Before choosing my next career move, I spent months researching companies. While I was curious to learn about their products, customers, and perks that enabled time with family, I was also seeking the answer to the question: “Is this a place where I will belong?”
Every job candidate, regardless of function or level, is likely asking the same question. Inclusion is a universal human need, hardwired into our DNA. Not surprisingly, what’s good for people is also good for business – the 2022 Workplace Belonging Survey reported that 88 percent of employed Americans agree that a sense of belonging leads to higher productivity at work. And yet, only 36 percent feel they work in an inclusive environment.
As leaders invested in building a diverse, inclusive workforce, it’s our responsibility to tirelessly strive to create a culture where everyone sees themselves. This work is decades in the making – and yet it’s just beginning.
Reflecting on the employee journey, one of the first touchpoints where we have an opportunity to cultivate belonging is the job description. But far too often, this is where we immediately alienate people. What may seem like a straightforward description is in reality incredibly nuanced, where a single word has the power to turn away even the most qualified candidates.
LinkedIn behavioral data shows that women are 16 percent less likely than men to apply to a job after viewing it, as they feel they need to meet 100 percent of the criteria while men apply after meeting about 60 percent. This is just one example of how historically underrepresented groups are taking themselves out of the running before they even step up to the starting line. If the job description qualifications signal that your company is not a place where people can belong and be successful, you will lose future employees before you even have a chance to meet them.
At Highspot, we recently took a series of steps to address this problem, including adding a new sentence at the end of every job description. It reads: “Did you read the requirements as a checklist and not tick every box? Don’t rule yourself out! If this role resonates with you, hit the ‘apply’ button.”
While progress is positive, the job description is only one thread in the fabric of an inclusive workplace. People want to work for companies that walk the talk throughout their entire journey. This means weaving belonging through the full cycle of attraction, assessment, and retention of every employee.
Say your candidate applies after reading an inclusive job description, but then encounters a homogeneous interview panel or a broken assessment process; or your candidate gets hired, only to find out during onboarding that the culture promised on the website was a veneer. Focusing on recruiting alone may bring candidates in the door – but that door will be revolving as people continuously depart in search of a place that authentically supports them beyond the first touch.
Said simply, there must be congruence. What we say and do on the front-end of the talent application cycle must mirror how we’re intentionally evolving our culture internally. We cannot work on one and not the other.
As we persevere, we recognize that this work will never be finished. The pursuit of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is a never-ending mission, during which we might pause to honor the progress we’ve made, before continuing on – to learn, grow, and drive change together, all while knowing that there will always be far to go.
The most valuable company benefits aren’t found on paper. Rather, they are experienced and uniquely felt by all of us throughout our individual employee journeys, as we continually seek the universal need to belong. Sometimes companies deliver, other times they fall short – but what remains constant is our ability to improve.
