Diversity and inclusion within the recruitment process is always at the top of our mind in all our searches. This is reciprocated by clients demanding as diverse a talent pool as possible. However, we find that there isn’t much discussion about how a diverse workplace affects a company’s attractiveness to potential talent.

Morgan Latif interviewed the CEO and found Equavito, Steven Cox and Shereen Daniels on the issue, and they both stress diversity alone isn’t enough. For lasting change, inclusion at all levels of decision-making is needed to create lasting change.

It has been found inclusivity in all levels of decision-making:

• Inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time.
• Teams that follow an inclusive process make decisions twice as fast as half the meetings.
• Decisions made and executed by diverse groups delivered 60% better results.

Furthermore, a study by Tobias Dauth found that a diverse executive team improves the organisation’s appeal to candidates, unsurprisingly more towards diverse talent. The reason is that an already existing inclusion management removes the idea of a “glass ceiling” at the company, strongly indicating an opportunity for progression. Therefore, a diverse executive team increases the company’s ability to compete for top talent, which evidently impacts the organisation’s performance.

From my personal experience, as a person of colour, a world that is more conscious of diversity is great! I remember at university, a lecturer sharing stories about former students having to change their names to reach the interview stage for application. At the time, it was discouraging, to say the least. However, I am genuinely grateful that more doors are open. We still have a way to go before it is not an issue we must tackle. It’s encouraging to see that it is more valued in the corporate world and that more studies are clarifying the benefits.