Helping our clients achieve progress towards a truly diverse workforce is often just as important as ensuring the people appointed are talented, capable and high performing.
Consult has therefore developed an effective Diversity & Inclusion framework, not just to meet clients’ needs, but fundamentally to ensure we always source and select candidates from the widest choice.
It means that Consult operates inclusive, open-minded, non-discriminatory recruitment practices. As a result, whenever practically possible, our Longlist interviews and recommended Shortlists include suitably skilled, experienced people from all sections of the community.
It requires a flexible, tailored, values-led consulting approach - just like the other elements of Consult ’s work. Our starting point is to understand each client’s policies, practices and objectives. It is vital to work in harmony with them to deliver results; particularly important where the organisation wants to take affirmative action to improve the number of people employed from under-represented groups.
Consult has a track record of working with clients from leading organisations across all sectors whose Diversity & Inclusion and Equal Opportunity policies are advanced, well defined and rigorously applied. Our own understanding is based on the advice and guidance we’ve sought from organisations such as the CIPD, Diversity Challenge and the government’s Diversity - What Works advisory service.
Depending on each client’s needs and expectations, we strive to attract and objectively select from a cross-section of people with the abilities required. We aim wherever possible to include candidates who are representative of the communities in which our clients are based and/or serve.
And of course Consult ensures there is neither discouragement nor discrimination against anyone, especially with regard to their gender, sexuality, transgender, age, race/ethnicity, disability, religion/beliefs, care responsibilities and work/life balance.
To improve our reach into all sections of the community, we often reinforce our advertising in the ‘mainstream’ recruitment media with carefully chosen specialist media (press and/or web) to proactively target and ‘talk to’ certain groups. To provide clients with a tangible measure, we confidentially gather appropriate personal data from all applicants and report (anonymously and collectively) on the Diversity Analysis at each stage of the process.
Diversity is a key issue for many organisations. Consult has the capability to attract, assess and recommend people who not only make excellent appointments, but also achieve progress towards a diverse and socially inclusive workforce. Many clients say this is now as highly valued as our track record in helping them appoint talented individuals with the abilities to do the job and the behaviours to match their values.