Inclusive From the Start: How Great Hiring Builds Cultures of Belonging

BY Linda Devonish-Mills | October 25, 2023

“What are you doing internally to help ensure there are policies and practices to ensure the workplace environment is inclusive?” asked Jamie Adasi, head of inclusion, diversity, equity, and allyship at Greenhouse. According to Adasi, that is the critical question employers should ask to ensure that their workplace is one that employees want to embrace.

Adasi led a thought leadership spotlight session at From Day One’s conference in Boston, titled “Inclusive From The Start: How Great Hiring Builds Cultures of Belonging.” She mentions all of the critical factors that DEI professionals must consider to be effective with establishing inclusive working environments. “Whether it’s the Supreme Court’s decision to roll back Roe v. Wade or affirmative action, book bans or the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, we’re going through a lot right now,” said Adasi.

Biased Hiring Practices 

Adasi discussed the “good, bad, and ugly” involved in hiring practices. She referred to a Greenhouse study that revealed that 78% of underrepresented potential employees state that they have been ghosted after employer interviews. Meanwhile, a significantly smaller 62% of white candidates reported the same experience.

More than 60% of respondents in the study revealed that receiving feedback during the interview process would make them more inclined to apply for other jobs at a company, even if they did not receive an offer for the initial position they sought. 

Previous Greenhouse research has shown that people of color routinely face discrimination in the interview process:

  • Nearly 43% of candidates have had their names mispronounced in a job interview, an issue that foreign-born individuals routinely experience.
  • Candidates have faced discriminatory questions in the interview process. 
  • African American interviewees were 25%  more likely than white interviewees to receive discriminatory questions.

Inclusive Hiring Practices

Adasi referenced Mallick's book about debunking myths to transform your workplace 

Adasi referred to a book by her peer Mita Mallick, head of inclusion, equity, and impact at Carta, titled Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths To Transform Your Workplace. Adasi refers to the fourth myth in the book: “Hiring and developing diverse talent as long as they are good.”

Adasi analyzes the concepts of ‘meritocracy vs. mirrortocracy’ as mentioned in Mallick’s book, stating that mirrortocracy is a concept related to the myth. It occurs when hiring managers select people that look like them instead of seeking skill sets other potential employees can bring to the table. 

Diverse hiring practices should be incorporated for executive-level and entry-level positions. One successful recruiting strategy is forming connections with administrative faculty at higher education institutions with diverse student populations like HBCUs.

Adasi offered more insight about what should be incorporated in good hiring practices:

  • Hiring practices should be attached to workforce representation goals. 
  • Diverse hiring managers and interview teams should be the groups interviewing to obtain different perspectives of potential employees. 
  • Structured hiring should be conducted based on data and healthy dialogue, not on gut-based decisions. 

She emphasized that good practices take the guesswork out of hiring. Good practices do not eliminate biased hiring practices but minimize them. 

Employee Resource Groups 

Employee resource groups (ERGs) provide a sense of belonging. ERGs are employer-recognized, employee-led groups that allow people with shared identities to build a community forum to discuss business and professional goals and share resources. The membership basis is typically formed by marginalized or minority professionals based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, parental status, and other defining characteristics. Although there are many benefits to developing employee resource groups, such groups can be perceived as an act of exclusion if groups within an organization do not represent all underrepresented groups. 

Adasi talked about how Greenhouse benefits from ERGs. At Greenhouse, ERGs are referred to as Arbors. Each Arbor has business imperatives, objectives, and critical performance indicators attached to initiatives. “Connecting the Arbors to real business results is one way of ensuring they maintain momentum and support and aren’t just considered a nice to have,” said Adasi. 

Senior leaders at Greenhouse recognize that employees are allocating extra work and time to participate in the groups. They are rewarded with equitable initiatives such as close partnerships with senior leaders, company-wide visibility, and professional development opportunities. Employees in ERGs are encouraged to get involved in the hiring process as Talent Makers even if they are not hiring managers.   

Effective Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Conversations  

Adasi mentioned that Greenhouse’s journey with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is far from complete. She described what the company looked like among employees at her arrival. Greenhouse was struggling to attract diverse inbound applicants. The senior leadership team was 95% white. Adasi worked closely with the talent planning and acquisition team to diversify the pool of employee candidates. 

The collaboration resulted in proactive hiring tactics with a focus on DEIB. A company’s commitment to DEIB starts from the top, she says. Setting DEIB goals for executives and other leaders is one effective way to influence the rest of the organization. 

It’s not easy to be a DEIB professional, says Adasi. Still, there is work that has to be done to incorporate inclusive environments in workplaces. Consider how you may take some of Adasi’s steps to support your company’s DEIB initiatives. Every employee at a company has a part to play in developing a sense of belonging in the workplace.

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Greenhouse, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. 

Linda Devonish-Mills is a freelance writer and diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant based in Teaneck, New Jersey. Her articles have been published by Thrive Global, a Huffington Post publication, Cowen Partners, an executive search firm, and Hunt Scanlon Media. 

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