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Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace

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1.1 Is your brand inclusive?

Messages about diversity and inclusion are becoming increasingly important in your employer branding. The high profile of campaigns and movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, and the socially and ethically orientated priorities of Millennials and Generation X, mean that prospective candidates are more aware than ever of the impact of discrimination, and many are actively seeking evidence of an inclusive working environment in the employers they target.

A photograph of a magnet on a table with 5 wooden people surrounding the magnet.

Carrion (2020) recommends five ways to make your employer brand more inclusive:

  1. Share stories of role models – gives an authentic insight into your company’s culture
  2. Leverage social media – 48% of job seekers use it in their job search
  3. Showcase your company’s journey and commitment to diversity – including relevant programmes, benefits, policies, etc.
  4. Encourage employees to advocate for your brand – create content they can share with their networks
  5. Highlight your leaders’ commitment to diversity – share content on their commitment, efforts and diverse experiences.

Activity 1 Social media research

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes for this activity.

Choose a large organisation that interests you, and check out their careers and/or recruitment activity on your preferred social media platform. It could be Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or any other that you are familiar with.

If you don’t currently use social media, use your preferred search engine to search for a particular company followed by the word twitter, e.g. BBC Careers twitter, and this should give you access to a range of their tweets without having to log in.

Keep diversity and inclusion in mind as you browse their messages. What do you observe?

Comment

Did they raise diversity issues specifically? Did their imagery represent diversity? Did you get a sense of whether they are an inclusive employer?

If you look at their more generic social media – focused on advertising their products or services rather than recruitment – is there still the same emphasis on diversity and inclusion?

Keeping your social media messages fresh and interesting can be a challenge. Kunzle (2021) provides useful examples of employer branding on social media, showcasing the following approaches:

  • Content variety – using different formats and ideas to share your message
  • Story telling – including video content and employee interviews
  • Strong brand identity – using a cohesive colour palette and consistent tone of voice.

And content ideas, including:

  • Vacancy posts
  • Employee quotes and stories
  • Interactive posts – using polls and quizzes
  • Company facts and statistics
  • Fun facts – or ‘did you know?’
  • Welcoming new starters.

In the next section, you’ll move on to look at where you promote your brand and the impact that might have on your organisation’s future diversity.