If you’re unfamiliar with the mighty Torin Ellis, we’ll forgive you for living under a rock. This trailblazer is a diversity strategist, published author and a force of nature in asking complex questions about DE&I and Diversity.
This week, saddle up for what we learned from his most recent chat with Career Beacon’s Serge Boudreau - because we consider ourselves flawed by this stunning conversation.
Torin, take it away!
Honour is something that we are born with. It can’t be given or taken, it only must not be lost. DE&I comes from the heart. It’s about showing up, standing up and being who you are.
2020 was a recognition; some of you are still guilty of recognising that the only reason you care about diversity was because a black man named George Floyd died. Many out there are guilty of being on podcasts, panels, blog posts and starting conversations just because of this tragedy. Whilst this may seem virtuous to those in a widely catered workplace, those who will only be included through diversity and inclusion see this, making them more tired.
Companies need to be more relaxed and feel energised if they are making an effort and are fragile about diverse cultures. More often than not, a conversation around diversity is predictable because you’re not choosing the right people for the job. If you’re not addressing the correct people to discuss diversity, they won’t have the acumen to create a discussion and strategy and implement change. I.e. If you only ask white men to measure diversity, they won’t have a handle on how or what to measure to really make a change.
Many companies deal with diversity and inclusion by applying a band-aid such as mentoring, extra training, or single/multiple days of training. This is so they can keep plausible deniability - if they don’t know, they can’t fall into legal trouble—a don’t-ask-don’t-tell narrative. As a result of this persistent retraction, our progress is in danger. Diversity and inclusion aren’t about numbers, decorative statements, or individuals - they are about humanity.
Once you’ve established the right people to lead on diversity and discovered your scale, there are three questions left that you need to ask.
Question one - Who are you?
This is a big question, but it allows a person to talk about who they are, not the superficial person we all display in interviews. You need to know WHO is on your team to encourage diversity indeed.
Question two - How do you want to be counted?
This question is asked not to create scales and divide people but to further understand the nuances of a complicated individual and later inspire them to become a resource to diversity. It’s also suitable for understanding any bias or negative beliefs that might lead to a need for training or removal from the organisation.
Question three - what is your current circumstance?
A good leader needs to understand circumstances to make things genuinely diverse. Do employees have to take a child to school? Or drop in to care for an elderly parent? Or has your member of staff just received a phone call that a loved one has died? All of these circumstantial things happen outside of the workplace, but they must be considered to be truly diverse and inclusive.
We’re lucky to have worked with Torin as one of our principal US advisors since 2021. When you join forces with Get-Optimal, your Job Advert grows wings. Our heart is inclusive candidate attraction - automated, meaning your response rate for open positions will soar by a minimum of 24%. We’ve trained our AI for four years with millions of points of Job Ad data to surface the most critical parts of your Job Ad, saving you time you’d usually use copying from old or plagiarised ads. Our deep learning AI product also ensures that your job ad meets DE&I standards, so you’ll attract suitable candidates who aren’t dissuaded by how your job is advertised. Get-Optimal.com also helps you boost your company's ESG score. Get-Optimal.com falls into the Social component: Social metrics focus on how a company manages its relationships with stakeholders - how employees, customers, suppliers and communities are treated.
Your Job Ad will be returned in a downloadable, editable form. We're also integrated with Bullhorn and Salesforce, so you can drop it into whichever job board or multi-poster you prefer for ultimate reach. We also have some exciting new integrations, features and language capabilities coming down the pipe in 2024.
Ready to utilise AI, be the top choice commercially and win business over less enlightened competitors? Book your demo today and get started with Get-Optimal.
If you’re unfamiliar with the mighty Torin Ellis, we’ll forgive you for living under a rock. This trailblazer is a diversity strategist, published author and a force of nature in asking complex questions about DE&I and Diversity.
This week, saddle up for what we learned from his most recent chat with Career Beacon’s Serge Boudreau - because we consider ourselves flawed by this stunning conversation.
Torin, take it away!
Honour is something that we are born with. It can’t be given or taken, it only must not be lost. DE&I comes from the heart. It’s about showing up, standing up and being who you are.
2020 was a recognition; some of you are still guilty of recognising that the only reason you care about diversity was because a black man named George Floyd died. Many out there are guilty of being on podcasts, panels, blog posts and starting conversations just because of this tragedy. Whilst this may seem virtuous to those in a widely catered workplace, those who will only be included through diversity and inclusion see this, making them more tired.
Companies need to be more relaxed and feel energised if they are making an effort and are fragile about diverse cultures. More often than not, a conversation around diversity is predictable because you’re not choosing the right people for the job. If you’re not addressing the correct people to discuss diversity, they won’t have the acumen to create a discussion and strategy and implement change. I.e. If you only ask white men to measure diversity, they won’t have a handle on how or what to measure to really make a change.
Many companies deal with diversity and inclusion by applying a band-aid such as mentoring, extra training, or single/multiple days of training. This is so they can keep plausible deniability - if they don’t know, they can’t fall into legal trouble—a don’t-ask-don’t-tell narrative. As a result of this persistent retraction, our progress is in danger. Diversity and inclusion aren’t about numbers, decorative statements, or individuals - they are about humanity.
Once you’ve established the right people to lead on diversity and discovered your scale, there are three questions left that you need to ask.
Question one - Who are you?
This is a big question, but it allows a person to talk about who they are, not the superficial person we all display in interviews. You need to know WHO is on your team to encourage diversity indeed.
Question two - How do you want to be counted?
This question is asked not to create scales and divide people but to further understand the nuances of a complicated individual and later inspire them to become a resource to diversity. It’s also suitable for understanding any bias or negative beliefs that might lead to a need for training or removal from the organisation.
Question three - what is your current circumstance?
A good leader needs to understand circumstances to make things genuinely diverse. Do employees have to take a child to school? Or drop in to care for an elderly parent? Or has your member of staff just received a phone call that a loved one has died? All of these circumstantial things happen outside of the workplace, but they must be considered to be truly diverse and inclusive.
We’re lucky to have worked with Torin as one of our principal US advisors since 2021. When you join forces with Get-Optimal, your Job Advert grows wings. Our heart is inclusive candidate attraction - automated, meaning your response rate for open positions will soar by a minimum of 24%. We’ve trained our AI for four years with millions of points of Job Ad data to surface the most critical parts of your Job Ad, saving you time you’d usually use copying from old or plagiarised ads. Our deep learning AI product also ensures that your job ad meets DE&I standards, so you’ll attract suitable candidates who aren’t dissuaded by how your job is advertised. Get-Optimal.com also helps you boost your company's ESG score. Get-Optimal.com falls into the Social component: Social metrics focus on how a company manages its relationships with stakeholders - how employees, customers, suppliers and communities are treated.
Your Job Ad will be returned in a downloadable, editable form. We're also integrated with Bullhorn and Salesforce, so you can drop it into whichever job board or multi-poster you prefer for ultimate reach. We also have some exciting new integrations, features and language capabilities coming down the pipe in 2024.
Ready to utilise AI, be the top choice commercially and win business over less enlightened competitors? Book your demo today and get started with Get-Optimal.
