Diversity and Inclusion: 4 ways an RPO can enhance your strategy

When you break it down, building a diverse and inclusive workplace sounds straightforward. And there’s certainly the business case and stats to back it up. However, as I mentioned in a previous blog, there isn’t a short-term fix. Getting Diversity and Inclusion right takes time and often, it will require a shift in mindset and some serious work.  

There’s the age-old saying ‘two heads are better than one’. And it’s a safe bet that bringing someone in to cast an eye over your Diversity and Inclusion strategy will offer food for thought. Now I can appreciate that that’s a pretty obvious and sweeping statement, so let me explain.  

Here are 4 reasons why partnering with an RPO will add real value to your Diversity and Inclusion strategy: 

1. 1. Helping you to attract and retain diverse talent

The statistics are compelling. Glassdoor report that over two thirds of job seekers consider workplace diversity as a key factor when evaluating whether they want to work somewhere and over 50% of current employees want their business to do more to increase diversity.  

Getting the attraction and retention piece right often means a rethink and a different approach to your wider talent strategy. This is where partnering with an RPO can really help. But first, a word of caution. Make sure you do your homework before you choose who to work with. Opt for a partner with a proven track record in relevant areas, such as Employee Value Propositions, employer brand and increasing employee engagement. A good partner will really get under the skin of your business, show you how you stack up and help you develop a strategy that’ll ensure you attract, recruit and retain diverse talent over the short, medium and long-term.  

1. 2. Access to a more diverse talent pool 

Again, it may seem obvious, but if you do the same things you’ve always done, you’ll likely get the same results. If you want to increase the diversity of your workforce, you’ll need to widen your search channels. The challenge is, if you’ve exhausted all known avenues, how do you access this ‘hidden’ talent? 

RPOs bring access to their extensive network of candidates and contacts. They’ll be able to draw upon relevant forums and networks which you may not be aware of. Equally, they’ll be able to relay best practices and their experiences of businesses with the same challenges as you. How did your competitors get introduced to more diverse candidates? What insight can they share with you?  

1. 3. Driving efficiencies and making things easier

A big plus of partnering with an RPO is the ‘doing bit’ and the driving of efficiencies. Revising your approach to Diversity and Inclusion is a big job. The challenge here is threefold and goes back to the attract, recruit and retain premise mentioned above. Tackling any one of the three elements is labour intensive. By partnering with an RPO, you can take away a lot of that pressure, drive efficiencies and critically, can let your HR team focus on other key aspects of the business.  

Let me give you an example. If you consider what’s involved in producing a more diverse long list, the time and resource required is far greater than just recycling a list of ‘obvious’ candidates. Now as you look to get buy-in from your key stakeholders, the last thing you want, or need, is for things to take longer or to be less efficient due to Diversity and Inclusion. Let an RPO produce your diverse longlist of candidates, meet tight deadlines and keep hiring projects on track.   

1. 4. Acting as an ally to your HR team and helping to drive change 

Driving change and challenging longstanding beliefs is a challenge. And as definitions of diversity broaden and we move away from demanding industry experience, partnering with an RPO can act as a catalyst for change. As an expert, RPOs have the power to encourage competency-based recruitment which will help push diversity of thought and experiences.  

An RPO with a proven track record in driving Diversity and Inclusion can help support you in meeting your diversity aspirations. Their added weight, experience and expertise can help gain the buy in and trust of your senior stakeholders. And as we know, Diversity and Inclusion needs to be an initiative adopted across the business.  

If you want to continue the conversation on Diversity and Inclusion you can get in touch with me at william.geldart@bps-world.com or on LinkedIn.