part of why this initiative is so important, so that we change the face of marketing so that it is more inclusive and we’re not just hiring the same people time and time again.”
Refine the application process
As a first step, Omobono reached out to its recruitment partners to speak to them about CVs. Omobono uses Greenhouse, an application tracking system, which aims to mitigate bias, evaluate candidates fairly, and measure inclusion progress. The last update with the technology allows applicant names on application to be automatically changed.
They wanted names, pronouns or any sort of gender marker to be removed from all applications, so that the person reviewing would be basing their opinions on merit rather than appearances or their own unconscious bias.
To make sure language was also filtered, Omobono also recruited their internal teams to get them involved in the process as well.
Avery says: “We have a strong representation from content strategists and copywriters in the business. We apply a filter to remove any gendered language or problematic language as well. There are also some tools available that allow you to do that automatically.”
The D&I statement
Often at the end of applications, you’ll see a statement that says “We are committed to zero discrimination” or something that iterates that same sentiment.
Avery explains: “To me, that statement doesn’t go far enough because that statement is saying to put it bluntly: ‘We’re not shit’, and it’s more like we’re doing the bare minimum by simply saying we won’t allow discrimination. And what we need to see businesses doing more of is saying: ‘this is what we’re doing; this is how we demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion programmes.’”
Rather than telling your applicants you’re committed to D&I initiatives, prove it. How is your company creating an inclusive environment? Is your business providing resources for those who might feel marginalised?
Advertise to new communities
When advertising job opportunities, be sure to ask yourself:
- Where do we put job ads?
- How do we write job ads?
- What audience are we writing for?
- What platforms are we promoting our ads?
From there, you can identify patterns. Perhaps your company is marketing for predominantly white institutions. Or maybe your company is advertising to a limited number of universities and schools.
Avery advises: “We have to look to for different sources of talent and we have to look at where we advertise; otherwise you’ll keep finding the same people. That’s about connecting with recruitment agencies and universities, and even different locals.”
Challenge your unconscious bias
While there are plenty of measures that can prevent unconscious bias in the initial stages, how can someone challenge that when they sit down in person (or virtually) to review the applicant? At Omobono, they have included internal training sessions on different types of unconscious bias.
This includes challenging the phrase ‘cultural fit’ which in itself can convey the message that a company is simply looking to hire someone that is more like the majority of its demographic.
Avery also mentions bringing in different areas of the business for interviews. For example, if someone is hiring for a role in creative design, bringing in a project manager or someone who isn’t directly involved in the team allows for a different perspective. This also allows for teams to hold each other accountable throughout the business.
Why people need to feel emotionally safe at work
A core part of the D&I initiative at Omobono has been to build a safe environment for their people, where they feel they can bring their whole selves to work.
Psychological safety is the idea that your team feels they can be themselves at work, that they can make mistakes and they don’t feel threatened. Harvard business professor Amy Edmonson cited psychological safety as a key attribute in high-performing teams.
When Amy was a grad student, she studied medical teams to see which performed the best. Amy was surprised to learn that the ones who made more mistakes were the ones who outperformed the teams that were a bit more careful. Being psychologically safe at the workplace allows employees to bring their true selves to work.
Avery says on this: “If we feel like we can’t be our true selves at work it will limit our creativity, our ability to perform, as we don’t feel safe to be vulnerable with our colleagues. We need to be able to have difficult conversations, even confrontations and we can challenge each other. That can only be done from a position of mutual respect. We need to feel safe to have those conversations.”
At B2B Marketing, we know we’re not perfect, and we need to keep these things in mind as much as anyone else. If you have any ideas for content to keep this discussion at the fore of our industry, please feel free to drop us a line at: [email protected]
