Please Delete Your Diversity Footnote

We are committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce and we strongly encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

Nothing makes me stop and strongly discourage me from applying for a job more than the above statement… well, okay maybe the day rate.

Perhaps you have never noticed the little caveat above or one of its many variations. Perhaps you have seen it and thought how nice it was that the company was doing something to show their solidarity. Or perhaps your eyes flick over those words and finish with an epic eye roll.

…diversity should be an outcome of your efforts to maximize your company’s performance, not a condition that you try to impose. — Forbes (2018)

I can’t and won’t speak for all diversity groups, let alone my own, but as a solitary voice who falls into the latter category, with an eye roll to end all eye rolls I say: please stop.

The primary problem I have with the statement is that, well it isn’t a statement. It’s a footnote, a trend, a cowardly submission.

One company sees another declaring their inclusivity and thinks, if they don’t do the same somebody could accuse them of an -ism or -phobia. So they copy and they paste. Switch a few words here, add a comma there, and then post without any real idea or feeling behind what they are meant to be standing for.

Over the past few years, press attention and awareness have expanded the focus on obstacles that employees in diverse groups, particularly women, face at work. In response, companies have launched even more programs to address these obstacles, yet few of these efforts have yielded results. — BCG (2019)

Often time, as has been the case in my own experience, if I have gotten a job at a self-proclaiming equal opportunity company, it looks the same and operates the same as if no equality had gone into the company makeup at all. Well unless if by equality you mean duplication because everyone is equally the same.

Did you know that by law tobacco companies have to include a warning label on every packet of cigarettes they sell? Bonus points for visual aid.

…communications emphasizing the severity of a threat are less effective than communications focusing on susceptibility, and that warning labels may have no effect among smokers — Wikipedia

Their due diligence was done, but nothing changed and I often wonder if smokers still see the STOP SMOKING warning as they pull out their next stick? If they’ve chosen to stop, it’s unlikely because block capitals have told them too.

We are committed to encouraging diversity, inclusion and are actively encouraging applications from people from BAME backgrounds or with a disability.

It’s entirely possible you’ve gotten this far and can’t fathom why I’m talking about something you may view as a non-issue. That’s okay, just stick with me because here’s what these diversity foots do: They single out minorities, and emphasise one aspect of their person that in most cases isn’t a big deal to them, it’s just how they were born, it’s just them.

This further marginalizes them from those that aren’t ever singled out and creates tension in the workplace where colleagues wonder or worse loudly assume that they were hired to check a diversity box, taking a job away from someone who deserved it —this who is incidentally, in their minds, most likely White.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all persons including heterosexual white middle-class men.

Equality is the foundation, and if you’ve never felt obligated to announce the above, then why is there a need to overemphasise and call out those in a minority group? Instead, why not prove your pledge to equality by paying those that deserve it their due. Perhaps taking a closer look and introspecting why specific groups are often overlooked when it comes to hiring and promotions.

“I found it ironic that senior leadership prioritized their public image when internally they dismissed or ignored the very Black voices that they claimed to care about,” she told us. “It made the gesture of solidarity feel like a slap in the face.” — Harvard Business Review (2020)

Personally, I’ve never not applied to a job because I thought I wouldn’t get it based on my gender, socio-economic background, or the colour of my skin and ergo needed encouragement to just go for it. Therefore it makes me question where the problem lies in the need to parade such disclaimers.

Transparently it’s not with us, the applicant, but with the employer who seems to need a constant reminder to be more conscious about their unconscious bias.

Let’s not get it twisted though; just because a company says that they encourage your application, it doesn’t state that they will hire you based on which diversity category you fall into. Which is great.

Sure I’ll take advantage of a role aimed towards an underrepresented category I fall into, but ultimately the grounds remain the same; I don’t want to be hired for anything other than my skill set, experience and award-winning personality. The existence of the diversity footnote then brings into question the necessity of proof. Is this company really interested in having a balanced workforce, or do they just want to act like they are?

the share of US technical employees who are black or Latinx rose by less than a percentage point since 2014. The share of black technical workers at Apple is unchanged at 6 percent […] no company is close to parity, despite having repeatedly pledged millions to address the problem. — Wired (2019)

This information specifically looks at the US tech industry, and numbers may arguably be skewed but they don’t lie. Neither do the employee pictures on a company website.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/ belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity.

For a moment let’s assume that the giant hearts of corporations are in the right the place. They truly want to see change for more than a PR stunt or hashtag, and having a diversity footnote is their proverbial yelling it from the rooftop.

Pledging is the easy part, following it through is where the real challenges lie.

…companies pledge to increase diversity by focusing on hiring “diverse candidates,” but then these diverse candidates find themselves in an environment that is unwelcoming or sometimes downright hostile — Forbes (2018)

It’s important to understand that it is more than just welcoming a diverse candidate into the fold and expecting them to feel grateful for the opportunity. You don’t just shake their hand, then retire back to your office to submit your annual employee statistics survey whilst they are left to fend for themselves.

It’s a case by case basis but checking in, and having a willingness to listen and learn is a big part of making sure your slowly growing diverse workplace remains that way.

In 2018, Google reported attrition data for the first time, showing black and Latinx employees left at higher rates than their white counterparts. In response, the company took steps including hiring retention case managers to work with employees from underrepresented backgrounds. — Wired (2019)

Taking stock, reworking and implementing new practices where necessary to promote a healthy working environment is a lot more productive, and a greater way to show that you care about all the people you employ. No footnote needed.

It is entirely possible I am reading too much into the footnotes that plague half of the job adverts I see in my field, but I couldn’t source any data to prove its effectiveness in encouraging more diverse candidate to apply for a job they otherwise wouldn’t have.

Maybe the statistics can be born right here and now. So I ask if you see any variations of the diversity footnote, does that make you more likely, less likely or completely indifferent towards applying to the job, than if you had not?