The Diversity Candidate

Nirupama Subramanian Feb 28, 2022

‘The problem is not with her leadership style. Everyone knows that she is a diverse candidate, and they don’t take her seriously’ a senior Human Resource leader said of a potential coaching client.

The organisation had a mandate that two positions on the management committee had to be filled by women. It was a good step that served the agenda of diversity, but it seemed to have backfired on the woman. She had to work twice as hard and be doubly mindful about every step- just to prove that she had not been a wrong hire. Sometimes, the pressure to prove it, to be the role model for an entire gender is so strong that the ‘diversity hire’ performs below her potential. Sometimes, she becomes demotivated by the lack of support and exclusion by other colleagues This, in turn, affects her performance and gives the old guard an opportunity to say ‘I told you so.’

In 2022, most people in the working world acknowledge the importance of a diverse and inclusive culture. Yet many well-intentioned efforts do not have the required outcome. There is backlash from existing structures and sometimes even from the minorities whose cause has been championed.

How can organisations ensure that the people who have been hired as a part of the legitimate organisational need to have a diverse workforce are set up for success rather than failure?

Communicate the benefits of D&I to all

It is important for all employees to see Diversity & Inclusion as a business imperative and not a warm touchy-feely HR initiative. There is enough research to support the fact that a diverse workforce enhances the profitability of the organisation. Deloitte’s research across 50 global companies showed that high performing teams are both cognitively and demographically diverse. Mckinsey’s 2019 analysis found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25 per cent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile—up from 21 per cent in 2017 and 15 per cent in 2014. It is important to make sure that such researched inputs and information are shared with all employees. D&I is as much a business issue as Six Sigma, Lean or Digitalisation. Companies are not doing it just to be nice but to stay profitable.

Design sound recruitment practices and policies

Diversity Hiring is often misunderstood to mean ‘Just go and hire some women or persons with disabilities since we have a target’. It is actually about designing a hiring process that provides an equal opportunity for candidates of diverse sexual orientation, gender, race, and other minority groups to take part in the interview process and get recruited. Humans are inherently prone to bias and high stakes processes like job interviews are rife with all kinds of biases. Organisations need to actively share the hiring policies and reasons why the pool needs to be broadened. Whether it is including more campuses to recruit from or redefining job descriptions or adopting a blind hiring policy, the focus needs to be on the process of hiring as much as the outcome. If all employees are aware of the stages and principles of hiring, it brings legitimacy to the hiring process and makes it easier for any new hire to assimilate into the system.

Embed Inclusive values and mindsets

It is not very difficult to hire diverse candidates. Including the minorities and enabling them to succeed is yet another important task that cannot be left to the good nature of others. People naturally resist and resent those who are different and those who are perceived to have received an unfair advantage. The same behaviors are seen in colleges where the ‘quota’ candidate is treated shabbily and excluded from mainstream activities of the merit-based students. It is important to reiterate core values of respect, belonging and inclusion – not just once a year but daily. Leaders need to role model inclusive behaviors- asking the minorities for their inputs, inviting them for informal get-togethers, calling out bad behaviors by others instead of ignoring or laughing off offensive comments.

Provide allies, mentors and coaches

In her book, My life in full, former Pepsico CEO, Indra Nooyi credits her success to the many male mentors and allies she had during her career. As an immigrant woman of colour, she found this support to be invaluable. As the numbers increase, support cannot be left to chance. Organisations need good mentoring programs and active allies to welcome, nurture and groom diverse talent. I have coached a CEO who was moving to new geography- even though he was the leader, he would be the first Indian boss in that country. The organisation wanted to set him up for success- so they provided local culture training as well as leadership coaching so that he could succeed in the new role. Until D&I becomes a part of the organisational DNA, it is important to provide some mentoring and coaching support as a part of the onboarding process for new leaders.

Invite open dialogues about differences

‘I do have reservations about hiring young women. Three of my earlier hires quit when they got married or became pregnant. But I can’t talk about this to anyone. It won’t be politically correct.’ A hiring manager of a large ITES company confided in me during the break of a workshop. Many managers do hold biases and often they believe that they are justified. Not just about women but about people from certain institutes or geographies or cultures. Women are frustrated about mansplaining and prejudices they encounter and confused about their status- diversity candidate or genuine hire? There are no safe spaces to discuss and talk about these ‘unmentionable’ topics. Some companies consider it unprofessional and after all, no one wants to be seen as prejudiced or narrow-minded or as a victim. In the absence of open dialogues, the biases fester, frustration mounts and passive-aggressive behaviors become common. As attritions and conflicts increase, there is a strong temptation to go back to the same old-same old ways of doing things. It is important to hold discussions and dialogues and not just canned unconscious bias training to the surface and acknowledge everyone’s fears and fancies. Talk, Share, Listen and be heard. It will not immediately resolve issues but will begin the healing process.

There is no easy path or quick-fix solutions to change mindsets and cultures that have been around for long. Leadership commitment and intentional actions are required. As systems and individuals commit to these five actions, everyone can reap the benefits of a diverse, inclusive, equitable workplace.

*The author is Nirupama Subramanian Co- Founder and Managing Partner GLOW and Founder CEO-Powerfulife