One of the fundamental elements of a diverse workforce is a recruitment process free from bias, which ensures all applicants regardless of background are given an equal opportunity.
Whether we like it or not, bias is an inevitable part of being human. There are, however, things we can do to mitigate against it.
Career progression
Training, learning and development (L&D) is essential for improving employee knowledge and abilities, and often boosts retention in the process. Creating a culture of learning and growth is a real priority for HR in the year ahead.
The trend of including personalised tools within L&D strategies continues, and micro, social and AI-led learning is now commonplace.
Workforce retention continues to be a problem for HR, and business leaders are refocussing on how they can promote and develop talent from within.
Internal job boards are the most popular way HR encourages internal moves within their organisation, but only half (57%) are using them. Most organisations also do not have a policy where an employee needs to speak to their manager before exploring a new role.
Talent
Mobility
Would you like to learn how to grow and retain your people
through science-based developments tools?
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Appropriate D&I action could be inclusion trainingand workshops to reduce bias and foster healthier working cultures, as well as mentoring programmes
and sponsorship to bring together emerging diverse talent and senior business leaders.
Suki Sandhu, founder of D&I consultancy INvolve
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78%
of employers said their employee
development tool was easy to use
80%
think an employee development tool
is a crucial to retaining talent
of leadership teams are in support of their employee development tools
78%
Find out more
(63% say this is true, vs 66% globally)
of UK employees agree their organisation
values DEI, vs 60% globally.
62%
UK firms come rock bottom, according to employees, in terms of demonstrating equitable treatment of people from all backgrounds.
Learning and
development
Avoiding virtue signalling
Case study
Does it work?
Despite skills shortages in many industries, some employers lack the technology or digital know-how to use skills mapping. Skills mapping, usually through AI, can help employers recruit efficiently, fully utilise talent and shape training and development processes.
We found 60% don’t have the ability to skills map, but some (7%) said they do have the ability but aren’t using it proactively enough.
Technology
advancements
By Caroline Butler, assistant director, BCH
However, what it does not do on its own is change behaviour and remove barriers. The next stage for us has been to host ‘valuing difference’ workshops for supervisors.
Attendees have told us they were able to explore adapting their approach, management style and how their actions as managers can ensure difference is valued and individuals’ unique contribution to work can flourish.
It also needs to be accompanied by programmes to enable people in underrepresented groups to break through real or perceived barriers. A success for us has been our ‘Becoming’ programme, developed with the Women of Colour in Policing network, which has helped people who have experienced biases to grow in self-confidence and take their careers further.
For me, unconscious bias training has been the foundation to change – challenging thinking, encouraging self-reflection, and opening conversations so that thinking can move to action.
By Caroline Butler, assistant director, BCH
As a tri-force HR team looking after three different police forces, we are working to keep safe three counties with very diverse populations and likewise be inclusive for the people working with us.
Diversity and inclusion has been high priority in all three for some time, but even more topical with recent cases in policing highlighting the need for all officers and staff to live and drive the values of inclusion.
Unconscious bias training has in the past challenged people to open their minds to bias that they may unintentionally display, encourage people that it is okay to talk about diversity and to ask questions to develop their understanding.
The training has enabled conversations to take place and be open to questioning how we all act and continues to be available to keep this alive.
Case study: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police (BCH)
In my experience, the online (self-assessment) training is ineffective and a waste of time. Too many tick boxes, easy to bypass any discomfort and forgettable. As for the in-person, same space activity
(for example workshops) I have seen some of these delivered with progressive,
dynamic and transformative impact.
The challenge, of course, is never really knowing how much any of this type of behavioural learning has actually prevented worse things from happening in the future. In short, sometimes unconscious bias training is more about managing impact (prevention) rather than changing intent (cure). Of course, all of this matters and is always worth persevering with.
Rob Neil, director, Krystal Alliance
I don't think unconscious bias training works for two reasons. Not all bias is unconscious,
some can be deliberate and sadly very conscious. Unconscious bias can be a get out of jail card
for unacceptable behaviour.
Also, unconscious bias training is not enough to address inequities. A number of different interventions are needed to have impact. Budget commitments and resources need to match public intent otherwise there's danger of just virtue signalling.
Shakil Butt, founder, HR Hero for Hire
Case study: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police (BCH)
2024
2024
HR’s importance may have become more obvious to the C-suite, but this doesn’t mean the day job has got any easier. The competition for skilled candidates has intensified, and so too has employees’ expectations of employers. Employees want to develop and progress through the business. If they don't, they’ll quickly look for new opportunities outside an organisation.
All eyes then turn to HR to engage, motivate and retain employees. It’s no easy feat, and for HR to keep ahead, it needs to know where its greatest opportunities and challenges lie.
About the survey
Introduction
In Autumn 2023, HR magazine asked its readers about their people growth experience.
What came back was a comprehensive outlook on the state of the HR profession— its challenges, opportunities and how people leaders are adapting to an ever-changing world of work.
HR is increasingly using career growth as a recruitment tool. Candidates want to know they will have the opportunity to progress in their careers and whether they will be able develop their knowledge, skills and experience.
Career development and mobility prospects should be a regular topic of discussion, from job advertisement to performance review.
Recruitment
processes
The
state
of the
HR profession
in
Our survey respondents suggested a range of ways HR could increase talent mobility in the year ahead
Skills matrix and competency frameworks.
These included:
Employees understanding their skills and skills gaps and being able to market themselves.
Despite HR’s constant focus on the value of learning and development to help address skills gaps, only 38% of businesses have a full L&D programme.
...why?
Find out more
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By Suki Roath, head of talent acquisition at Avask
The five pillars of continuous development
%
50
%
50
%
50
How often do you review your employees’ career aspirations?
Progression opportunities
By Olivia Machell, senior learning and development consultant at Spencer Ogden
How to use career growth as a recruitment tool
At their performance reviews
During their check-in conversations
At the discretion of the manager, there is no formal process in place
58
%
YES
19
%
NO
23
%
Only if they ask
Do you discuss career growth and mobility prospects during your recruitment processes?
Jon Dawson, group director of people development at luxury hotel company Lore Group, said AI has allowed the HR team to become more strategic and less administrative.
How does AI aid HR?
1. Establish clear development objectives
Workforce planning
%
2
Absence management
%
3
Performance management
%
4.5
Payroll
%
4
Career mobility
%
2
HR support
%
10
Learning and development
%
10
Onboarding
%
6.5
Recruiting
%
14
What is HR currently using AI for?
Talent Mobility
44
%
33
%
12.5
%
10
%
Do you use your learning and development programme to drive performance improvements?
Yes
No
I don't know
No, but I would like to
8
%
21
%
47
%
24
%
No, but we are hoping to implement one in the next 6-24 months
No, and have no intention to do so
Yes, but we have no formal programme
Yes, it’s an important initiative
Do you have an ‘internal employees first’ recruitment strategy?
Learning and development
Career progression
Recruitment processes
Technology advancements
“Smaller businesses lack in-house resources.”
Simon Jones, director, Ariadne Associates
“The biggest contributor is budget constraints. There may be a lack of focus, in the absence of a dedicated L&D professional or function.”
Jenny Winstanley, head of HR consultancy, AfterAthena
“Outdated attitudes and lack of investment. You also need leadership that truly buys in.”
Liz Sebag Montefiore, director, 10Eighty
"In many organisations there isn’t the HR skill set, nor appetite from leaders, to pull a full L&D programme together."
Ruth Cornish, founder and director, Amelore
“It can be challenging to measure the return on investment.”
Fiona McKee, founder, HR Practice
“Money and time can be tight. And not every company has the right gear to handle digital learning.”
Ian Moore, director, Lodge Court
Line managers encouraging internal talent mobility conversations more often.
HR working more closely with L&D teams to ensure everyone is aware of opportunities.
He said: “At Lore Group, we are leveraging AI in our new HRIS system which we implemented last year to assist our people teams and free up time by reducing as many administration tasks as possible. “The use of AI, and how we can further utilise this for the longer-term benefit of the organisation, is also a part of our group people strategy for 2024 as we continue to seek how we can continue to leverage AI in a responsible way.”
Objectives should unite your organisation, and a structured framework keeps managers and employees on the same page.
2. Encourage empathy and active listening
Managers who actively listen to employees’ concerns, aspirations and feedback are setting their team up for success. If they understand where employees are coming from, they can better help them.
3. Provide constructive feedback
Managers must be trained to give feedback which promotes growth and development, guiding employees towards targeted development areas.
4. Emphasise career pathing and mobility
Managers should explore potential career paths with their team. If employees can visualise a future within their organisation, they will actively pursue internal development.
5. Leverage technology for development
The right tools and resources can transform a process. With the right goals, prompting and personalised learning, development evolves into a continuous process.
Employers should define what direction the role could take a candidate and what the opportunities for progression are.
2. Qualifications
Some organisations also offer candidates the opportunity to study for certain qualifications which will enhance their degrees. This is attractive as it allows an employee to build their experience on the job as well as develop their career.
3. Transferrable skills
Transferrable skills are a selling point to candidates, particularly those at the start of their career who are not yet sure exactly what their end goal is.
By advertising a role which will allow a candidate to develop skills, useful to other industries or types of roles, organisations are more likely to attract greater talent.
Progression opportunities