Student Union - Equality and Diversity in Recruitment programme
Ailsa Lawrance and Jackie Dale, managers at the University of Nottingham Students Union, approached Executive Education to develop the bespoke Equality and Diversity in Recruitment programme. Delivered by Andri Georgiadou and Lubna Siddiqi, the programme was designed to address challenges related to diversity gaps in the recruitment process and to foster inclusive practices within the Student Union.
The University of Nottingham Student Union recognised that the practices in equality and diversity in the workforce are ever improving and reached out to the Executive Education team to develop a half day programme to share the latest knowledge. The programme focused on areas needed to enhance inclusivity and diversity in the workforce and Ailsa and Jackie, passionate about fostering an inclusive workplace, joined the workshop with their team to bring about positive change.
We found the session useful and thought provoking. The well informed and experienced session leaders delivered effective and well-meant content around equality and diversity practices with good information on how to identify EDI issues and unconscious bias. There was a good balance between break out groups and listening to content which made it easy to share our personal experiences and good practice.
The programme aimed to:
- improve diversity in recruitment by enhancing strategies for attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds
- mitigate unconscious bias by equipping hiring teams with tools to identify and address unconscious biases in the recruitment process
- promote inclusive workplace culture by implementing initiatives to foster an inclusive culture within the organisation
Participants underwent comprehensive diversity training. This covered the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, the impact of unconscious biases, and why diverse teams are beneficial. The programme also included an audit of the company's recruitment processes. This involved analysing job descriptions, interview techniques and candidate evaluation criteria to identify potential biases and barriers to diversity.
The participants worked in peer groups to recognise and mitigate unconscious bias in recruitment. The session provided practical tools and strategies to ensure fair and unbiased decision-making throughout the hiring process and highlighted that unconscious bias is natural and something that should be identified not hidden. Participants were also trained to use inclusive language in job descriptions and communication materials. This aims to attract a more diverse pool of candidates by avoiding unintentional exclusionary language.
We have been to similar training before but find there is always something new to learn and this session provided a lot of information we hadn't thought about in terms of recruiting and interviewing. Very engaging and worthwhile!
The team’s participation in the Equality and Diversity in Recruitment Programme played a pivotal role in improving and rethinking The University of Nottingham Student Union’s practices when recruiting. The knowledge given in the training resulted in the Student Union taking away useful initiatives to positively impact both the recruitment process and its organisational culture. This programme therefore underscored the importance of proactive measures to address diversity gaps and create workplaces that reflect and celebrate the richness of human differences.
If you are interested in developing a custom programme with us, please contact the Executive Education team.
