International perspectives: Diversity and inclusion in veterans’ services worldwide

Diversity and Inclusion is one of the leading recruitment trends in 2023. Businesses across the globe are revamping and updating their D&I initiatives to foster an equal and inclusive workplace where employees feel valued. Foundit, one of the leading hiring platforms, reports that there has been a 26% increase in the recruitment of diverse employees in 2023 in India.

Diversity is essentially creating a diverse workforce by hiring the right talent from minority and underrepresented groups. It refers to giving opportunities to people from different backgrounds, races, cultures, genders, ages, etc. Inclusion refers to creating a workplace that accepts, respects and gives fair treatment to diverse employees.

Building a diverse workforce: An overview

Diversity in the workplace is important because people from different backgrounds can bring something unique, such as cultural awareness or different perspectives, to the table. A diverse team helps build a thriving business through creativity and innovation.

Your recruitment policy is vital to hiring diverse employees. Here are some tips for hiring diverse candidates:

• An important step is minimising bias in the recruitment process. This can be done through blind hiring, AI-based hiring tools, etc.

• Make sure that you use gender-neutral language when posting jobs. Also, your language should not be offensive to any group or community.

• Include your diversity and inclusion statement in your job postings.

• Certain application tracking tools audit aspects such as the sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, etc., of the candidates while maintaining anonymity. These insights will help you assess whether you have applicants from underrepresented groups and recruit according to your D&I goals.

It is relevant here to ascertain who diverse employees are! Diverse employees are identified based on factors such as age, disability, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, belief, etc. Veteran hiring is also a vital part of D&I hiring.

Who are the people who qualify as veterans?

The term “veteran” refers to an individual who has served in the active military, navy or air service and was discharged from there for reasons other than dishonourable. Data reveals that there are approximately 2.6 million ex-servicemen in India. About 60,000 armed forces personnel either retire or are discharged from active service every year. The numbers indicate that it is a substantial workforce that cannot be ignored.

Increasing focus on D&I in veterans’ services

Hiring veterans is important for the community because if the present generation of veterans believes that there will be no employment opportunities for them, it will discourage future generations from working in the forces.

However, it is not just for the community; including veterans in the workforce will benefit the organisation in more ways than one. Veterans bring qualities like respect, integrity and trust, which are difficult to find.

Since veterans are trained to adapt to different situations and overcome tough challenges, they can easily deal with the dynamic business landscape. Veterans have skill sets like problem-solving, teamwork and performing under pressure. They also have the ability to work with employees of different backgrounds. These attributes make veterans the right fit for a variety of jobs across industries.

How do you extend your D&I initiatives to veterans?

There are different avenues to attract veterans to your organisation:

Advertise on relevant job boards: Checkwhether the government labour departments in your country have job boards where you can advertise to connect with veterans.
Nonprofit organisations: In many countries, there are several local and national nonprofits that are dedicated to connecting veterans with employees.
Higher education institutes: Many higher education institutes have specific programmes customised to the needs of veterans. Reaching out to such institutes will help you find veterans for your organisation.
Events or job fairs: Hosting or attending job fairs and events designed especially for veterans can help you connect with veterans.
Veteran hiring programmes: Through your website and other channels, let veterans know that your organisation is looking to hire them.

Remote Process Outsourcing (RPO): Looking for veteran candidates can be a daunting task when compared to hiring Gen Z, millennials or baby boomers. The task becomes much easier when you outsource your hiring to RPO agencies with experienced professionals who can select veterans that are the right fit for your organisation.

Careernet is one of the leading RPO agencies that helps businesses meet their D&I hiring initiatives. Our professionals work closely with clients to understand their hiring goals. We have a wide network through which we can connect with veterans. We have a streamlined recruitment process through which we identify and recommend the best candidates in quick time.

Resources: indiatoday.in,en.wikipedia.org