Gillian Williams, founder and president of Monday Talent, asks an important question: what happened to the focus on DEI? Since 2020, promises have been made, broken and sometimes entirely forgotten. As head of a recruitment firm with a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, she offers employers tips for prioritizing DEI hiring. 

Image source: Adweek (Top inclusive marketing campaigns in 2021) via Monday Talent

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and in the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement we saw a significant increase in companies prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within their organization. From hiring to marketing initiatives every company was making pivotal changes in how their organization viewed DEI. As a matter of fact, roles focused on DEI increased by 55% following demands for broader racial equity and justice after Floyd’s murder, the Society for Human Resource Management reported in 2020.

For the first time (in what felt like) ever, we were seeing people of color in manager and executive level positions, recruiters were actively seeking out diverse talent, and marketing campaigns were featuring people of color front and center. Many companies made public commitments to improve DEI in their hiring processes. They set goals to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in their workforce, and they implemented new policies and initiatives to achieve these goals. It was a bittersweet time. There were feelings of what took so long to get us here but joy in the fact that it finally felt like a reckoning was happening.

Over the past year, though, we’ve seen a significant decrease in the number of companies still focusing on DEI initiatives and actively seeking out diverse talent. In

2021, access to DEI initiatives jumped from 29% in 2019 to 43% in 2021. But, through the third quarter of 2022, that number dipped to 41% (HR Dive 2022).

At Monday Talent we see a decline in the focus on diverse hiring on a daily basis and we are committed to changing that. Below we’ve outlined some reasons why we think companies have stopped focusing on DEI and what we can do to change this.

1. The misconception is that the work of hiring diverse talent was completed in 2021. Many companies viewed DEI hiring initiatives as a short-term effort to check a box, rather than a long-term commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce. Without sustained effort and ongoing investment, companies may find it difficult to maintain the momentum and progress they achieved in 2021. As recruiters, we must constantly remind our clients that they should prioritize finding a diverse candidate and lay out steps we can take to find top talent.

2. Lack of accountability and transparency in DEI hiring. While many companies made public commitments to improving DEI in hiring, few have publicly shared their progress towards these goals. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to hold companies accountable for their DEI hiring efforts, which may lead to decreased motivation and accountability. Part of why there was such a drastic change in companies putting diversity initiatives at the forefront of their business in 2021 was because the public was calling out companies and forcing them to make changes. As consumers, we need to continue to hold companies accountable and call out companies who made performative changes in 2021 and have halted all DEI focus in 2023.

3. There is a shortage of diverse talent in some industries, which can make it challenging for companies to meet their DEI hiring goals. While companies can take steps to broaden their candidate pools and create more inclusive work environments, they may still struggle to find diverse talent in certain fields. As recruiters, we need to educate clients and the public on different ways to find diverse talent. From re-evaluating where you source talent to engaging your existing networks there are many ways to find diverse talent you just have to put in the time and effort!

What can companies do to prioritize DEI hiring?

• Widen your candidate search. Find diverse candidates by sourcing talent from various places. This can range from engaging existing networks and employee referrals to culture-specific networking groups and job fairs. By extending the range in which you search for talent, you can find a more diverse talent pool.
• Audit your job ads and candidate screening to be more inclusive. We encourage clients to use language that opens the job description up to candidates from various backgrounds. Re-thinking your candidate screening processes to be more inclusive can pave the way for more diverse hiring.
• Partner with diverse organizations. A great way to source diverse talent is to partner with different organizations that support various racial and ethnic groups. For example, partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and building internship and entry-level positions for graduating students.
• Use external recruiters. As recruiters, we are able to tap into a candidate pool that an internal HR department might overlook or not source from. At Monday Talent, DEI is at the forefront of our recruitment process and we tap into our robust candidate network to find top talent. Year to date, 51% of our placements have been for People of Color.
• To ensure that DEI hiring remains a priority, companies must view it as a long-term commitment and make ongoing investments in creating more diverse and inclusive workplaces. It's also essential to maintain transparency and accountability around DEI hiring progress and adapt to new challenges as they arise. By doing so, companies can create a more equitable and sustainable future for all employees.