Black History Month is an occasion to acknowledge the huge and often overlooked contributions of Black people in the UK. One of the reasons Black History Month is so important is that it provides a platform for under-represented voices to be heard. As a recruiter, demonstrating to potential and current employees that your business is mindful of diversity and aims to welcome and champion everyone is a powerful recruiting tool.
Every organisation and business have a story to tell. To attract great talent from across society, we need to ensure we connect with and acknowledge as broad a range of experiences and voices as possible.
Getting started
Engagement with Black History Month is a way to build an organisational culture that values the rich culture and traditions from the black community and the successes of individuals both past and present. There are many forms that engagement can take, but we’ve come up with a few ideas to get you started.
Black History Month news is a useful resource to get inspiration on stories that could be relevant to share on internal and external communication platforms to show solidarity and ensure your organisation speaks to a diverse range of voices. It’s a great way to start conversations.
Encouraging participation in Black History Month events brings the workforce together. In person events, including concerts and exhibitions are held across the UK. There are also a wide-ranging series of online lectures. Get people involved and show you’re motivated to start conversations. Developing a reputation as an organisation that understands and champions black employees improves your desirability as an employer. For instance the REC have an EDI committee that encourages our staff to engage and take action.
Want to do more?
We’re glad to hear it! One of the benefits of Black History Month is that it challenges us to continue to strive for equality and challenge discrimination. For example, the REC are product signatories on the Race at Work Charter. From a HR perspective, the Black History Month diversity dashboard is a helpful resource. It includes profiles of organisations that have already set diversity targets, as well as information on scholarship programmes, mentorship programmes, trainings and other initiatives that may be relevant to your sector. Consider promoting those that are relevant or consider if there is room for your business to engage more actively.
