Regrettably, access to advancement in medical careers has a poor track record. However, burgeoning medical startups are in a prime position to promote diversity and inclusion on their teams and change the story about equity in the health industry. Examine the benefits of a diverse staff and how you can do your part to hire with diversity top of mind — this guide presented by PharmaDiversity.com can help you get started.
Consider the Benefits of a Diverse Workforce
A diverse workforce provides a more comprehensive viewpoint. Great Place to Work explains that diversity greatly improves an organization’s innovation. Since innovation is imperative to provide the best service and care in medical industries, diversity is a necessity that leads to enhanced financial performance.
Diverse companies also report a reduced employee turnover rate and are more attractive to top candidates. Your team becomes stronger and more consistent as a result.
Assess Your Diversity
Survey your organization to find unnoticed similarities in backgrounds and perspectives. Pay particular attention to employees who receive incentives and promotions. If you notice a theme, consider training to fight against unconscious biases.
You may also find a weak spot if you discover a pattern in employee turnover. Look beyond gender and ethnicity to find commonalities in industry background, culture, sexual orientation, religion, age, and disability. Ensure the work environment does not just cover the basics of compliance for individuals with disabilities. Create a comfortable and welcoming workplace for those with unique needs.
Highlight Your Current Diversity
If your team is not homogenized, spotlight the diversity you already have through internal and external communications. Internal attention helps the team maintain sensitivity and search for new opportunities to grow. Pointing out the variety of individuals to outsiders encourages diverse candidates to compete for open positions and share your name as an option among their communities.
Communicate With Greater Sensitivity
Assess your internal communication and how you advertise open positions. Gender-coded language may display implicit bias and attract primarily male-identifying individuals. Ableism or ageism can manifest if you emphasize physical abilities over ingenuity and valuable soft skills, which are woefully overlooked but required for versatile team members.
Incentivize Diverse Referrals
Recruiters and hiring managers should be the first to partake in diversity training. Commend and reward efforts to widen their net of potential hires. When employees recommend diverse candidates, offer a referral bonus when a recruit comes from an underrepresented group.
Encourage employees to check in with old high school friends who might be a good fit for your organization. They can search online using an alumni database to get people’s contact information. Simply enter the person’s name, school, and graduating year to get reconnected.
Partner With Diverse Communities
Volunteer and collaborate with various organizations to open the door to new profiles. Seek partnerships to expand your pipeline and strengthen your business network. You can post your job through PharmaDiversity.com to cast a wider net for job applicants.
Don’t forget that a wealth of expertise can exist in your locale. Seek out freelancers in your area first instead of immediately looking to a massive agency to source talent. You’ll set a great example in your backyard and support the local economy, which further unifies your company and fortifies your brand.
Mentoring and internship programs are fantastic ways to establish yourself in your local area and create the groundwork for future teammates. When youths of various communities are given a chance to picture themselves in unique aspects of the medical field, diversity will no longer require so much effort and intention.
Begin Building Your Diverse Team
Building a diverse team instills your startup with pride and lays the foundation for the company to become a successful juggernaut. Make plans with your leadership team to prioritize diversity in your hiring. And take advantage of local and national resources that connect people with disabilities to interested medical businesses.
