Often the primary focus of companies is to recruit and hire more diverse talent. But what about after it? Now that you might have a diverse pool of people, how to make sure they stick with you in the long run?
“Based on data collected after research upon research, most companies are driving diverse hires right out of the door.”
You must learn how to retain diversity with equity and inclusion. Here are four tips to help you do that:
Onboard, Engage, Support!
An employee onboarding survey of over 1000 employed US workers revealed that 31% of new hires left the job within the first month. On the other hand, around 68% exited the company within the next three months. The reason behind the ineffective retention was that the companies managed to hire diverse employees, but they failed to make the onboarding process effective. To retain diverse talent, you should develop a proper onboarding mechanism.
When you hire someone new, walk them through the processes of your company, introduce them to the rest of the team, make them aware of the prospects or challenges, help them settle in, and train them on everything they need to know to get their job done. In the case of underrepresented employees, having a support system makes the world of a difference. Help them forge a connection with their community. Better yet, if you have affinity groups or Employee Resource Groups, educate them about it. If not, give them the liberty to start one if they want to.
At every step of the onboarding, be there to support your new hire to settle in. Make them feel at place, help them connect and fit in a way so they don’t feel like an outsider.
Train Your Managers
No matter how many times I emphasize it, it won’t be enough. You can do everything you want, but if your managers aren’t equipped in dealing with all employees then you have done nothing to ensure diverse employees stay. Train the managers to become aware of their unconscious bias, the language they are using, and how to create a sense of belonging.
Ask them to constantly assess themselves to see if they are distributing the tasks fairly, if everyone is getting equal opportunities, and if they are fair. Train them to analyze and judge their decisions and leadership every step of the way. You can also incentivize this by rewarding managers for retaining the most diverse team.
Mentorship & Sponsorship Opportunities
There is no doubt that everyone benefits from having mentors. But your diverse employees will benefit from them the most. Create mentorship programs to cater to them. The mentors will be their advisors and confidantes. Out of ERGs, these mentors will be the people your employees will look up to when encountered with any hindrance or obstacle.
Moreover, some companies even foster a relationship with sponsors. Sponsors take it a step further than mentors by becoming advocates. Research by Coqual proves that sponsorship is significant for the engagement, retention, and advancement of diverse talent. If not individually, you can always have an executive sponsor for ERGs and affinity groups, and they can serve the same purpose for the diverse employees collectively.
Have A Retention Plan In Place!
You can be doing all the above but creating a formal retention plan that can be tested, re-tested, and edited for effectiveness is important. You should have check-in meetings with your diverse employees (more at the beginning), to check if they are settling in and if they have any issues. Keep checking in with them and ask them if there is anything you can do to help them. Be open to listening to their honest feedback as well.
Not just this, but when they opt to leave the company, conduct an exit interview. These interviews will give you clear and transparent insights on how you can make your company more inclusive for diverse employees so you can retain them in the long run.
“Don’t just invite diverse people into your company but include them as well. Make them feel safe in bringing their best and true selves to work. Value diversity but equally value equity and inclusiveness as well.”
