But how often do we consider the implications of the ethicality of our recruitment processes themselves? Are we, deliberately or by omission, creating a recruitment culture that is experienced by some as unethical? It really is a matter of perspective and which end of the recruitment process you’re standing in.

If you’re reading this then you are probably an experienced HR professional who has conducted an untold number of recruitment processes over many years. You know all the up to date practices, you’ve completed the training, you’ve probably even trained others in how to run a fair and transparent recruitment process.

But sometimes we might be complying with these processes because we know that we (or the organisation) could “get in trouble” if we don’t. It is more ‘stick’ than ‘carrot’. It’s also highly likely that if you’re involved in recruitment on a daily basis, you may have conflated the notion of legal compliance with being ethical. There’s certainly an overlap, but compliance is not and should not be the whole story.

So, this begs the question…What does an unethical recruitment process look like? And for this, I’m nudging you to think about the recruitment process from the candidate’s point of view.

Why? Because unsuccessful candidates should be thought of as ambassadors for your company. Treat them ethically throughout the whole process and you will be strengthening your organisation’s reputation ‘out there’. Treat them unfairly, or neglectfully, and you risk creating potentially thousands of people sharing stories about how they were treated that can do significant damage to your brand.

Unethical recruitment practices can arise from a simple oversight, or not taking the time to consider how your process is being experienced outside the organisation. With the increase in the number of applications being received – sometimes hundreds for a single role – it is easy to be overwhelmed, take shortcuts and end up unintentionally treating people unethically.

So, what do we mean by unethical recruitment practices?

Nepotism without a competitive process springs to mind. But less obvious unethical practices could include:

• An overcomplicated application process written with impenetrable internal jargon. Only insiders can understand it.
• Unfair timelines – too short, too long, too much time between written application and interview, not enough notice between the invitation to be interviewed and the scheduled time allotted to them.
• An impossible job description that no individual could ever fulfil. Or a job description that promises more than your organisation can or will deliver, such as autonomous decision-making.
• Interview panels that are single gender, or far too senior compared to the role being recruited. Power on display can unfairly influence the interviewee’s performance, no matter how friendly and approachable you think you are.

And the biggest ethical downfall is not communicating with candidates once they are no longer being considered. Have you ever been ghosted after an interview, never hearing from the organisation ever again? I certainly have, even after a second-round interview. This is a common ethical gap that recruiting panels can overlook. While you might be pre-occupied with onboarding the successful candidate, you still have an obligation to treat unsuccessful candidates well and ethically.

Once you have hired the right person, reinforce company values in the onboarding process. Talk explicitly about the importance of integrity. If you have a large cohort being welcomed, have the CEO set the tone by coming and talking to them about ethical work practices. Draw on actual examples where possible. Illustrate that the company walks the walk, and if there are ethical failings to be dealt with it welcomes bad news AND acts on it.

Don’t make the onboarding process the last time employees hear about your ethics and values. Reinforce them regularly in ways that make sense for your industry and company. Again, this needs to be led from the top and supported by HR.

An ethical recruitment process will strengthen diversity in your organisation, the benefits of which, beyond a nice-to-have, were recently established in a world-first study that- identified the causal role between greater gender diversity and business success. Over the last six years, Australian companies which appointed a female CEO increased their market value by five per cent — worth nearly $80 million to an average ASX200 company. Similarly, research revealed that London-listed companies are more profitable when women make up more than one in three executive roles, with a profit margin more than 10 times greater than those without. While this research was on gender, the principle applies to diversity more generally.

Diversity also encourages uncommon innovation, that path to exceptional ROI. It comes from leadership teams having the courage and willingness to think differently, and challenging others in the company to do the same. Thinking differently is easier if not everyone in the conversation looks and sounds exactly the same. Teams with mixed backgrounds, ethnicity and gender are more successful because they challenge group-think. They bring broader perspectives, have more discussion and debate, leading to better decision-making. They also more accurately reflect the communities businesses operate in, and the consumers they sell to.

While there’s no guarantee when it comes to recruitment, implementing an ethical process that reflects genuinely held organisational values means you’re choosing from a pool of high calibre candidates, and that offers the best chance of finding the best person.

Vanessa Pigrum is CEO of Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to developing the ethical decision-making skills of Australia’s leaders. Vanessa shapes the strategic direction of Cranlana Centre and leads a diverse and ambitious team in its work to build a better society by strengthening critical reasoning and moral courage in business, community and government leadership.

The post Why organisations must consider ethics in the recruitment processes appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.

Every organisation wants the right person in the right job.

Every person contemplating the roughly 90,000 hours they’ll be spending at work wants to be in the right job.

Which is why magazines such as Forbes release annual lists of the world’s best employers, and why sites like Glassdoor, where employees rate their employers, exist. If you’re going to spend a third of your lifetime at work, you’re going to research what different organisations offer.

So how can employers ensure their brand is viewed favourably and can compete against its contemporaries? Know what motivates the people you want to hire.

Understanding what motivates your people

Yes, salaries and perks matter but they’re fairly generic. There’s probably not much you offer that your competitors can’t match.  Where you can differentiate yourself is through your principles. It’s increasingly important for potential employees to find companies with values that align with their own, particularly (but not only) to millennials who will comprise 75% of the workforce in 2025.

One of the effects of the pandemic is that it has thrown into sharp relief what matters to people, in their personal and professional lives. Whether it’s flexible working hours, changing where they live or ditching their commute, people now know what’s possible. In the years to come, they’ll be looking for companies that accommodate those choices, and allow them to bring their whole selves to work. They’ve also watched how organisations have treated their staff in this crisis, and taken note.

“It’s increasingly important for potential employees to find companies with values that align with their own, particularly (but not only) to millennials who will comprise 75% of the workforce in 2025.”

Organisational values can no longer be the laminated sheet on the wall of the office kitchen. They need to be the authentic foundations of company processes and systems, informing decision-making and making the company’s actions consistent and transparent.  Those values need to genuinely permeate the daily experience of employees.

It starts from the top

This starts at the top. Staff are significant stakeholders and need to be recognised as such. People want to make a positive impact. They want to genuinely speak with pride about what their company stands for. They want to work for leaders with integrity, and they expect a high degree of transparency about decisions that affect them. Employees flourish when working with ethical leaders; those who create a culture in which employees can safely challenge decisions, and where contributions are welcomed.

The right organisational culture produces a secure and productive workforce – proud ambassadors who’ll champion your brand on their social channels and in their professional interactions.

Once you’ve got the right people on board, how do you keep them there? Organisational churn is disruptive, and costly. It’s estimated that the Australian economy loses $3.8bn each year in lost productivity due to staff turnover. Work perks aren’t enough to keep staff hanging on in the face of toxic organisational culture and unethical leadership. The resulting low morale tends to breed a culture of mere compliance and minimum effort amongst those who stay, and high turnover as those who can leave do.

Creating ethical decision-making frameworks

Invest in your human resources the way you do any other.  Everyone in their career will face challenges which can’t be solved by a Code of Conduct. Help your people meet these challenges by providing professional development which exposes them to different ethical decision-making frameworks and increases their ability to work through ambiguity. Empower them to move from simply following rules to being able to question the rightness of an action or circumstance. Ethical fade is real, and needs to be consciously addressed.

Strengthen their judgement and critical thinking skills. Support people who are motivated to create change along ethical lines and make sure their efforts are recognised. Equip your employees with the capabilities to assess the impact of the organisation’s priorities and overtly give permission for them to act constructively on what they may uncover. All of these measures will help them, and the organisation, make the right decisions for the right reasons at the right time.

There are many positive benefits of strong ethical leadership – brand safety, reputation management and growing market share. But among the most important is attracting and retaining high calibre staff who will share their experience of your organisation widely. Word of mouth is a powerful force, and it’s a recruitment tool you want to get right.

Vanessa Pigrum is CEO of Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to developing the ethical decision-making skills of Australia’s leaders. Vanessa shapes the strategic direction of Cranlana Centre and leads a diverse and ambitious team in its work to build a better society by strengthening critical reasoning and moral courage in business, community and government leadership.

The post How ethical leadership can improve your employer brand appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.