4 Ways Remote Hiring Improves Diversity in Businesses

Organizations need to grow to survive and thrive, but more than that, they must ensure this growth is effective and sustainable. Faced with worker shortages and a changing world, businesses are being forced out of their comfort zones—and learning that embracing advancements through equitable and inclusive approaches can bring highly beneficial results. One such solution is increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their workplaces.

Why Is Diversity Important for Businesses?

Organizations that employ people with different backgrounds, experiences, skills, and knowledge open up opportunities for innovation and expansion. In a diverse workplace, employees can draw from their varied cultures and perspectives, which brings broader insight and creativity and can help develop new ideas and approaches for the organization.

DEI are also critical for expanding a business’s employer brand, helping them attract and retain more top talent. Candidates who see that a business welcomes people from all backgrounds are more likely to accept a job offer.

Most importantly, companies that emphasize racial and ethnic diversity and gender diversity enjoy 35% and 15% more financial revenue over industry norms, respectively.

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How Leading Companies Are Improving Diversity Through Remote Hiring

Remote hiring is making it much easier for major companies to improve diversity within their operations. Meta, the company behind the social media giant Facebook, stated that it had doubled its Black and Hispanic workers in the U.S., and also the number of women working for the company globally. The company also increased the number of underrepresented employees, including the disabled and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, reaching 46.7% in 2022. These changes were facilitated by the company’s decision to hire remote employees.

In a blog post, the company stated that “By supporting diverse suppliers and hiring people with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, we’re able to create better experiences for everyone. We’ll continue to develop a more diverse and equitable workforce, but we know this work is far from finished. Together, through dedication and innovation, we’ll strive to make technology and the metaverse more inclusive.”

4 Reasons Remote Hiring Is Important for Diversity

1. Greater Access to Talent Around the World

The job market is highly competitive, especially for businesses seeking workers with specific skills. Often, they may find the right person—but in the wrong location.

It’s usually not practical for people to relocate, but the rise of remote work has led to an explosion of new options and opened up a world of possibilities—quite literally.

Companies that hire remote workers have more access to a diverse talent pool. They are no longer limited to hiring people who live near their offices. They can reach out to people in different cities, states, regions, and countries to discover and employ people with the skills and talent they need.

Remote work breaks down the geographical wall that limits talent acquisition by allowing the recruitment team to cast a wider net.

2. Improve Company Culture

Some may think that having remote workers will dilute the company culture. In reality, bringing people from different locations, backgrounds, and experiences together can lead to higher efficiency and a better decision making process, thus improving the productivity of the team. With improved company culture comes the flexibility to welcome new ideas and interesting conversations.

In short, remote hiring can help create an agile and innovative company culture by combining diverse perspectives and problem-solving approaches. Ultimately, this will help improve employee engagement and satisfaction.

3. Better Employee Inclusion

Remote work allows companies to hire more people who might not be able to be physically present in their offices, giving them unprecedented access to talented individuals who previously did not enjoy many opportunities. Research shows that people with disabilities are less likely to receive a job offer compared to those without disabilities.

Organizations that promote inclusion benefit from having employees that feel valued, involved, respected, and engaged. Diversity, equity, and inclusion go hand in hand.

An inclusive work environment promotes trust between the management and employees. Long-term research shows that employees at high-trust companies report less stress, higher productivity, fewer absences, higher engagement, less burnout, and higher satisfaction rates—all of which are important in ensuring business success.

4. More Efficient Communication

In any workplace, maintaining effective communication is critical. When working with global teams and a diverse set of people, team members use collaboration tools to work on and manage their projects. These applications support teams by providing a record of all progress and communications and giving employees an easy way to share information and get to know one another.

These tools also support efficient HR management. For example, remote workers can use technology to integrate notes about their work within a time clock app to keep everyone in the loop about what they worked on. No matter where they are, they know what’s happening at work in real time.

Improving Diversity Through Remote Work

Diversity, equity and inclusion in business operations are a critical step toward success. From a company growth standpoint, it delivers immeasurable benefits. Not only do DEI measures improve the bottom line, but organizations that invest in improving diversity in their internal workforce through remote work also enjoy better employee satisfaction and employer branding. An inclusive workforce is critical to ensure a company thrives in the changing business landscape.

Author Bio

Dean Mathews is the founder and CEO of OnTheClock, an employee time tracking app that helps over 15,000 companies all around the world track time. Dean has over 20 years of experience designing and developing business apps. He views software development as a form of art. If the artist creates a masterpiece, many people’s lives are touched and changed for the better. When he is not perfecting time tracking, Dean enjoys expanding his faith, spending time with family and friends, and finding ways to make the world just a little better.