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Case study - Diversity Statement

by DCA
DCA is the independent not-for-profit peak body leading diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We provide unique research, inspiring events and programs, curated resources and expert advice across all diversity dimensions to a community of over 950 member organisations.

As an organisation deeply committed to diversity and inclusion, we wanted to attract diverse applicants to DCA who share our values. To do this, DCA includes a statement in all our external job advertisements that specifically encourages people with lived experience of diversity to apply for roles within our organisation and emphasises our organisational commitment to inclusion and flexibility:

DCA is an inclusive employer. We encourage flexible working and aim to create a work environment where all employees are respected, connected, and can contribute, regardless of age, culture, disability, family and caring responsibilities, gender identity, Indigeneity, religion, or sexuality. We strongly encourage applications from people with lived experience of diversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

Research shows that having a diversity statement in recruitment advertisements can increase diversity of applicants, as well as applications from people who care about diversity, and can even discourage gender-biased job seekers from applying.

However, just having broad statement about valuing diversity isn’t enough. The statement should focus on career opportunities, and any claims about organisational commitment to diversity and inclusion need to be verifiable.

Research has also found that organisations need to be confident that their hiring managers genuinely value cultural diversity in the hiring process as there are some circumstances where diversity statements work against diverse candidates since they don’t “whiten” their resumes and are less likely to be selected for interview.

We think this statement has helped contribute to DCA’s team being more diverse than the broader Australian workforce across a range of diversity dimensions. At our last diversity survey, our team included 7% of staff who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (compared to 1.7% national average), 57% of staff identifying as being in part or whole as from a Non-Main English Speaking Background (39% broader Australian workforce), 41% born overseas (32% broader Australian workforce), and 30% as being a person with a disability (compared to 9%). 

For more information about promoting diversity through recruitment, see:

Recruitment brand equity for unknown employers: Examining the effects of recruitment message claim verifiability and credibility on job pursuit intentions - Collins - - Human Resource Management - Wiley Online Library

Examining the Draw of Diversity: How Diversity Climate Perceptions Affect Job‐Pursuit Intentions - Avery - 2013 - Human Resource Management - Wiley Online Library

Whitened Résumés: Race and Self-Presentation in the Labor Market - Sonia K. Kang, Katherine A. DeCelles, András Tilcsik, Sora Jun, 2016 (sagepub.com)

More Than Public Service: A Field Experiment on Job Advertisements and Diversity in the Police | Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

Discouraging gender-biased job seekers by adapting job advertisements | Emerald Insight

 

More information is available at https://www.dca.org.au/.