3.2 Communicate company commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion during onboarding
Content
Description of Best Practices
Share expectations regarding respect for and contribution to gender equality and D&I by employees, making values an important part of the onboarding process
Review onboarding communication and tools, such as specialized software to ensure content is gender-inclusive and diverse, reflects company policies on gender equality and D&I, and includes gender-reflective questions in new employee surveys[1]
Use e-learning and gamification to inform new hires about important topics, values, and policies related to equality and D&I
Provide a checklist with relevant policies, company values, and other information for the new employee’s exposure
Challenges of Implementation
Lack of awareness from management, organization, and peers on how important good onboarding is to create an inclusive workplace
Lack of awareness of HR and support staff of their own biases resulting in differences in supporting women and men in the integration process
Organization may not be used to informal learning and information sharing
What Success Looks Like
All new hires feel welcome and fairly treated, experiencing an inclusive work culture from day one
All new employees are aware of their responsibilities and obligations to promote an inclusive workplace culture free of sexual harassment and discrimination against women
Onboarding process builds on the experiences and knowledge of existing employees and contributes to increased awareness on the benefits of gender equality and D&I
Resources and Tools
Report/Study (incl. Tools): Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success (Society for Human Resource Management)
Article: Understanding and Designing an Inclusive Onboarding Experience (Medium)
Webinar: Building an Effective Onboarding Strategy (Ajilon)
Video: HR Basics: Onboarding (Gregg Learning)
[1] EMPLOYEE SURVEY. Tool used by organizational leadership to gain feedback on and measure employee engagement, employee morale, and performance. The three most common types of employee surveys include employee opinion and satisfaction surveys, employee culture surveys, and employee engagement surveys. (Source: Society for Human Resource Management, Managing Employee Surveys)