Working Toward an Inclusive Future

DIVERSITY, equity, belonging, and inclusion are some of the key values that describe a thriving workplace culture. DISHER Talent Solutions has been working toward being part of the global shift toward embodying these values in our organization and the organizations we partner with.

We want to share some of the work we have been doing with you. We will dive deeper into why we believe this type of work is necessary, explore some of the actions we have taken, and how this applies to you as a partner!

KNOWING OUR HISTORY AND ENVISIONING OUR FUTURE

Historically, diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion have not always been organizational values. From legalized hiring discrimination to workplace cultures that subtly, yet effectively, maintain homogenous organizations, we find ourselves in a critical time. DISHER and organizations around the world are invited to acknowledge our position in a system that has in the recent past benefitted some populations and disadvantaged others.

Yet our work only begins with acknowledgement. With new knowledge comes the responsibility to act. Not just a one-time act—but consistent action over an extended period of time, ceaselessly learning and adjusting.

Further, equity work is not the work of one person or even one department. It is everyone’s work. Everyone is required to learn and unlearn, imagine new possibilities within our specific contexts, call one another in, try new things, and co-create flourishing communities.

Exclusive environments throughout history were the product of communal and systemic discrimination. As such, we believe that the best actions to take toward creating inclusive environments are ones we take in community.

HOW YOU ARE IMPACTED

As Talent Engineers at DISHER, we recognize the impact we have on your workplace. Organizations start and end with people. We all know that the right people can take an organization to exciting new heights.

Four years ago, the Kellogg Foundation published “The Business Case for Racial Equity.” This study outlines practical reasons why diversity and equity in the workplace are not only ideal but are vital for organizational growth and sustainability. When everyone in an organization is equally included and physically and psychologically safe—our potential for innovation skyrockets!

As your talent consultants, we are committed to helping you hire the most capable, diverse, and dynamic team members available so you can stand out above the rest. As part of honoring that commitment, we need to have the tools to reach all people in all spaces.

YOUR CERTIFIED DIVERSITY RECRUITERS

The need to provide you with the best level of recruitment available led us to have 14 of our Talent Solutions team members become Certified Diversity Recruiters. We selected the training agency, AIRS, which was founded in 1997. AIRS focuses on industry education in the talent acquisition and recruitment space. They conduct interactive trainings and certifications for sourcing, hiring processes, recruitment, and team management.

Our team received a total of 160 hours of meaningful training collectively. The time was packed with practical tools to increase diversity in our workplaces!

• We learned how to create an effective plan for building diverse pipelines that employ unique search techniques.
• We learned specific keywords and Boolean search strings to identify talent in underrepresented groups on social media and across the web.
• We learned how to strengthen partnerships and improve collaboration with hiring managers to elevate diversity and inclusion recruiting practices and have dialogue around the impact of unconscious bias.
• We were introduced to online data resources that support inclusive hiring and websites to pull workforce data to help companies measure themselves against national averages.
• Lastly, we learned how to improve job descriptions to reach a more expansive candidate pool.

While this training was intense and full of practical tools that we have been able to employ immediately, we also know it is just the beginning. As we continue to ask ourselves how to be a leader in further developing inclusive workplaces, our learning does not stop here.

We know that as talent solution consultants, our knowledge becomes your results, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. We will continue to dive in, ask questions, be teachable, and journey towards inclusivity for all.

If you are a current partner of ours, or plan to work with us in the future, we would love to be your strategic partner in diversity hiring to help your organization become a community where everyone is included and everyone thrives. Please reach out if you are interested in learning more.

Stay tuned, not only to see what we do, but to experience what we become. Let’s Make a Positive Difference together!