You feel proud of your company (and you should) every time you hire from a more diverse talent pool. But that’s just the start. After hiring, your job is to properly onboard your new candidates, make them feel both welcome and needed, and help them avoid feeling isolated in an unfamiliar environment.
Here are a few tips for helping new hires assimilate into your organization.
Match new hires with mentors.
Do you have other successful employees who come from the same or similar backgrounds? Someone who can offer career coaching, serve as a role model, and show the new hire the ropes? Ideally, this mentor will set the stage and serve as inspiration and proof that there really is a viable career track for them at your organization.
Encourage new hires to become vital members of your community.
At LevelUP, we make our people key decision-makers in virtually all aspects of our business. Even non-leadership personnel can become members of executive committees and find themselves leading major initiatives. Find ways to broaden your outreach to your new hires and challenge them to grow and advance at your company in partnership with others.
Establish employee resource groups.
Many companies have Employee Resource Group (ERG) programs to empower and support community groups within the organization. Sometimes referred to as Affinity or Diversity Groups, ERGs are generally based on building community, providing support, and contributing to personal and professional growth. ERGs can help retention efforts because employees are likely to stay with the company longer if they are involved of a strong community and feel valued.
Make your diverse talent your best recruiters.
I mentioned this in another blog post, but the people you already have on board can be your best recruitment tools. As you build a more diverse workplace, ask your new people for referrals when you’re looking to fill a position. This can be a highly organic way to broaden your search and appeal to strong job candidates who might not have otherwise looked your way.
Pick their brains.
How can you make your company work better for a more diverse employee base? Start by asking. Sometimes it’s that simple. One of our clients, included young mothers in discussions about how we can deliver greater work-life balance to those dedicated but overworked folks. We got ideas from those young mothers on how we could be more flexible about when and where they work, and it’s benefited everyone. As you diversify, invite these newer employees to join focus groups or informal chat sessions on ways to improve the work environment for them and for everyone.
These are just a few tips that will help keep your new hires on track for growth and success at your company. At LevelUP, we’d love to provide additional strategies for maintaining a more diverse work environment.
