• The theme of IWD 2023 is #EmbraceEquity, intended to highlight that equal opportunity is not enough. It takes equitable action to bring about true inclusion and belonging.

On this International Women’s Day, we pause to remember women past, present, and future who have all made tremendous strides toward achieving equity through their own courage, resilience, and bravery.

Let’s recommit ourselves to taking real action toward embracing equity for women by creating better working environments, where everyone feels included, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential.

• While this celebration takes place annually, IWD recognizes the focus of its efforts must occur year-round and requires a commitment of people and companies working together to promote the advancement of women daily.

As a woman, a mother, a wife, and a member of the labor force, I am thrilled to be part of this year’s celebration. I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the challenges we face collectively and the steps we can take to support women and advance their outlook in organizations today.

Let’s first take a look at the participation of women in the U.S. labor market.

Looking at the state of women in the workplace

When the pandemic struck, more than two million women dropped out of the labor force virtually overnight. Now, three years later, the number of women working has almost fully recovered. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the labor force participation rate of women is 57% as of January 2023, back to pre-pandemic levels.

So what can employers do to move toward greater inclusion and support of women in the global workforce?

In the spirit of International Women’s Day, let’s strive in our companies for greater opportunities that support women where they are. Here are three areas where organizations can take specific actions to achieve greater inclusion and equity for women from all walks of life.

How to effectively support women in your organization

1) Recognize the care burden

A friend of mine once said women today are expected to work like they have no caregiving responsibilities and to serve as caregivers like they have no work. This paradox represents the reality many women are facing today.

As a woman in the workforce, I have experienced first-hand the challenges of being a caregiver to children, once being forced to reduce my own work from full-time to part-time to keep up with the demands of both roles.

According to the Fidelity Investments 2022 American Caregivers Study, female caregivers who are also employed either full or part-time spend an average of 36.2 hours each week on caregiving, 35% more than men.

The same is true in caregiving for adults. Women are the predominant caregivers for the elderly, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, accounting globally for between 57% to upwards of 80% of all caregiving for the elderly.

And according to the same Fidelity Investments Study, this had a great impact on a caregiver’s ability to work. Thirty-three percent permanently lost or reduced their source of work income, and 24% fear this may be a long-term solution.

Understanding that the burden of caring for others is real to women and has a tangible impact on them is the first step toward greater equity — not only within companies today, but in overall society.

2) Provide flexible work and supportive programs

Addressing the burden that falls on women starts by creating a culture of inclusivity, flexibility, and accommodation.

First, in relation to the caregiver burden, organizations can actively establish — and promote — flexible work hours, supportive leave policies, remote and hybrid work options, mental health services, counseling, and other employee assistance programs that directly affirm women in their roles and achieve greater equity.

A 2021 Fidelity Study reported that “64% of working caregivers said they had not asked their employer whether specific benefits or flexible work options were available,” but of that 36% who did ask, “61% reported their employer was willing to work to accommodate their needs.”

Second, ensure that your company takes an active role in developing and promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

According to Employ data, 45% of workers want their employer to have an active voice in moral and social justice conversations. Nearly two in five (38%) would turn down a job offer if the company lacked diversity in its workforce or had no clear goals for improving diversity.

Create a welcoming environment that is inclusive for all walks of life — from age, race, sex, gender, religious affiliation, parental status, disability status, military status, and neurodivergence.

Also, create opportunities for women in underrepresented sectors.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, become a leader in relation to the disparity of women in the workforce. Work to actively change the tangible pay gap that exists, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, where women earn just 82 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Creating an environment where women feel welcome, supported, and recognized for their contributions both within the organization — and outside of work — will pay dividends for employee engagement, loyalty, productivity, and innovation.

3) End the employment gap bias

One inherent bias that exists for employers today is generalizing employment history gaps for those individuals seeking work. Long gaps in work service are seen as negative to organizations and may blind them to potential talent who were fulfilling home or familial obligations in a system that does not support caregivers.

The Fidelity Investments Study found that 33% of caregivers permanently lost or reduced their source of income and, on average, women spend 3.6 years longer than men providing care for their loved ones.

• This is the point at which the gap in work history becomes much harder to overcome. In fact, one study suggests interview chances significantly decreased for applicants with work gaps of three or more years.

For women wanting to re-enter the workforce, particularly after a long pause, organizations must proactively support hiring women despite longer career breaks.

They should advocate for systems and structures that support the demands placed on women and demonstrate their commitment to the value women add to the workforce.

Let’s celebrate today, then get to work

International Women’s Day offers the moment organizations need to rally together, showcase the achievements of women, and support them in their efforts to create a more accepting, welcoming, and progressive workplace.

Let’s dig in and do the work together where the workforce becomes a representation of our society and embraces equity by providing opportunities that support women in their jobs and in their lives.

Knowing it’s vital to enhance communication in the workplace is one thing. Taking the necessary action to ensure highly efficient and effective inter- and intra-departmental communication and collaboration on key initiatives that can move the needle for your business is another.

11 ways to improve communication in the workplace

Thankfully, there’s a proven framework you can follow to not just improve communication at work, but also boost employee engagement and strengthen your company culture.

1) Organize enjoyable events outside the company

Communication does not always happen organically, as people who are separated by their responsibilities within a growing company may not interact regularly.

Planning outside events can help break those barriers and improve communication. There is a formality in the workplace that is not always conducive to communication, as separation in responsibilities and authority can discourage dialogue.

Therefore, organizing outside events that are away from the physical workspace can lessen tension, bring down physical barriers that exist in a business, and get team members to see each other as well-rounded people, not just fellow employees.

Doing so relaxes the environment for communication. By organizing outside events away from the business, you can bring in the human element that encourages communication that will extend into your growing org.

David Derigiotis, CIO, Embroker

2) Embed comms best practices in your onboarding

It’s challenging to ensure that communication stays efficient when your employee headcount is growing. More people means more emails or Slack messages; more people means more knowledge being shared, but potentially not being captured for the good of everyone, if the system isn’t set up optimally.

When onboarding new employees, it is important to run them through all your comms outputs and best practices. What information should they expect to learn/find from which outputs: all-hands meetings, newsletters, intranet, manager cascades?

If they have a codified sense of where comms should be, they can contribute and keep things running smoothly rather than posting questions or information in a forum that will get missed by others.

Scott Hitchins, CMO, Interact Software

3) Revisit your company’s communication protocols

As your company grows, it’s important to scale your communication effectively.

Establish clear communication channels and protocols that everyone in the organization can access and use. Use tools such as videoconferencing, instant messaging, and email to ensure that all employees can stay connected and up to date.

Regularly review and update communication policies and procedures to ensure they remain effective and efficient. Encourage open dialogue and feedback from all employees to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. And ensure that everyone is aware of the company’s goals and objectives so they can work together to achieve them.

Carly Hill, Operations Manager, VirtualHolidayParty.com

4) Meet regularly for brief stand-up meetings

Have daily “stand-up meetings” to get an overview of what everyone is working on and capture existing obstacles at work. These stand-ups are time-boxed and informal, and five minutes should be enough for everyone in a growing team to share a point or two about their individual projects.

In this short time, everyone should be able to get enough context to remain informed with what the rest are working on. For efficient comms, brief yet impactful stand-up meetings are one way to go.

Max Wesman, Chief Operating Officer, GoodHire

5) Over-communicate with workers when possible

One thing that I can’t emphasize enough is the importance of over-communicating. In a remote or hybrid work setup, organizations need to be extra vigilant not to create a communication gap.

By over-communicating, you make sure that no critical information is lost. That being said, over-communication doesn’t mean sharing confidential information but effectively and repeatedly conveying the information to employees.

Every organization must have a communication plan in place, which essentially outlines diverse ways of communicating vital information across the teams.

Just sharing the info in a Slack channel won’t be enough. Send emails, personal messages, or set up online or offline meetings if required. Over-communication is better than under-communication.

Adit Jain, CEO & Co-Founder, Leena AI

6) Clarify your org’s values and adhere to them

Being clear about company values and sticking to them is crucial for improving communication at an SMB because it provides a clear, common ground and a shared understanding and language.

When an org always acts in alignment with its values, it earns the trust of its employees, partners, and customers, which is essential for effective comms, as it allows for open, honest dialogue.

It also establishes a culture of accountability. When company values are clearly communicated and upheld, it sets an expectation of accountability for all employees. This promotes efficient communication, as individuals are less likely to be evasive and dismissive in their conversation style.

What’s more, adhering to company values ensures all employees are working towards the same goals, which ensures that they share common ground and aren’t forced to verbalize all the minutest details.

Piotrek Sosnowski, Chief People & Culture Officer, HiJunior

7) Let senior management set the comms example

As a part of the senior management of my company, I can attest that the best way to ensure consistent and effective communication is for the senior management team to take the first step.

They should make it part of their role to keep all employees in touch with one another by, for example, hosting regular team meetings, having open office hours, and voicing messages out loud.

The senior team should also lead by example and practice real listening, assert obvious lines of responsibility, and show genuine interest in what their employees are bringing to the table.

This would pave the way for better vertical integration, enhanced collaboration across teams without silos, an open tone of constructive feedback, and eventually more efficient communication company-wide.

Derek Bruce, Sr. Director, Skills Training Group

8) Train all executives and other business leaders

As a growing company, it is essential to perfect leaders’ communication styles and practices in order to improve communication. Leaders serve as the primary models for communication. Their communication practices will be the foundation for how comms is conducted across the org.

Managers are disseminators of the communication practices. Their ability to effectively communicate is key to ensuring that all employees understand and implement the communication practices.

As the org expands, it is important to ensure that leaders are equipped with the necessary skills and resources to effectively communicate with their teams and other stakeholders.

With effective, open communication practices in place, your small business will be better prepared to face the challenges and opportunities that come with growth. (Not to mention ensure all employees feel comfortable to share their thoughts about business concerns tied to their work.)

Grace He, People & Culture Director, teambuilding.com

9) Switch over to asynchronous communication

Relying on weekly team meetings for communication is fine 20 or 30 employees. It’s downright impossible, though, as you grow beyond that. Your employees will spend more time updating each other in meetings than actually doing the work.

I’ve seen this happen repeatedly at companies I’ve worked at in the past. In my current company, we use written (Slack) and video (Loom) updates to share info with each other. This is especially helpful in the remote work era and gives team members a choice over which updates apply to their job.

Moreover, this has freed up our calendars without becoming disconnected. Every employee can share insights and info with colleagues for whenever they get back online.

Julian Schaaf, Head of Marketing, Gomada

10) Schedule all-hands meetings and stick to them

When a company is small and numbers only several dozen employees, maintaining communication is relatively straightforward and rarely requires any additional effort. However, rapid growth can put communication on the back burner and lead to breakdowns in operation.

One way to prevent this is by organizing all-hands meetings each month, where employees can get direct and undiluted information from the source and engage in active listening with one another.

Monthly meetings are so effective at keeping communication alive because they give everyone a chance to hear more about different people within the company and learn who to contact with future queries. These group chats bring separate teams together and help people get to know each other.

Goran Luledzija, CEO, Localizely

11) Build a robust employee knowledge database

Build and regularly update a virtual employee knowledge base. Employees should be able to access instructions or informational documents like files and spreadsheets whenever needed, so give them a 24/7 space to easily access these answers.

While you can’t predict every question an employee has or replace meetings with a team FAQ database, you can help reduce the need for some of these more repetitive communications, so they have many of these answers available instantly at their fingertips.

Regularly ask employees to submit questions they think will help themselves or their teammates and update the data to keep up with developing standards and strategies.

Tory Gray, CEO & Founder, The Gray Dot Company

Learn how you can improve your SMB hiring team’s communication and collaboration with JazzHR.

Public forums such as Glassdoor, Indeed, and the like allow current and former employees as well as previously engaged talent your interviewed to post about their experience with your organization.

Some comments may signal you have a strong employer brand. (For instance, when past employees rave about your corporate culture or work-life balance.) Other feedback, though, may suggest you have work to do to improve your employer branding and better attract and retain top talent.

It’s the latter responses, in particular, your CEO and CHRO can use to revisit your employer value proposition (EVP) and develop a new employer branding strategy that helps you better position your business as one your entire workforce enjoys — and potential job candidates would enjoy too.

What is an employer brand? (And what does “good” employer branding look like for companies today?)

An employer brand refers to the way orgs of all kinds differentiate themselves from competitors in the market for candidates and employees.

• What is your company’s reputation among your workers?
• How is your business perceived as a place to work?
• Do all of your employees feel cared for and heard?
•  Would they recommend you to their friends?

These are all important questions that contribute to your employer brand.

Per LinkedIn research, more than three-quarters of people seeking jobs look into the company’s employer brand before applying. This means that most of the candidates you interact with will already have an image of your company, especially those job seekers who have options when it comes to seeking new roles.

They’re also likely to leave a review after interviewing or interacting with your company during the hiring process. How does your online presence impact business? Well, there are three specific ways:

1) It impacts the quality and quantity of applicants

Positive reviews will draw applicants to your business, simplifying your hiring efforts and helping to attract top talent and build a more robust talent pool. Negative reviews will do the opposite: drive away candidates who are seeking better job opportunities and work environments.

2) It influences customer perception

Prospective customers are also looking at your online presence to assess company values. So while a positive online brand will encourage customer loyalty, negative reviews will likely disrupt their trust in your company.

3) It affects current and future employee satisfaction

Even if a current employee has a mostly positive outlook on their experience, those negative reviews or discussions about them in the workplace can be detrimental to productivity, focus, and retention.

Negative impressions of how you hire job seekers (i.e., a poorly structured TA process) can lower work performance by up to 30%. So, the quicker any issues tied to your SMB’s recruiting and hiring approach are addressed and remedied, the better it is for your employer brand perception.

Building an employer brand to boost your employee retention rate

A well-developed employer brand makes current employees proud of their positions and the company they work for. And it makes them more likely to refer others in their network towards open positions in your company. But, did you know that your employer brand can also support your bottom line?

It’s simple:

• Devoting resources to your brand and its maintenance (i.e., actively managing your employer brand and taking proactive measures to improve it, like addressing negative posts tied to your business on social media or career communities) can reduce costs elsewhere.

Companies that have stellar employer brand images don’t have to spend as much on recruiting costs because they don’t have to recruit as hard. When your employees love their job, they’re telling people about it. Or, at the very least, not running your good name down in an after-work rant.

This also means employee retention is likely improve, since your strongest employees are more likely to stay for the long run. Current employees act as ambassadors if they’re proud of where they work.

Understanding your employer brand’s role in talent attraction

In terms of attracting net-new talent, too many recruiters and employers treat the hiring process as a one-way street, requiring prompt answers and updates from candidates without offering the same thing in return.

Solutions like candidate texting and automated intelligent messaging make providing candidates with real-time, helpful feedback easier.

• Communicating hiring process steps to job seekers and relaying when their application has been received and reviewed leaves fewer unanswered questions and room for competition to sneak in. (In other words? This facet of your employer brand greatly affects candidate experience and conversion.)

Hand-in-hand with keeping candidates in the loop amid the recruiting process, a key part of your employer branding strategy is simply letting candidates know what to expect if they are hired. Offer them a clear and detailed glimpse of their new role’s duties and your company’s approach to work.

Nearly 90% of job seekers said they believe that good company culture and work environment is essential to business success. Demonstrate what makes your SMB stand out in this regard.

Action items to improve your employer brand strategy (and converting more qualified candidates)

You now know the importance of prioritizing ongoing enhancements to your employer brand.

Whether you’ve already allocated plenty of time and resources to boosting your EVP or need to start your employer branding strategy from scratch, there are a few key tasks you should tackle in the weeks and months ahead to start making headway in how your company is perceived publicly:

• Ensure your job descriptions and postings clearly explain both the open roles in question (desired impact, daily responsibilities, preferred experience) and your company’s mission, culture, and efforts around improving DEI and employees’ mental well-being.
• Assess each step and stage of your standard SMB recruiting process to ensure every hiring team member understands their distinct role in your TA efforts and knows how to conduct structured interviews that lead to stellar recruitment experiences for candidates.
• Ensure your have a powerful yet easy-to-use applicant tracking system in place that helps automate many key recruiting tasks (e.g., approval workflows, nurture campaigns, candidate feedback notifications) and eliminates a lot of manual TA labor.

Tackle these initial action items first, and you’ll be on your way to getting more active job seekers and passive prospects in your talent pool and engaging these individuals for open roles company-wide.

Find out how you can better source, nurture, and convert high-quality candidates with JazzHR’s leading applicant tracking system for small businesses like yours. Book your one-on-one demo today.

Put plainly, a diverse and inclusive workforce is critical to the success of your company and the well-being of your employees. Oftentimes, DEI can lead to some uncomfortable conversations that need to be faced head-on. That said, these discussions are more than worth having if it leads to a more:

• Diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce that provides equal opportunities for employees
• Warm, positive and welcoming work environment in which all employees feel safe and heard
• Productive and collaborative work culture that sparks innovation and grows your bottom line

Now, the question is: What next steps can you and your small business do to not just promote diversity and inclusion in your workplace, but also set your diverse talent up for success, make them feel comfortable in their roles, and develop and make progress with your DEI initiatives?

The answer is to follow these seven steps.

7 ways to embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Step #1: Get buy-in from your business leaders

Business leaders align actions with their overarching vision. So, if you can get buy-in from your c-suite, you’ll be able to integrate D&I into your organization and enact real change.

• As Simon Sinek famously says, “Great leaders inspire action.”

Leaders should communicate their commitment throughout the business and with third party partners, clients or customers. A great way to set the tone is with an open letter of solidarity and support from management.

Alongside this, leaders need to establish tangible goals. Just Capital’s study found only 11% of the 890 companies surveyed disclosed actual, measurable targets in this area.

This McKinsey report contains a good example, whereby they cite a company that is aiming to employee women in 40% of their senior executive roles. They’ve incentivized progress by tying executives’ bonuses to achieving inclusion and diversity goals.

Step #2: Start employee resource groups (ERG)

Employee resource groups are employee-led groups, run by volunteers, that foster a diverse, inclusive workplace in line with business objectives. There are great examples of ERGs at companies such as at Ernst & Young, Dell Technologies, and the Women at Microsoft.

In short, when you know 90% of Fortune 500 companies — ones already focused on creating a diverse workplace — have ERGs, they’re an integral component to promoting inclusivity.

The biggest benefits of developing (and empowering — more on this shortly) ERGs include:

• Increased awareness at all levels
• A safe space for communication 
• Accountable, productive outcomes 
• Improved employee engagement 
• Empowered and happy employees 
• Potential for developing future leaders 

All ERGs are informal or structured. You might have one, or several. They may take different forms, such as a community network, mentor circle or diversity committee. In any case, you want to create groups that focus on diversity and inclusion activities in the workplace.

That way, there is consistent attention paid to this topic.

Step #3: Ensure ERGs are given ample resources

Although ERGs are voluntary, once employees are members, they require allocated time to fulfill the group’s responsibilities. This time can then be factored into 1:1s and be a part of personal development — perhaps even a step toward future managerial and leadership roles.

Here are some resources you can give your employees:

• A designated number of hours to follow up on core ERG activities 
• A meeting space (or a video conferencing app for remote workers) 
• A channel on your intranet or some access to internal communications
• Access to marketing materials to help build awareness of their ERG
• An instant messaging channel or forum to chat with other members
• Training on a given topic tied to the ERG and on managing projects 

If you want more insights on how to give ERG members the requisite resources to tackle important initiatives, check out DiversityBestPractices.com, Catalyst.org, and ResourceGroups.com.

Step #4: Involve everyone at your small business

Bringing a cross-section of your company together ensures representation for everyone.

Try to involve people from management and members of each department as well as entry-level and long-standing employees. You need people with diverse backgrounds and experiences to lend their voices to the conversation.

That doesn’t mean you have to start with a big group. Start small and grow through ongoing promotion. People are more likely to join an established organization with clear initiatives.

Step #5: Facilitate ways to give DEI-related feedback

Why not have those uncomfortable conversations in comfortable settings? Give employees a safe space to talk in focus groups or with peer-to-peer sharing. Or, offer the option of anonymity with employee polls.

• On top of this, use a group chat to share relevant learning materials and literature (e.g., info on how your business approaches hiring for diversity today).

Workshops are also a brilliant format for brainstorming ideas. Everyone loves a whiteboard and Post-It notes. Read this blog about how to talk about diversity at work from our partners at Namely.

Top tip: Train up or hire an experienced workshop facilitator to keep the conversation on track.

Step #6: Encourage employees to share their thoughts

In Pamela Newkirk’s book, Diversity.Inc: the Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business, she quotes filmmaker Misan Sagay: “People want diversity as long as they don’t have to do it. A lot of the times they want our physical presence, but not our voice.”

When having a conversation about DEI, practice active listening. That is, use verbal and non-verbal cues, like eye-contact, to show responsiveness. Pay full attention to the speaker.

No matter what level you are within a business, hear difficult feedback with a compassionate ear. Don’t become defensive or minimize someone else’s experience. This helps employees communicate openly and honestly and know they can share their opinions with fear of any sort of backlash.

(Not that there would be at your company, but it’s worth being proactive in noting all voices are welcome.)

Step #7: Take action on data and employee feedback

Employee resource groups exist to turn words into actions. Here are some practical tips that can empower ERG members and others across your business to help contribute to DEI goals:

Think small 

A tiny change could make a big difference. For example, women are less likely to say “yes” when asked if they are able to perform a task, even if they’re just as qualified as their male counterparts. So, change the way tasks are allocated or find different ways to get feedback on a brief to account for this.

Think local 

Diversity needs to be in place at a team level. Everyone should feel like they belong in any department, from HR to Engineering. Aggregated figures of a diverse number of employees across a company, particularly those that ignore intersectionality, may not show the full picture.

Think values 

Focus on values. Ivy League qualifications are great, but if that’s all you look for in a job applicant then you risk the pitfall of unconscious bias. A values-based system of hiring can help to attract diverse candidates and improve the inclusivity of your workplace culture.

Embrace the challenge 

We’ve discussed why uncomfortable conversations are vital for promoting diversity and inclusion, how you can facilitate them, and the tips you should follow. From creating an ERG, to changing the way your business communicates, there’s plenty of actionable tasks you can take away.

Taking action to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace

As you go forward, be sure to measure things like employee engagement or recruitment, retention, and promotion rates. These are good indicators that you’re on the right track. And, keep asking for feedback, especially after big initiatives or changes.

Remember: This is an ongoing endeavor — and there will always be room to grow to continually and consistently improve diversity in the workplace and empower your diverse workforce to thrive.

Learn how to enhance your diversity recruitment with JazzHR’s SMB-centric applicant tracking system.

One of these orgs is a multinational tech conglomerate full of top university graduates (Google). The other business is a large, family-run retailer that typically employs those who don’t finish school.

• What makes them both businesses function and perform well?

The answer is something more than simply offering high-quality products implementing highly structured processes: All their employees are empowered, supported decision-makers.

By prioritizing people operations, both businesses (not just their HR departments and managers, but all organizational leaders) give their teams room to grow into their potential at the business.

The ultimate end goal of any given people operations department is to leverage data and feedback throughout the employee lifecycle to provide a consistently positive employee experience.

What is people operations? A brief explainer

People operations is an approach to workforce management that impacts employees at all levels. The term refers to following a (you guessed it) person-first approach to employment.

• It takes a holistic view of progress, well-being, and results.

Put another way? Everyones role within people operations — analysts, directors, and other specialists — is pretty straightforward: They are responsible for leading, coaching, and overseeing the entire people ops programs designed to elevate the sentiment and prosperity of each employee.

Some define it as human resources combined with operations, while others consider it a simple rebrand of sorts of existing HR responsibilities. (That is, it simply falls under the HR umbrella.)

• The true difference, however, goes well beyond semantics.

Traditional HR manages legalities and policies. These concerns matter, of course, but they are centered on shaping people to fit an organization. The responsibilities of people operations, on the other hand, is a shift in perspective: Designing work to fit around people.

In other words? It’s about moving from a culture of compliance to a culture of autonomy.

How people operations affects your entire SMB

By building work around people, people operations managers and teams take on an additional set of responsibilities that integrate with every part of their org. In short, they are expected to:

• Collaborate with management to track workloads, production, and expectations, especially when interviewing and onboarding new hires.
• Work with internal communications to develop the company culture and employee relationships.
• Offer information on policies and benefits, from rewards and compensation to career planning and training resources.
• Help employees manage transitions, whether into new roles or as part of a wider business change.
• Monitor working conditions, well-being, and turnover rates, checking in regularly to maintain engagement.
• Modernize the business with the use of technology like an applicant tracking system.
• Provide not just metrics, but insights for goal-setting and even strategic decisions at a board level.
• Listen to and advocate for employees, while also aligning their needs with the overall mission of the company.

Simply put, directors of people operations are focused on retention and “human flourishing.” And, as Employ SVP People & Talent Corey Berkey wrote for Forbes, a great tactic to better retain top talent and empower employees to both be their true selves and thrive in their roles is community-building.

“It’s vital to focus on building community and intentionally reengaging the team,” said Corey. “This is challenging when working with hybrid or remote teams. But, investing time and effort into the team is essential to building strong relationships with employees and enhancing the culture and brand.”

• TL;DR: People ops encourage employee development and happiness, so each person becomes an invaluable contributor to the business (and wants to stick around for years to come).

When this vision becomes a reality, everyone at your company can thrive in their respective roles and work well with colleagues on and outside their teams. Equally as important, you end up with a strong culture that becomes the envy of other orgs — and a talent attraction magnet for your recruiters.

Why everyone should care about “people ops”

As you can see, people operations is multi-faceted and far-reaching.

You can tell the value of implementing this approach, because, fundamentally, it is driven by data. Prasad Setty, head of the People Analytics group within Google’s People Operations team, said they wanted to “bring the same level of rigor to the people-decisions that we do to engineering decisions.”

• By using workforce analytics to inform decisions, people operations pros can optimize employee development — a worthwhile endeavor.

When measuring a successful enterprise, evaluators have shifted away from prioritizing tangible assets. Now, human and knowledge capital make up around 70% of the total value of a business.

It’s simple. The more your business leaders care about setting employees up for success and work together to improve workforce satisfaction, the greater said workers’ output and satisfaction will be.

Last year, a small group of our JazzHR team members set out to do just that by creating our first-ever Diversity and Belonging (D&B) committee. The initiative has given rise to open conversations about diversity within our organization, creating safe spaces for team members to freely share their perspectives.   

Though there will always be more work to be done, we’re thrilled by the impact JazzHR’s D&B committee has had thus far. If you — like many others — are interested in establishing your own committee, we’ve got you covered.  

Here’s how our D&B committee has developed and what you can do in building your own.

Why we chose “Diversity and Belonging” 

While it may seem trivial, we were intentional in choosing to focus our committee on diversity and “belonging” rather than simply “inclusion.” The committee’s founding team members wanted to communicate that team members should feel more than simply included in the company culture—they should truly belong. They were inspired by a variation on a popular quote:  

• “Diversity is being asked to the party and inclusion is being asked to dance, but belonging is having my music playing.”  — James Wright, speaking at the SHRM Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2017. 

For Corey Berkey, our VP of Human Resources, this was an important distinction:   

• “We felt that that was a more accurate representation of what we would actually be doing… in diversity and belonging, people can more clearly see how they play a role in a new person’s sense of belonging in the business.” 

Takeaway: Pick a name for your DEI committee that means something to your organization. Naming your committee sets the intent from the outset. If you can, avoid a “one-size-fits-all” HR buzzword. Instead, take the chance to give your group a personality of its own that fits your organization. This acts as a regular reminder of why you’re doing the work. 

Getting started with your DEI-centric committee

For both Corey and Shamon Cockrane, JazzHR’s Senior Business Development Representative, getting the committee off the ground meant starting small before scaling up. 

Corey:  

• “The feedback that we had gotten [from fellow employees with experience] was ‘start small, and then figure out how you’re going to build out.’” 

Shamon: 

• “Start with your people. Don’t take a top-down approach. Learn more about who your people are and understand the kinds of conversations they’d like to have. Then, later, you can blend that with expert advice.”  

From the beginning, the D&B team looked toward the rest of our employees to drive the actions they took as a smaller committee. Doing so had allowed them to more organically engage members of the company in conversation about diversity. With these conversations, they’ve been able to grow D&B efforts in a way that reflect the needs of employees.  

Takeaway: Ask for advice.  Start small, and you’ll set the right foundations. It’s also worth looking to other businesses – how have they succeeded or failed when it comes to diversity and inclusion? Getting legal advice was another one of the first steps our team took: 

Shamon: 

• “We got the legal questions out of the way first, which was good.”

Encouraging involvement in your D&B committee

The D&B committee itself only includes a few members of the JazzHR team, but it’s powered by a much larger group. The team created a channel dedicated to the subject on Slack. This is open to those interested in sharing experiences, ideas, and thoughts. It’s where collaboration on diversity takes place: 

Shamon:  

• “The Slack channel was the first milestone. Part of the vision was not just to build awareness… but also to work from the ground up. I didn’t want it to be fully executives from the board – I wanted employees to have a say.” 

Employees are able to share ideas that the committee can work with and put into motion:  

Corey: 

• “We can’t plan and execute every event ourselves. In those supportive committee meetings, we get a bunch of input. We then have to distill it into actionable output.” 

It’s not just a valuable source of inspiration and ideas, though. The Slack channel has also become an important safe space for employees: 

Corey:  

• “The most surprising thing that has happened is that people have taken to the Slack channel – a really simple mechanism – and have viewed that as a safe space to share things about themselves that they may not have shared otherwise.”

Shamon: 

• “We want to create an open, safe space where people feel that they can speak up when something is wrong, and can talk about their experiences…The Slack channel keeps the conversation going.” 

Takeaway: Make space for discussion. Create a space for people to talk about diversity and inclusion, and you’ll find that there are plenty of employees who want to get involved. Gathering these thoughts in one place can be an invaluable resource for committees in search of direction.  

Securing support from your leadership team

While it’s important to include team members across the organization, securing the support of the C-Suite is an equally crucial step in forming a committee that can effect change.  

Through their research, our D&B team found the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, an organization that aims to drive change from the executive level. Our CEO, Pete Lamson, soon signed the pledge to actively pursue diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This type of commitment solidifies the ground-up dedication to JazzHR’s drive for diversity and belonging.  

Takeaway: Make the commitment to your DEI committee. If possible, look to encourage executives at your business to make a similar commitment that validates the work you’re doing.

Next steps for your team to get started today

Our D&B committee has seen success, but there’s still plenty to be done. Adapting to the fast-changing social environment requires thoughtful action and a strategic direction.  

While our planned in-office ‘Diversity Day’ was interrupted by quarantine, we’re continuing the conversation by hosting guest speakers like our Lunch and Learn with Delight Deloney. Moving these discussions forward is top-of-mind for our team:  

Corey:  

• “The challenge that we will face most imminently is that not everyone uses things like Slack that frequently. We will have to branch out and use different tools to communicate. Sometimes leaders need to push people to say more and to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations.” 

Shamon: 

• “One of the things we’re trying to do is to put people in someone else’s shoes, for you to see and understand what it feels like to be someone else. We’d like to continue to have people coming in and talking to us, but would also like to give people the opportunity to share their own stories. They really help us to understand how others feel. Make your employees keynote speakers!” 

Our diversity and belonging efforts have only just begun, and the team is planning some exciting next steps. Chief among these is a collaborative effort with partner organizations that share our values:  

Corey:  

• “We will have to step up our game to be meaningful in this space…there’s an opportunity to work with other companies, sharing time, cost and effort to make [guest speakers and workshops] happen for a wider group of people.” 

Takeaway: Invest in a better workplace. A thorough approach to diversity and inclusion (or diversity and belonging!) requires an intentional investment of time and money. In collaborating with other organizations, you have the opportunity to make an impact outside of your company. You’ll also benefit from spreading the costs of speakers and workshops amongst multiple businesses. 

For our team, this effort is part of a broader way to look at the workplace itself: 

Shamon: 

• “It’s about taking your work time not just to build skills and income, but as an opportunity to learn more about someone else. They may not be from your neighborhood, look or worship the way you do, or have the same worldview. You can learn from these people.”

Here’s how some of the partners in the JazzHR integration network are making a consistent impact at both the organizational and product levels in terms of their company’s respective DEI efforts — efforts your small business would be wise to emulate in the months an d years ahead.

career.place

“Practice what you preach. “Eat your own dog food.” “Be your own best customer.” Wisdom in its various forms that I’ve collected over the years working in technology. I live by this wisdom because:

• Can you truly believe in what you say if you do not live it every day?
• Can you truly stand behind your product if you do not use it?
• Can you truly know your customers and their experiences if you are not one of them?

So, when I was recently asked “how do you ensure you are hiring inclusively and diversely in your own organization?” there was only one way to answer: “We use career.place, of course.”

We built the career.place anonymous candidate screening platform out of a passionate obsession for true equity in hiring. Career.Place’s structured process ensures all candidates are held by the same, pre-defined standards in the same way.

Its built-in candidate anonymity removes bias triggers which inhibit biases from influencing the outcome (for example, employers have no idea if the candidate is a man or a woman, the color of their skin, their age, which college they went to, or even if they went to college if that is not a requirement).

We believe in our mission and our product and proudly use what we have lovingly and obsessively built to ensure that our organization lives the values that drive us.

Checkr

Checkr is on a mission to build a fairer future by improving the understanding of the past. Checkr believes it is time for companies to adopt fairer hiring practices, including considering formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Fair chance hiring is built on the premise that everyone, regardless of their background, has the right to be fairly assessed for a role they are qualified for.

In other words, Checkr believes all candidates, regardless of who they are, should have a fair chance to work. Check out this blog post to learn more about how Checkr can help companies build more inclusive practices and embrace diverse candidates.

Bryq

At Bryq, diversity and inclusion constitute the backbone of our efforts. Through our talent assessment platform, we enable businesses to look beyond the resume and hire the right talent for the job.

• Based on EEOC compliance and research-backed findings, our blind candidate screening functionality empowers teams to reduce bias and build more diverse workforces.

The values on which we built our bias-free talent assessment platform are also reflected in Bryq’s culture.

Our global team is made up of individuals based across the world from a range of backgrounds. Our varied perspectives allow us to support a culture of belonging that infuses our product and organization with an innovative approach to diversity and inclusion.

Cornerstone

We must do better than be not racist, have equal opportunity hiring practices, and other diversity and inclusion programs at our companies. Don’t get me wrong: these are incredibly important and we should double down on these efforts.

• But, in order to have true equal opportunity at work, we must first make an individual commitment to self-reflect and change. I can’t think of a better example of approaching something with a beginner’s mind.

If these last couple weeks have taught us anything, it’s that when individuals come together, positive change can happen. At the same time, we have a lot to do as a society and we must continue to find practical ways of being allies especially when this topic may no longer be “trending.”

Today, I’m speaking up in solidarity with the Black community, acknowledging that I must do better first and foremost as a human being, and also as a leader. #StrongerTogether

Hiretual

As a company that has created a talent solution for organizations to better their Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, it’s a top priority for Hiretual to advocate for DEI efforts within our growing team — and we’re very proud of that. We have such a diverse and multinational team with employees from seven different countries, and that number is definitely going to rise.

In this world we live in, it’s important to us that we create a space with equal and abundant opportunities for underrepresented talents to shine and lead while ensuring that their work is recognized. 

• That being said, Hiretual is an AI-driven talent solution that works hard to mitigate conscious and unconscious bias to support diverse and inclusive recruiting efforts.

With technology like ours in the market, we believe no organization has an excuse not to hire talent from minority and/or underrepresented groups under the assumption that they are hard to find. These talents are everywhere! And they’re doing such great work to drive companies to success both locally and internationally.

HackerEarth

Over 47% of millennials want to work at diverse companies, but unconscious bias remains a systemic problem in tech and continues to limit workforce diversity. Having a more diverse and inclusive hiring process can help you tackle this issue.

• Our goal at HackerEarth is not only to help recruiters hire better, but also to build more diverse teams from the ground up through a more inclusive hiring process.

Our solution is designed to eliminate bias based on pedigree and gender, and we try to make job descriptions as gender fluid as possible. Our platform also supports bias-free hiring through the “Hide PII Feature” — a great way to anonymize personally identifiable information like names, gender, and even religion.

While totally eliminating bias is impossible, there is a lot that can be done to limit its ability to narrow your talent pipeline, such as explicitly supporting underrepresented groups, recruiting talent outside of elite institutions such as regional universities and coding camps, and sponsoring DEI efforts across your org to get other employees involved.

One important element of your DEI efforts that requires constant attention (and optimization) is your diversity hiring. Learn how your can improve your diversity recruitment approach with our leading ATS.

Thankfully, few business leaders today need to be convinced that prioritizing a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion at their companies is a worthwhile endeavor. That said, many executives and organizational decision-makers have yet to implement diversity training in the workplace — a critical component that’s necessary to drive meaningful, long-term success with various DEI efforts.

It can’t simply fall on your human resources team to take the lead with improving diversity in the workplace and driving employee engagement centered around creating an inclusive culture.

• Rather, your C-suite must be the ones to own and create action plans around DEI initiatives.

And this work starts with crafting diversity training programs that ultimately build a sense of belonging for everyone at their organizations and make employees feel seen, heard, and respected.

What is diversity training? A breakdown

Diversity training is the act of informing employees and members of business on the importance of accepting and working alongside individuals from different races, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, and backgrounds. In short, it teaches employees the importance of inclusion, diversity and equal employment opportunities and creates a welcoming environment for new hiring.

Nowadays, companies are pulling strings to introduce diversity programs — the in-office and mobile learning variety — and conduct extensive diversity training in the workplace to ensure employees that diversity and equality are a priority to their org. Not only does it serve as an effective training tool for internal interactions, but it also aids with customer and vendor communications as well.

Why diversity training so critical today

That’s a fairly high-level breakdown of diversity training. Now, it’s worth exploring its increasing importance for orgs of all sizes — including SMBs. Some of the biggest pros of DEI training include:

Developing a welcoming workplace for recruits

Starting your first day at a new company can be stressful and nerve-wracking. (Especially since you have no idea what to expect from the environment.) Diversity training can help prepare employees. This helps in welcoming recruits with diverse backgrounds into the business and promotes a positive company culture.

• One free of racial biases or any discrimination of any kind.

All in all, implementing various types of diversity training during the onboarding process for new hires and on an ongoing basis for employees (e.g., monthly sessions) not only boosts the your workers’ self-confidence, but it also establishes a sense of trust in the company’s management and motivates them to perform at their best. Something every exec wants to see from the workforce today.

Improving employee collaboration and innovation

Diversity training also emphasizes being considerate of others’ opinions and viewpoints. This increases the cooperation between employees on work tasks and encourages teamwork.

• Team leaders and people managers are also educated to value each member so they are aware of their contribution and significance to the team.

When workers appreciate and respect each other’s strengths through differences in thinking, ideas, and contribution, it transforms a workplace culture into an inclusive setting. Moreover, it also allows them to feel more free to share contrasting opinions and avoid allowing bias to creep into their work.

“By breaking up workplace homogeneity, you can allow your employees to become more aware of their own potential biases — entrenched ways of thinking that can otherwise blind them to key information and even lead them to make errors in decision-making processes,” business experts David Rock and Heidi Grant recently wrote for Harvard Business Review.

Attracting best-in-class, highly qualified talent

Diversity training promotes a positive company culture at all levels of a company, which boosts their reputation and invites job seekers. A company looking to recruit new employees must pay close attention to its perceived workplace environment from former and existing employees.

If, by chance, a potential employee hears negative comments regarding your workplace culture, they will immediately withdraw their application, since no one enjoys working at a business that does not care for its workforce’s well-being.

When your company is known to have an inclusive workplace where workers from all backgrounds feel appreciated and recognized for their efforts, it will draw in more bright job seekers to your org.

This improves brand reputation and leaves a better impression on potential hires.

Encouraging idea sharing from all employees

A major benefit of diversity training in an organization is that it allows the free flow of suggestions, ideas, and opinions from workers at any level in the business hierarchy.

This allows continuing dialogue between employees and establishes good work relationships. It strengthens employees’ trust in the company’s management and increases job satisfaction.

• For example, if your company is planning to decrease its carbon footprint and cut down on overall paper waste, opening up the discussion to employees on how to make this transition easier brings in an immense amount of ideas and suggestions.

When a worker suggests going digital and installing editing software or PDF to DOC converter on their systems, it allows them to adapt to the change efficiently.

Preventing any biased or uninformed behavior

Biased judgment and unfair treatment are core reasons why many employees decrease their efforts or quit working for an organization. Diversity training shuts its doors to biased behavior and promotes equal treatment for all its employees at every level.

• From staff to management, each member is educated on how to pass on clear and open-minded decisions so everyone feels part of the team in the room.

While these training programs are not new, businesses are discussing new methods to raise awareness and inform employees on how to converse with individuals of different backgrounds.

Interactive videos, group activities, and other techniques are used to teach employees about concepts such as cultural competency, unconscious bias, and civility. These help employees in applying their knowledge and understanding in real-world situations and collaborate with employees and customers of other cultures and ethnicity.

Similarly, it educates workers to be better communicators and resolve conflicts triggered by masked attitudes based on social stereotypes. Managers and leaders are known to form better role models when they make decisions that are unbiased and fair.

Cultivating a culture of inclusion and equity

Inclusion and diversity go hand-in-hand to form a friendly work culture for any organization. Inclusion means to ensure individuals from underrepresented groups are appreciated and have opportunities for career advancements where they can take on management roles.

• Diversity training induces inclusive thinking within a business, which leads to a more productive and welcoming workplace environment for everyone.

What’s more, employees are also educated on workplace sensitivity, which teaches them to be aware of other’s comfort levels to not cause any unintentional offense.

Often, people are unfamiliar with understanding behavioral changes that might be caused by insensitive comments. Thus, leaders and employees need to develop skills that interpret such situations better and nurture safe and convivial teamwork.

Being sensitive to one’s attitude prevents unnecessary conflicts and discrimination.

Getting started with diversity training

Organizations in the 21st century that wish to pursue a competitive edge in this evolving market must create a company culture that attracts the best workforce. That means realizing a more diverse workforce that includes individuals from an array of backgrounds and with a variety of unique experiences and perspectives — the combination of which leads to greater innovation and output.

At the end of the day, effective diversity awareness training enables employees to grow accepting and hospitable of everyone and removes other barriers to diversity and inclusion.

Looking to enhance your diversity recruiting and hiring? The first step is to ensure you have the right TA tech. Learn how JazzHR can help your SMB better attract and engage diverse talent.