Talent acquisition through an inclusive lens: Untapped speaks to Gamiel Yafai, Founder of Diversity Marketplace

Untapped spoke to Gamiel Yafai, Founder of Diversity Marketplace, to discover how diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives can seamlessly integrate into recruitment strategies. 

Never has an organisational focus on inclusion mattered more. As we write, and only a few weeks into his second term, American President Donald Trump has suspended diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes across federal agencies, with instructions to place staff on leave and terminate associated schemes. The administration has also signalled intentions to scrutinise private companies' DEI practices next.

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We spoke to Gamiel Yafai, Founder of Diversity Marketplace, to gain his views on how inclusive hiring practices are vital to attract a wide range of top-quality candidates, aiding business innovation and growth. 

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Gamiel headed up diversity practices for two of the UK’s largest HR resourcing agencies before setting up Diversity Marketplace in 2005. Since then, he’s worked with some of the UK’s largest employers and well-known brands - such as Rolls Royce, the V&A, Imperial College London and Channel 4. He’s also an author, recipient of the Global Diversity Leadership Award, and Global Goodwill Ambassador.

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Let’s discover more…

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With what’s happening currently in America, do you feel it’s important for companies to focus on DEI?

Sadly, one of the reasons President Trump is calling out diversity and inclusion is partially because it hasn't been done properly in many organisations and they haven't been able to demonstrate impact. I judge diversity awards globally and see brilliant stuff happening all the time. But do I see them promoted anywhere else apart from at those awards? Absolutely not. We don’t shout about the work done around diversity enough, so people assume nothing's being done. And if you don't know what people are doing, you make assumptions. Trump's found something he can leverage that's going to keep people on his side. But diversity is not off the agenda by any means and actually, we need to get better about communicating why it’s so important. 

What role should DEI play in a company’s overall talent acquisition strategy?

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It’s so important that the whole talent acquisition process is seen through an inclusive lens. I work with organisations to help boost confidence in applying DEI principles to their departments. It's about linking into the corporate strategy, but also about making talent acquisition ‘inclusive talent acquisition’. We don't want to miss out on candidates’ talent. We don't want to miss out on the brilliance that exists from neurodivergent individuals if we're not inclusive in the way we access that talent, the way we recruit, how we advertise, or the organisations we partner with.

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How can employers ensure inclusivity throughout the hiring process?

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Ultimately it’s about consultation. If you want to be inclusive to people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, or ADHD, then you've got to put those messages out in various ways, formats, and means. And consider reasonable adjustments. It's about making sure you're proactive in your approach and not just waiting for people to respond, because most candidates won't ask you the question for fear of being treated differently. 

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In terms of talent acquisition, it’s about being forward-thinking. If you've got a website that says nothing about diversity or neurodiversity or doesn't have case studies about how you've supported people (in terms of their religious beliefs, gender, or caring responsibilities, for example), then the assumption is you're doing nothing. Being the most inclusive employer will make you stand out from the competition.

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Can you talk about how unconscious bias occurs within the employment cycle? 

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Unconscious bias will impact every single element of the employment cycle in lots of different ways. I believe unconscious bias training doesn't work on its own. It's about what you do with the training and how people apply the learning in their organisation. Every single one of us has unconscious biases. We need to be cognisant of our biases, blind spots and acknowledge that we don't know what we don't know. You can assess yourself with a Harvard Implicit Association Test. Intentionality is probably one of the keywords when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

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How can businesses incorporate DEI considerations into branding efforts? 

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We can talk about belonging. Belonging is the impact of having good diversity and inclusion practices. You're making candidates feel good about who they are, what they do, how they do it, how they interact, and how they collaborate. The resulting factor is that people will feel they want to work for you.

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For the full article, register and look out for the next release of Untapped.

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