Black Lives Matter: answer the call

The REC’s Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Ornella Nsio, on why the recruitment industry should shout the message from the rooftops

The coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on business activity across the UK. It hit fast, with permanent hiring and placements in temporary markets falling dramatically as soon as lockdown was announced.

The next year is likely to be even more turbulent for the jobs market. Businesses will be recovering from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and we’ll see the introduction of major legislative changes too, from IR35 to the Brexit Immigration Bill. In a climate with declining vacancies and rising candidate availability, promoting diversity in recruitment may seem like a non-essential add on to some, but in times of crisis diversity is a crucial survival tool.

The business case

Research from McKinsey suggests that when companies invest in diversity and inclusion, they are in a better position to create more adaptive and effective teams. Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians. Furthermore according to the CBI, UK GDP could be boosted by £24 billion a year if the ethnicity pay gap was bridged.

The business case for diversity and inclusion has always been clear and a major driver in companies investing in D&I initiatives. Yet little attention has been given to the moral case for diversity, until now.

The drive for change

The re-emergence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has sparked dialogue on the racial disparities in the workplace and backlash towards businesses that lack racial diversity.

Organisations with low numbers of black and ethnic minority employees (particularly at senior and board level) have experienced social media push-back, boycotting, and other reputation-damaging activity. Company leaders have carried the weight of the scrutiny. Businesses as a result have begun to examine the role that they play in promoting racial equality in the workplace.

This has led to increased inquiries from recruiters asking how they can promote diversity in their own organisation and support their clients to do so.

Good recruitment is the foundation upon which a fair and diverse organisation can be built. By getting the fundamentals of recruitment right real strides can be made in racial equity in the labour market.

The labour market has performed incredibly well over the past few years leading to many businesses and recruiters relying on the same recruitment processes and tactics. But these practices have helped to uphold the status quo and made it difficult for diverse talent to enter the workplace or gain promotions.

The current pause in the labour market has afforded recruiters and businesses the time to re-evaluate their recruitment processes, weeding out unconscious bias. Consumers in this new era have sent a clear message to businesses that diversity matters to them. As the market picks up, recruiters who have taken the time to re-evaluate their processes and develop new strategies, will have a competitive advantage in this new era of social consciousness. Those recruiters who do nothing will struggle to compete.

First published in Recruitment Matters magazine (August-September edition).