A diverse and inclusive workplace yields innumerable business benefits: a more engaged and productive workforce, better mental health among employees, increased innovation, new ways of envisioning solutions, and more.  While most organizations have DE&I at the top of their agenda—especially as more employees are expecting a socially aware and engaged employer—desiring a diverse workforce and actually attracting and retaining one are two separate things.

Oftentimes, the factors that prevent a diverse and inclusive workplace from flourishing are deeply embedded in the organization’s culture.  Creating an atmosphere that allows diverse talent to thrive may actually require a top-to-bottom reinvention at your organization, a significant undertaking best left to experts like a staffing agency that specializes in diverse hiring.

There are numerous benefits to working with this type of staffing agency.  For one, they have deep expertise in what it takes to correct an organization’s diversity hiring strategy, so you can trust that you’re taking steps in the right direction, instead of adopting a trial-and-error approach.  While you might have skilled recruiters and HR professionals on your team, the effort to build a diverse and inclusive workplace is important enough for the dedicated resources a staffing agency can provide.

Here are just a few of the ways an agency can help you succeed:  

Uncover Unconscious Bias

No matter how proactive employers are about diversity, research has found that bias is embedded in all organizations—as the decisions about hiring, workplace policies, project design and more are all made by people with their own unconscious bias.  A staffing agency can advise employers on how to recognize that reality and take steps to reduce unconscious bias, such as removing gendered language from job descriptions and relaxing requirements for specific experiences or educational backgrounds that may automatically marginalize groups of applicants. 

Leverage Deep Networks

Employers interested in building a diverse and inclusive workplace can benefit from the community connections a staffing agency experienced in diversity hiring can bring.  Agencies build relationships with diverse candidates through networking organizations, university groups, and online circles, so they can bring the most diverse slate of top talent to your organization.

Create a New Strategy

Many employers operate under decades-old policies and procedures for hiring, promoting, and advancing talent that unwittingly turns away leading diverse candidates and employees.  Staffing agencies can help employers create a smart strategy for attracting and retaining diverse employees, such as eliminating overly burdensome background checks and expanding non-inclusive parental leave benefits.  When it comes to strategy, agencies can also be helpful in data analysis, deploying resources to determine which roles historically yield fewer diverse candidates and hires—and ultimately helping organizations craft forward-thinking strategies to change those statistics.

It can be difficult to implement an effective DE&I initiative that really changes an organization. Building a relationship with an experienced staffing agency adds an important tool to your arsenal that can relieve pressure on your in-house staff while truly bringing diversity to your workforce. 

Are you ready to build a diverse team of employees for your business in Washington, D.C., or Maryland? Contact the staffing professionals at Elite Personnel to get the help you need.