According to the latest research by CIPD, almost half (47%) of UK employers don’t have a dedicated diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategy in place, and over a third (36%) admitted they aren’t planning any new D&I developments in the next five years.

Given the scale of the skills and talent shortages that exist across many sectors and the macroeconomic factors that will continue to impact businesses in coming months and years, it’s crucial that organisations don’t overlook the transformational impact that a properly aligned and executed D&I strategy can deliver in every area, from employee wellbeing to talent acquisition.

Katie Howard, D&I lead at people advisory firm New Street Consulting Group, shares three key areas that businesses should prioritise as part of their strategic planning to improve D&I in 2023 to help attract new talent, strengthen staff retention and boost productivity and innovation.

Re-evaluate your recruitment process
The world of work has changed drastically over the last few years and is evolving in ways that no one could have predicted before the pandemic. However, for many organisations the recruitment process has failed to move with the times and in a lot of cases still relies on a one-dimensional CV, a ‘gut feeling’, or the strength of a candidate’s handshake.

Taking a fresh look at recruitment will support organisations in improving diversity and inclusivity throughout their operations. Understanding the role that affinity bias can play, for example, is key to challenging the status quo. It’s also important to consider the interview and onboarding processes – are they accessible to candidates from diverse backgrounds? Does an organisation offer support in the form of professional networks and mentors with wide-ranging representation? Even a job description can feature language that can attract, or indeed, put off different demographic groups. Organisations that are lacking in these areas are often the ones that will lose out when it comes to securing diverse talent as, put simply, individuals struggle to see themselves as part of what’s on offer.

Understand and support neurodiversity
According to the Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment and Neurodiversity, around one in seven of the population are living and working with lifelong neurodivergent conditions.

These conditions impact how a person thinks, behaves, processes, and communicates, and therefore requires an organisation to understand, respond and be equipped to support the needs of individuals in a workplace setting. Each person is unique and will have specific needs, but when it comes to their skillset, neurodivergent individuals can often prove invaluable to organisations and have proven to significantly boost innovation capabilities.

The tech sector has some fantastic examples of businesses that have redeveloped HR and recruitment processes to attract and support neuro-diverse talent by recognising their needs and understanding how to align these with working processes and professional requirements to draw on skillsets that add value. Organisations looking to improve in this area should consider the ways in which they can restructure recruitment processes and employee onboarding to support neuro-diverse individuals, such as broadening skills testing, for example.

Breakdown the sector silos
If 2022 has shown us anything, it’s that businesses need to be prepared for every eventuality to weather economic storms in the short and long-term.

In challenging times there’s opportunity for businesses to be bold and when it comes to improving diversity outcomes. Widening talent pools can be hugely rewarding for organisations, yet all too often a restrictive approach to recruitment is taken because too much emphasis is placed on sector knowledge and experience – particularly at a leadership level. Again, it’s where affinity bias is most likely to creep in.

Organisations should take a more holistic approach when assessing candidates and look instead at their entire skillset, knowledge, achievements and, perhaps most importantly, an individual’s values. They might not tick every single box, but a more open-minded and less restrictive sector-led approach will reap rewards when it comes to finding individuals that can bring new ideas and ways of working to organisations. In turn, this can easily equip a business with new skills and experience that will undoubtedly be needed to build greater resilience and future-proof organisations.