• Resolving issues with their recruiting and hiring processes
• Revisiting brand messaging and language in job descriptions
• Revamping their approach to building a diverse workforce
• Reconsidering what the ideal candidate profile looks like
• Reassessing their sourcing and recruitment marketing efforts

Creating a concrete action plan to improve your recruiting process and hiring results is a big, end-of-year priority. But, it’s just as vital for your business to stay on top of the latest talent acquisition trends that will impact your recruitment approach in the year ahead.

Here are five talent acquisition trends you and your leaders should know for 2024.

1) Heightened focus on data-driven recruiting and hiring strategies

• Embracing real-time analytics will empower hiring teams to work smarter and faster.

Today’s top HR leaders ensure their recruiters and hiring managers embrace a data-driven approach with technology that enables them to execute results-focused recruiting strategies.

The Employ 2023 Recruiter Nation Report found more HR decision-makers intend to follow suit in 2024. Roughly one-quarter (24%) of HR leaders will invest in analytics and reporting for their hiring teams to help them act on data tied to their recruiting speed and efficiency.

• Using best-in-class recruitment software with built-in talent analytics, and leveraging data in their decision-making, helps hiring teams more effectively recruit open roles — from contract and seasonal workers, to full-time employees — in a scalable, repeatable, efficient way.

Real-time data that shows candidate status and reveals progress on core recruiting metrics, including time to fill, sourcing effectiveness, and offer acceptance, provides hiring teams with actionable insights they can use to improve their work.

Aptitude Research Founder Madeline Laurano recently noted employers must “harness the power of data and insights to chart the right course forward” for their hiring strategies.

Bottom line: Employers that don’t develop data-driven recruiting strategies in 2024 will struggle with hiring top talent, compared to companies that take advantage of analytics.

2) Optimized approach to candidate engagement and conversion

• Building relationships with candidates will be a competitive differentiator for employers.

Whether you’re emailing active job seekers who recently applied for open roles or messaging passive candidates through cold outreach on LinkedIn, you must communicate with these potential hires in a personalized manner to provide a stellar candidate experience.

In 2024, hiring teams will evaluate their talent engagement tactics and overall candidate relationship management strategy to ensure they interact with job seekers in a truly human way, even if they use recruiting automation to send some of their nurture messages to candidates.

• Leveraging recruitment marketing automation can help hiring teams nurture both active and passive candidates at scale.

The Employ Recruiter Nation Report found 32% of talent teams will also adopt new candidate engagement scoring frameworks that use artificial intelligence. This is intended to help them better learn which nurture messaging resonates with job seekers.

Emailing and texting candidates to update them on their status within the hiring process is essential. Leading recruiting platforms offer automation capabilities that enable hiring teams to put most of these manual tasks on auto-pilot.

• Top-rated recruitment technology also provides hiring teams with rules-based workflows that ensure they can send the right message to the right candidates at the right time.

It is up to human resources leaders, however, to ensure their teams are empowered to use purpose-built recruitment software, investing in technology that addresses their hiring complexity and eliminates inefficiencies tied to manual recruiting tasks.

Just remember: The best candidate engagement strategies balance creativity and persistence. Test and optimize your approach regularly using analytics to continually improve key nurture-related metrics, like the open and reply rates for your emails and text messages.

3) Greater emphasis on internal mobility and employee retention

• Businesses that prioritize career mobility will better retain top talent in the coming year.

The Recruiter Nation Report found 39% of employers will focus heavily on internal mobility in 2024.

This finding shows HR decision-makers recognize that, in a highly competitive job market, it is difficult to hire highly qualified candidates, so they must focus on retaining their existing employees.

• And that means helping them advance in their careers internally.

Look for more organizations to offer career pathing for employees to prevent them from leaving the company and allow them to move into roles that challenge them and provide new learning opportunities.

This approach not only helps retain employees long term, but also alleviates the pressure on hiring teams. “Businesses need new skills at a rate faster than I’ve ever seen before, which means they need to help their employees evolve via upskilling and internal mobility,” LinkedIn VP of Talent Jennifer Shappley said in the company’s latest Global Talent Trends report.

Whether it’s providing stipends for certifications, offering mentorship programs or conducting career development training, leaders must offer employees the chance to grow their skill sets and realize their career paths within the organization to boost retention.

While sourcing external talent on job boards, social media, and other channels will be critical to the success of any talent acquisition strategy, prioritizing internal mobility must be a major focus area in 2024, too.

4) Increased reliance on engagement programs to improve culture

• Human resources will develop more dedicated employee engagement initiatives.

Many companies shifted to a hybrid workforce or entirely remote-work model in recent years. During this transition, many business leaders have evaluated the level of employee engagement for in-office and remote employees.

In 2024, creating a strong culture will be less about making the office a fun environment and more about ensuring employees — whether remote, hybrid, or in-office — feel seen and heard by colleagues and managers, know the value of their work to the business, and are set up to succeed.

• Companies with clearly defined values, create a plan to keep employees engaged, and improve their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts will win top talent in a competitive market.

To improve their diversity hiring, the Employ Recruiter Nation Report found employers plan to:

• Showcase their DEI commitment on their career site (44%)
• Write more inclusive job descriptions for job postings (38%)
• Use more diverse interview panels in their hiring efforts (27%)

Along with other recruiting and hiring process changes, these efforts by HR decision-makers and their hiring teams are intended better attract and hire more individuals from underrepresented groups and build a diverse workforce and culture in 2024 and beyond.

5) More efforts to improve employee well-being and work-life balance

• Employee wellness will be a big focus for organizations in 2024, driven by HR leaders.

Workforce burnout and fatigue are prevalent within companies of all sizes today.

To make matters worse, employee well-being was a top area business leaders struggled with most amid the pandemic. In 2024, this must be addressed head-on to improve recruitment and retention.

Recruiters have become especially weary. The Employ Recruiter Nation Report found 23% of talent specialists experienced high levels of burnout and concerns over their mental health in 2023.

• On top of trying to meet hiring goals, recruiters have had to adjust to big changes like fully remote interview cycles and staying in sync with team members.

It’s no surprise a focus on mental health and wellness — and being flexible to employees’ needs regarding well-being — is now vital for all companies to thrive today.

“Encourage open communication, active listening, and a non-judgmental atmosphere where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns, both personal and professional [in 2024],” HR expert Kara Dennison wrote for Forbes. “When employees have psychological safety within work relationships, it can reduce psychological distress and enhance attitude toward work.”

Schedule a JazzHR demo today. Our team will explain how our advanced, yet easy-to-use small business recruitment software can help you hire smarter and faster in 2024 and beyond.

Clearly, there’s still work to be done. Here, you’ll find the crucial information you need to know about when and how to file an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO-1) report, and what steps you can take to remain compliant with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

Who is the EEO-1 report for, exactly?

The report, also referred to as the Standard Form 100, is for:

Companies that have 100 or more employees, including if you are affiliated with or owned by a company with more than 100 employees in total, but not including:

• State and local governments
• Schools and institutions of higher education
• American Indian or Alaska Native tribes
• Tax-exempt private membership clubs (except labor organizations)

Contractors with 50 or more employees, and that are prime contractors or first-tier subcontractors, and:

• Have contracts, subcontracts, or purchase orders amounting to $50,000 or more
• Serve as a depository of Government funds
• Are financial institutions that are issuing and paying agents for U.S. Savings Bonds and Notes

The info these employers must provide is racial/ethnic and gender data by job categories. This is known as Component 1 data. At the time of writing, the collection of Component 2 data — working hours and pay rate — has been suspended. Employers should not expect to provide this information in the EEO-1 report.

Steps HR must take regarding the EEO-1 report

To start with, if you haven’t already, register and make an account to access the filing system online. You’ll need to gather this data by location if your company is a multi-establishment business, with data per location of 50 or more employees as well as your headquarters, and a consolidated report.

Ideally, you want to offer accurate self-identified data. The best time to request this information from your employees is during onboarding. JazzHR’s Applicant Tracking System allows you to automatically include relevant questions for all jobs, as well.

• If you haven’t collected this information and kept it up-to-date, such as when employees change job roles, then the next step is to request your employees fill out a voluntary survey.

But, employees can always decline to self-identify. In this case, the EEOC guidance is to use existing employment records or observer identification. The less guesswork, of course, the better.

Remember, you will need to do some work – unless you’re using a system that does this for you – to categorize your employees’ answers into the EEO-accepted categories for job title and race/ethnicity.

Once you file your report, keep a copy of your records for a year, in case of an audit or follow-up. Speaking of …

How you can stay compliant with OFCCP

An EEO-1 report is mandated by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972. Therefore, its use extends beyond the EEOC and is required as part of a broader landscape of regulations to ensure fair treatment of workers.

• The OFCCP also uses the EEO-1 report for their audits to identify which employers to investigate further.

However, it’s important to remember the OFCCP requires businesses to meet legal requirements to prohibit discrimination and requires affirmative action over a range of areas that go beyond the EEO-1 report.

So, accurately filing the EEO-1 report is just the start of a comprehensive, ongoing process. Organizations must meet these high standards, or they will face heavy penalties, if an OFCCP audit finds non-compliance.

This applies both when hiring and supporting your team over the long term.

Accounting for neurodiversity in relation to your work environment doesn’t just benefit your staff. When you draw from different perspectives, you get outside-the-box ways of thinking that can help your business innovate. As scientist and autism activist Dr. Temple Grandin said:

• “Without people with autism, humans would still be living in caves.”

In short, there are advantages of neurodiversity in the workplace. Before your business can realize said benefits, though, you need to understand how you can support a neurodiverse workforce and make these employees feel comfortable in both their roles and included your company culture.

Below, we offer insights into what neurodiversity is, how your company can embrace neurodiverse talent, and what it takes to create an inclusive workplace that sets these individuals up for success.

What is neurodiversity? A breakdown

First, let’s explore what we mean by neurodiversity.

The term has been around for about 20 years, but it has only recently come into prominence as part of a shift to the “social model” of disability. This model suggests that disability is more external circumstances that impact a person, and less a set of personal attributes. So, the person with ADHD is disabled by a busy, loud office environment. They themselves are not “the problem.”

Per CIPD’s Neurodiversity at Work report:

• “Neurodiversity is a biological fact of the infinite variety of human neurocognition. Now, the same term ‘neurodiversity’ is also being used to represent a fast-growing sub-category of organizational diversity and inclusion that seeks to embrace and maximize the talents of people who think differently.”

Neurodiversity encompasses a broad range of cognitive functioning differences, from ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) to things like dyslexia, dyspraxia, or Tourette’s syndrome.

It’s not the same as a learning difficulty or mental illness, though of course, the same principles of accommodation and support apply. Those factors do tend to feature more predominantly in the neurodiverse population, though, which is something employers will want to take into consideration. One person may be autistic and have a learning difficulty and anxiety, for example.

It’s worth noting that some people prefer the term “neurominority,” which isn’t as widely used but is growing in popularity.

Hiring neurodiverse employees

About 80% of autistic adults with a college degree are either not working or doing a job far below their education level. There is clearly a barrier to employment, and an opportunity to be the employer that makes a difference.

Don’t dismiss applications based on spelling or numerical mistakes. A person with dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia could struggle in this area. Unless you’re hiring judges for a spelling bee, it’s likely something your business can workaround.

• It’s also important to accommodate the requested means of contact. A person with dyslexia may prefer a phone call. On the other hand, an autistic person may not be able to properly read social cues over the phone, so could find the format challenging.

It’s worth including a section in your application for candidates to share their preferences.

Also, be sure to offer a distraction-free environment for the interview, or allow people to interview via video conference to help reduce their anxiety or discomfort. (You could even remove the panel interview entirely and use work trials instead.)

In the interview, devalue body language such as eye contact. Often, a neurodivergent person will not appear to be listening in a typical way and may look around the room or appear to be fidgeting.

• It’s also important to give people a chance to correct themselves if they misspeak in the interview process, or to take a break and return to an interview question after they’ve had time to process it.

When hiring, the worst thing you can be is quick to judge. It can lead you to dismiss talented candidates for superficial reasons. Ensure you have great attention to detail when evaluating candidates and avoid any form of bias in assessing prospects, including neurodiverse people.

Neurodiversity inclusion: Creating an enabling workspace

A vibrant workspace (think open-plan, brightly lit, busy) could be a real barrier to your neurodivergent employees. A common characteristic of the neurodivergent mind is often heightened sensitivity to sensory input. Making these minor changes to the environment can help:

• Design your workspaces with quiet areas or concentration rooms.
• If you can, avoid using fluorescent lighting or bare-bulb lights.
• Make use of plants to create a more soothing, productive, and stress-free environment.
• Put clear signage in place to help your employees orient themselves more easily.
• Give people options such as ergonomic seating, standing desks, or other assistive equipment.

Remember, you are obliged under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (and the 2008 amendments to the Act) to provide reasonable accommodations for employees. That includes neurodivergent teammates.

You also need to think about your policies. Some of these suggestions might seem radical, but don’t dismiss them out of hand. Think about what is and isn’t actually necessary for achieving good work.

• Communicate important information, big changes, or instructions clearly and via at least two different mediums — written and verbal.
• Have a policy that allows the use of noise-canceling headphones (and even music!).
• Don’t insist on a uniform if the employee is not customer-facing. Otherwise, make sure uniforms are comfortable.
• Offer exceptions to a hot desk policy.
• Give people the option to work from home, on a flexible or full-time basis.
• Allow people to take breaks as they need them, rather than at a designated time.
• Create an allyship program, or include neurodiversity in your existing DEI program.
• Have a workplace bullying policy that has precise wording around neurodiversity. Neurodivergent people are often the target of bullying: half of managers say they are uncomfortable with having neurodivergent employees.

Many companies such as JP Morgan & Chase, SAP, and Microsoft have implemented programs dedicated to hiring neurodivergent talents. They’ve seen impressive results.

One of the hallmarks of neurodiversity is a “spiky profile” of skills. That means that in some areas the individual is exceptionally talented, but may struggle in other areas. Therefore, it’s more affirming for your employee and useful for your business to “go with the grain.” That is, focus on building the strengths of the person.

This, more than any of the other tips provided here, will make the biggest impact.

There’s plenty of paperwork involved in opening a new franchise location, but of all the documents the FDD is one of the most important — no matter which side of the relationship you’re on.

What does it do that’s so valuable, then?

• In short, it defines the relationship between franchisee and franchisor. If you are interested in opening a franchise location you can consult the document to see if it’s a relationship you’d like to enter into.

That’s easy enough to understand, but we’re breaking it down in this blog post for a reason: There are 23 items that make up the FDD and another significant document that you shouldn’t confuse it with. We’ll start with that important distinction.

Franchise disclosure document vs. franchise agreement

FDDs are for potential franchisees, and Franchise Agreements (FAs) are the documents that turn them into actual franchisees. A disclosure document lays out the relationship that a franchisee will have with a franchisor, but it’s not a contract.

The FA is a legally-binding contract that should be reviewed with a lawyer handy. Franchise consulting expert Michael Seid says that ‘It can be a tragic mistake’ to assume they’re the same thing. The pair of them should be considered in tandem.

Everything you’ll see in a franchise disclosure document

We’ve explained what a Franchise Disclosure Document is and isn’t, but we haven’t looked at how it’s designed. The Federal Trade Commission requires that every disclosure document have the following 23 items.* Together, they provide enough information for people to decide if the opportunity is right for them:

1) The Franchisor and Any Parents, Predecessors, and Affiliates: Any relationships between the franchisor and parent or affiliate companies.

2) Business Experience: The background of the franchise’s executive team.

3) Litigation: Whether or not the franchise or any of its associates (including the executive/management team) are involved in litigation.

4) Bankruptcy: Whether or not anyone from items 1 or 2 have filed for bankruptcy in the past.

5) Initial Fees: The up-front payments that franchisees have to make to franchisors.

6) Other Fees: Any ongoing, recurring or one-off fees that the franchisee will owe the franchisor during their relationship.

7) Estimated Initial Investment: An estimate of the total cost of opening a franchise location.

8) Restrictions on Sources of Products and Services: What the franchisee has to buy from the franchisor and approved suppliers, as well as the amount of money they make from it.

9) Franchisee’s Obligations: A table that outlines everything the franchisee is contractually obligated to do. This is the link between the FDD and the FA.

10) Financing: Any financial support schemes offered by the franchisor to the franchisee.

11) Franchisor’s Assistance, Advertising, Computer Systems, and Training: The support that franchisors will offer franchisees, as well as guidance surrounding approved IT systems and advertising methods.

12) Territory: Whether or not the franchisee’s location will be considered a ‘protected territory’, along with any caveats.

13) Trademarks: All relevant information surrounding the franchisor’s trademarks.

14) Patents, Copyrights, and Proprietary Information: All relevant information on these topics, including any that are pending.

15) Obligation to Participate in the Actual Operation of the Franchise Business: The extent to which franchise owners are expected to take part in the actual running of the business.

16) Restrictions on What the Franchisee May Sell: What, if anything, the franchisee is not allowed to sell.

17) Renewal, Termination, Transfer, and Dispute Resolution: The terms that come into play when a franchise will be renewed, a relationship changed or ended, or a disagreement arises.

18) Public Figures: Any celebrities or other public figures that have been paid to promote the franchise.

19) Financial Performance Representations: A space for the franchisor to share their financial performance information, at their discretion.

20) Outlets and Franchisee Information: A series of tables showing the franchise and corporate outlets that have opened in recent years, along with contact information.

21) Financial Statements: The franchisor’s balance sheets, audited statements, and more.

22) Contracts: Everything the franchisee has to sign to open a franchise, including the FA.

23) Receipts: A page for potential franchisees to sign that confirms they received and read the FDD.

That’s a lot to contend with in one very important document, but franchise information is far more digestible when taken in bite-size chunks. Using this post as a checklist, work through each item in the Franchise Disclosure Document one-by-one.

That way, you’ll be able to make an informed decision when it comes time to sign the Franchise Agreement.

*We’re using the item titles provided by the FTC, but there’s occasionally some variation. The purpose and order of each should be the same on every franchise disclosure document.

Many of these C-suites are doing so because they have a clear understanding of their payroll data and, in turn, can make informed insights to make hard pay-related decisions tied to their labor force.

For small businesses, in particular, payroll expenditure can be an unclear metric — and it often goes unmeasured. Here’s what you need to know about payroll data, and why you will want to track it regularly to ensure you have a consistent, real-time comprehension of payroll employment data.

What exactly is payroll data? A breakdown

Payroll data is the collection of metrics that contribute to the overall business expense of paying people for work performed at your company. There’s more than just base salaries to consider here.

Other payroll metrics include:

• Any contractor or freelance wages outside of official payroll
• Any bonuses offered throughout the financial year.
• Withheld taxes on employees’ paychecks
• Benefits paid to your employees
• Communication expenses that contribute to payroll
• The cost of remaining compliant with payroll regulation

Having this information available allows for small businesses to accurately predict the total cost of payroll and mitigate the risk against any future payroll changes (or revenue changes, for that matter).

How to use payroll data to your advantage

Payroll data is a cornerstone metric that is relevant beyond the HR department. It contributes to the overall direction of a business and directly impacts growth. Here are a few ways to use payroll data to your advantage.

Eliminate errors and save money

Payroll is the largest single cost for almost all businesses. For many service-based businesses where payroll is the primary cost for producing a product or service, payroll can cost as much as 50 percent of your gross revenue.

Consequently, even small persistent errors in payroll can add up to big problems, and you need visibility over your processing and outcomes.

Guide the direction of your SMB

Analyzing payroll data over time can provide more accurate yearly forecasts, so you are better prepared to manage budgets and cash flow in times of change or growth. In short, having visibility into the process empowers business leaders to plot and evaluate ways to grow their company.

Win and retain top performers

Sure enough, many roles within a company may be interchangeable. But, there are always key roles that are critical to the overall success of the business. Losing well-trained, hard-working individuals in those roles can be damaging to success.

By monitoring and benchmarking payroll data, then, you can begin to achieve the perfect balance between compensation, performance, and loyalty. That way, you ensure the retention of top talent.

Consistency is key with your payroll data

The hardest challenge with payroll data is ensuring there’s a stream of consistent, high-value data to gather and analyze. Forecasts and predictive analysis aren’t built on short-term data collection, they’re built by analyzing a wide range of historical data over long periods of time.

To do this accurately, you need the right tech. Only then can you build a picture of payroll data and understand how it impacts the wider business and make adjustments to improve your bottom line.

All orgs need to comply with the rules and regulations where they operate. That means, to ensure HR compliance with these measures, human resources teams need to stay abreast of state and national laws.

That is to say, your HR team has to take a proactive approach to make sure that the organization meets those legal obligations. This not only means being responsible to meet the health and safety needs of the employees, but also ensuring that the employees receive their statutory and contractual workplace rights.

The rights range from preventing workplace discrimination, to following the right recruitment policies, to making sure the employees are paid what they deserve. Thus, HR compliance needs to stay on top of any changes initiated in the employment law, be it gender pay reports or employing foreign staff.

• Working in human resources is certainly a challenge. Deciding how your company meets the responsibilities and handles HR compliance issues, in particular, is a tall task in and of itself.

With that in mind, here are a half-dozen regulatory measures your CHRO and human resources generalists will need to keep a close eye on when recruiting, hiring, and overall workforce and payroll management

1) Hourly and wage compliance issues

The Hour and Wage Laws include rules on child labor, the number of hours worked, overtime, minimum wage, and recess time. The Fair Labor Standards Act is a federal law that establishes overtime and minimum wage requirements, but even then, many states have their own laws.

Compliance issues on the inaccuracy of wages are bound to come up when a company does not keep a track on the attendance and time of the employees.

This error is most likely to pop up in businesses that still use the manual entry of the payroll info. Human resources needs to ensure that all employees are fairly compensated, according to their working hours.

2) Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

A federal law which allows the staff to get up to twelve weeks off from work due to medical or family reasons. This act protects employees from losing their job when they have to take an extended leave.

Employees that need twelve weeks of time off, though being unpaid, should be allowed to come to work without any penalties. As an HR official, you must make sure that the employees are treated fairly as per the regulations of FMLA.

3) Workplace safety compliance

The OSH (Occupational Health and Safety) Act was enforced for ensuring that the employees have safe working conditions. The Act, which is enforced by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, states that every working woman and man has the right to safe and healthy working conditions.

Though the Act is still undergoing changes and rectifications due to administrative issues, the HR officials must keep an eye on reporting and recording requirements.

4) HR compliance with immigration laws

Under the US Immigration laws, businesses can only hire employees who are eligible to work in the country. This includes the citizens, the non-citizen nationals, permanent residents, and foreigners with a work permit.

Organizations not only have to verify the eligibility of the candidates through the documentation but should also make sure that there is no discrimination against the employees who are aliens.

Immigration has been a topic of discussion for the past few years, and will remain to be in the next couple of years too. With the administration tightening its restrictions, HR leaders need to make sure that their recruitment processes are at par.

5) Federal Civil Rights compliance

Federal civil rights for employees are all about protecting the civil liberties of the individuals looking for employment. The rights are also about protecting the employees from getting fired when the decision is related to their civil liberties.

Organizations cannot take into account age, gender, or race at the time of hiring. Cases against organizations regarding infringement of civil rights can turn out to be really costly, and HR plays a crucial role in protecting the business from that.

6) Employee retirement plans and other benefits

Proper compliance is a must when it comes to employee retirement plans, benefits programs, overtime compensation, and other areas of entitlement. There are several laws like the Affordable Care Act, the Patient Protection Act, and the Employee Retirement Security Act that pertain to employee benefits.

These are the top areas where compliance issues arise, and the human resource team needs to pay attention to. Employee benefit and retirement laws have not seen much change in the last few years, and so, keeping track of those should be easier for the HR officials.

Dealing with these HR compliance issues effectively keeps the employees happy, and keeping the employees happy also means a more productive workplace. And, that is exactly what every organization wants, and every human resources team strives for today.

Only 25% of executive- and senior-level managers are women, representing just 6% of CEOs, according to data from Catalyst. The statistics are even more bleak for women of color, who represent just 3.9% of executive roles, with a mere 0.4% being CEOs.

Furthermore, white men made up 72% of corporate leadership at 16 of the Fortune 500 companies. Gaps in representation at the leadership level are present in many industries, including higher education, technology, and financial services.

So, how can you ensure that women and minorities are represented in your company’s leadership?

Re-evaluate how you assign work

The way you assign work may be holding back women and minority employees from advancing, according to new research from the Harvard Business Review.

The publication explained that there are two main categories of work that are typically assigned at an organization: “glamour work” and “office housework.”

Glamour work is the type of superstar projects and assignments that are integral to the success of an organization and showcase a person’s skills, being used to justify any potential promotions.

Office housework, on the other hand, involves administrative tasks and other routine duties that are necessary to the daily business operations.

• HBR research showed that women and people of color are often assigned more office housework than glamour work. The result: they have less access to “prestige projects” compared to white men.

To overcome this issue, managers should pay special attention to who they typically give the office housework to and spread it out equally in the future. And when it comes to assigning glamour work?

Create a rotating system that gives all employees with the requisite skills the chance to show their stuff, the Harvard Business Review advised.

Establish mentorship programs

A mentorship or shadowing program can be a great way to give women and minority employees more professional visibility at the leadership level. Fast Company gives the example of two companies that operate such systems.

IBM runs a “reverse mentoring” program. Top leaders are paired with female mentors who have been noted as future leaders, the publication explained. This method exposes female employees to leadership roles while helping to remove any unconscious biases.

Another example is Deloitte. Top executives are paired with female employees for one or two years with the goal of improving talent visibility. The program goes one step further. They leaders responsible for whether female employee they’re matched with display professional development and new skills.

• Through these types of initiatives, women and minority employees can gain access to executive-level work spheres and develop leadership skills.

Diversity has to be visible at the top of a company for it to be sustainable everywhere else. The tips above can help you ensure that women and minorities in your company’s leadership are represented in your leadership.

In demonstrating the efficacy of its department, HR can change its traditional reputation as a cost center. When the results are showcased through cost measurement, the influence of HR can be fully recognized.

Consider these three reasons for measuring HR expenses:

1) Cost efficiency

Perhaps one of the key reasons your company should measure HR spend is to ensure the effectiveness of your recruiting, hiring, and training spend, Analytics in HR Blog and Academy explained. In nearly all business instances, success and results cost money – they require different levels of investments.

When your company is actively recruiting and bringing in top talent that drive your company’s bottom line, those HR costs are critical.

If money is being allocated to candidate sourcing that fails to hire qualified employees, however, or towards workplace training that doesn’t improve productivity, the system is not working as it should.

The goal of any HR department today is to reduce cost and time spent on remedial tasks. They must do this all while improving strategic efforts.

Measuring the impact of systems and processes can give a clear indication of cost efficiency.

2) Measuring success

As The Balance explained, measuring HR cost is a quantifiable way to demonstrate to leadership and C-level executives that current strategies are helping to improve business goals and company growth.

Metrics such as cost-per-hire and the impact of recruitment on revenue are some of the best ways to establish the position as a value center. This can be done through showcasing high quality hires — employees who have made a measurable change in sales, revenue, or elsewhere, as well.

If your current data doesn’t highlight metrics and success as a direct result of HR initiatives, it is time to review your practices and find new methods.

To evaluate, consider ranking the various factors of HR using key performance indicators, The Balance advised. These can serve as insightful benchmarks for modifying or revamping recruitment and hiring practices.

3) Predict future costs and calculate ROI

Planning and budgeting can only be achieved through accurate calculations of spend. This means that attention to detail when it comes to reporting, tracking, and measuring HR costs is essential for predicting future costs, the Society for Human Resource Management explained.

Using advanced cost models is the best way to get accurate projections of upcoming program costs. This makes planning for the distribution of spend that much more effective. Calculating overall ROI is the basis for evaluating the effectiveness of your HR department.

Measuring ROI for individual strategies or platforms serves as an indicator for future investments. And as SHRM notes, there needs to be strong attention to detail when calculating indirect costs to make sure the data is credible. Without accuracy, time and resources can be easily misspent.

To effectively measure the aforementioned HR costs, it is essential that accurate record keeping is followed. Use cost evaluations to your advantage. As a result, be taken seriously by your executive team. They’ll see a valuable asset to the growth and bottom line.