A forthcoming ISE workshop will help you to recruit more black talent and support the Black Lives Matter movement, says course leader and industry expert Tessa McEwan.

Racial inequality in the workplace is in the spotlight and organisations are under pressure to reduce it.

The most successful companies in future will be the ones with the greatest diversity of thought, who can bring innovation and creativity to uncertain and complex work environments.

One of the most under-represented groups in many organisations is employees from Black Heritage backgrounds, and as a result, employers are missing out on black talent.

ISE decided to tackle this issue by designing interactive virtual workshops to help employers to develop a strategy to recruit more black talent and support the Black Lives Matter movement.

In September I presented the first of three virtual one-day workshops alongside Vanessa Soames and André Flemmings.

The course was split into three 90-minute sessions, plus optional networking time, which was a popular format. The level of interest was high, and more than 40 different organisations attended.

Using Zoom technology meant that we were able to include lots of break out group discussions and interactive activities to maximise learning.

Hints, tips and useful contacts were included, and delegates left with a large list of free recommended resources and lots of ideas to put into practice for positive change. They also received ‘train the trainer’ materials to deliver impactful unconscious bias training internally in their own organisations.

The majority (93%) of delegates said they would strongly recommend or recommend the course to others.

We’ll be re-running the ISE workshop Early Careers Recruitment Strategy for Black Lives Matter on 12 November, plus a specifically tailored version for law firms on 17 November.

Here are three of the key takeaways from the course:

1. Reducing unconscious bias

Several delegates were surprised to discover biases they previously didn’t know they had, and this helped illustrate the scale of the problem of unconscious bias. Exploring why traditional unconscious bias training often fails was also insightful, and delegates came away with new approaches to reducing unconscious bias that are successfully being adopted by forward thinking organisations.

2. Attraction, selection and retention strategies

The use of data to create successful attraction and selection strategies that change recruitment outcomes for diverse talent was an important theme. We learnt from new innovations that are being offered by suppliers in this space to support recruiters, whilst also explaining the process to follow for those without the budget to pay for external support.

3. Gaining stakeholder buy in

Another highlight was exploring how to influence stakeholders and gain buy in for your strategy, with real life personal examples shared by the presenters who have tackled these issues.

What delegates said

“Strategic and contemporary content, as well as being very practical in focus. Delivered by practitioners with highly relevant experience. So much to take away and implement.” Deborah McCormack, Pinsent Masons

“I felt the course was brilliant. I was hoping it was going to give both theory and practical to implement change in a way that was accessible regardless of the organisation & it delivered what I needed and more. Feeling pretty fired up and full of new ideas that are tangible.” Laura Wilson, Local Government Association

“Incredibly beneficial, great that it gave hints, tips and contacts who we could work with also.” Kerry Sneddon, Arcadis

Find out more or register for our virtual event on Thursday 12 November 2020 – ISE Workshop: Early Careers Recruitment Strategy for Black Lives Matter

There will also be a specially tailored version for law firms on 17 November 2020