Increasing diversity a major focus of recruitment strategies

More than half of HR professionals say their recruiting strategy is designed to help increase diversity at their organization, according to a report released last week by the Society for Human Resource Management.

The study, titled Diversity and Inclusion, which included responses from nearly 300 randomly selected HR professionals, also found that two in five HR professionals create retention strategies that are specifically designed to retain a diverse workforce.

" A diverse workforce brings a fresh and necessary perspective to business," said Shirley David Sheppard, vice president of diversity and inclusion at SHRM, in a press release. "It is also critical to have a leadership team who understands that value of employing people from multiple backgrounds."

While the new data suggests that diversity is a one of the major focal points in the recruitment and hiring process, only 15 percent of companies have designated diversity and inclusion personnel. A majority of companies approach diversity and inclusion in the workplace with advisory groups and committees of existing staff or by offering employees diversity and inclusion training.