How Tech Powered Solutions Can Be Helpful In Managing Workforce Diversity?

Managing Workforce Diversity: Workforce diversity means a workplace having employees from different parts of the world. They not only have different cultures, backgrounds, religions, races, ages, abilities, skills, mindsets, gender & sexual orientation but also have a difference in qualifications, work style & experience. Having a diverse workforce brings in innovative thinking, and encourages a collaboration that increases productivity & profitability.

Importance

Below are the results of various surveys that highlight the importance of a diverse workforce.

• Diverse and inclusive workplaces generate 30% more revenue per employee and are 2X more likely to exceed financial targets. -Deloitte
• Companies working towards an inclusive atmosphere are 35 percent more likely to generate an above-average return. – McKinsey
• 67% of employees consider diversity as an important factor when considering companies and job offers. -Glassdoor

Challenging Task

Though having a diversified workforce is highly important & is a priority for many companies due to its advantages but it also comes with its share of problems. Detecting & eliminating discriminatory employee hiring practices & policies is the biggest challenge. Companies should aim at providing a level playing field where the right candidates are hired based on their qualifications, skill & experience regardless of their culture, background, religion, race, etc.

Tech-Powered Solutions

To cope with this challenge, the companies are extensively using tech-powered applications to achieve their goal of having & managing a diverse workforce.

The biggest cause which the companies failing to have a diverse workforce is the unintentional bias of the recruitment managers. It makes hiring managers hire candidates who are just similar to them. They tend to judge the candidates based on culture, background, religion, or race. This needs to be eliminated. Various applications & software help in combating it. In other words, they can be termed anti-bias recruitment techniques also. They are as follows:-

1. Entelo Search Software:

This search engine uses predictive analytics to analyze the information available on social & professional networking portals to search & identify potential hires having the required skills. Also, Entelo Software helps companies to create a diversified talent pool from which it can hire suitable candidates.

2. Infor Talent Science:

This application analyzes behavior & performance data and enables the HR team to identify desired skills, and traits so that the right candidate is recruited for the right role. This application uses assessments to identify the skills & traits required for success. The applicants can take these assessments to evaluate their “What it takes to be successful” factor on the basis score of the assessment.

3. Diversity Builder, Inc. Online DE&I Training:

This training company offers self-directed online training for diverse topics such as Implicit Bias, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Bystander Intervention, Intersectionality, Racial Equity, Gender Identity/Transgender Training, Multigenerational Diversity in the Workplace, Harassment & Discrimination Prevention, and more. Diversity Builder can add the training courses to your existing learning management system or you can access a link with full tracking and reporting. They also have live webinars, onsite training classes, and employee and leadership coaching.

4. Bowmo:

It works purely on skill-set matching. It evaluates the experience, skills, and education to identify suitable candidates. It does not take into consideration the name, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

5. Textio:

It is a writing tool that helps to create bias-free job announcements & descriptions. It detects biased language, words, and phrases and offers alternatives to rectify them.

6. Search Party:

It uses machine language to match the candidates with job descriptions & finds the most suitable one. It thereby eliminates human interference in the initial stage. Thus, reducing the chances of a potential candidate being rejected due to the biased mindset of the hiring manager.

7. Job Analyzer:

This is one of the functionalities of SAP’s comprehensive Recruitment Management application. It enables companies to draft a bias-free job description. It uses machine language to counter gender bias. It detects job descriptions that are inclined in favor of male candidates. It also offers bias-free language options.

8. Power to Fly:

This candidate matching platform came into existence in 2014. The main objective of this platform is to connect companies with suitable female potential employees. This promoted gender diversity.

9. Piazza:

It enables companies to connect with entry-level candidates or students for suitable STEM openings.

10. Harassment reporting tools:

Though harassment is common in the workplace their chances are even more in a diverse working environment. Tools such as People First help report harassment but also resolve it. It creates a workflow that facilitates harassment reporting, escalation, and timely resolution. It also summarizes harassment-related data so that more effective anti-harassment policies can be framed. Thereby improving employee retention.

11. Predictive Bullying tool:

Valued, a tech-powered HR startup has launched a solution to address bullying & rewards for good behavior at the workplace. This solution uses NLP (Natural Language Processing) engine to analyze the data to flag the early indicators of inappropriate behavior or bias.

12. D & I Assessment tools:

D & I mean Diversity & Inclusion. One such tool was launched in 2019 by Exude Inc. It assesses the D & I quotient in an organization. It works extensively with the top management & stakeholders to clearly understand their D & I goals. Then it creates assessment parameters to measure the current D & I scenario. With the application of this tool, the organization can get a clearer picture of the current situation & take corrective steps to achieve its D & I goals.

13. Kudos:

It is a platform that rewards, recognizes & engages employees. Employees use software to praise each other outside the company’s framework. With every praise, the employee earns points which they redeem later on.  It gives the power to recognize & reward all the employees rather than restricting it to the top management. Various HR-related kinds of research indicate that managers praise & reward the employees who they like. Companies can access the praise data of the employees & analyze it to establish a bias-free performance review system.

14. Voice of the Employee (VoE) platforms:

This application provides a platform for the employees where they can share their feedback or experiences on the company’s D & I initiatives. It shows, “How well a company is performing on the D&I front?”. One such application is Glint. It helps companies to clearly understand employee engagement by analyzing real-time employee data. This information a deep insight into the health of the company.

The HR-related tools are available in various modes like websites, mobile-based applications or SaaS (Software as a service) platforms.

SUMMARY

In the 21st century, geographical boundaries are becoming less relevant & the world has shrunk into a global village, so it is impossible for a company to exist without having a diverse workforce. Moreover, a diversified workforce plays a crucial role in increasing revenue, and the company’s expansion to new markets & putting the company in a better position to tackle challenges by equipping it with diverse experiences, and skill-sets. It can be easily summarized that the most important goal of these tech-powered applications & software is to implement & effectively manage diversity in the workplace.