DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
REPRESENTATION MATTERS Representation in the workplace is a visible metric that fitness businesses will have to review regularly to avoid their members bringing attention to this unmet key performance indicator. This metric is likely the most noticeable to every visitor that walks into your facility, so it is not a metric that should be deferred, rather it should be a priority for your company to be recognized as a promoter of diversity. Creating measurable goals to build and maintain a diverse employee base will have many benefits for your business, and it also sends a clear message to your members that representation matters. Diversity Has Its Benefits Building a diverse team can help your fitness business in many ways, such as employee engagement. Companies that invest in developing a diverse and inclusive team generally receive a higher employee satisfaction rating and an overall higher net promoter score as a desired employer to their family and friends. A diverse workforce is known to be more innovative and better able to solve problems. The company is also perceived by its customers and partners to deliver better customer service and to have stronger brand credibility. Visible diversity becomes a people magnet for potential employees and new customers.
18 canfitpro May/June 2021
Companies that lack diversity in their employee base are likely to encounter difficulties in representation growth and can also negatively impact their competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace. Consequently, voices at the table are often directly or indirectly silenced and a single narrative emerges that diversity is more about image and not about influence. Diversity In Your Strategy Before revamping your existing hiring strategy, the first step should be to conduct an audit of what you have in place now. A standard SWOT Analysis, with a diversityfirst approach, can help you identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your current hiring processes. It is important to keep what you are doing well and quickly stop what you are not doing well, and take the necessary steps to improve it. Trying to fix everything at once can delay the changes that can be made now. It is best to select one or two areas to focus on that can provide measurable and tangible success. If you have diversity on your team, start highlighting that and promote your space as a welcoming environment for racialized communities. When diverse groups see employees that look like them in your
space, it becomes an attractive career destination and can increase your diverse candidate pool. You can also ask your racialized employees to share new job postings with people in their communities. It is okay to be intentional and to share who you want to attract. Another strategic implementation can be to create a diverse hiring committee to make the hiring process a collaborative effort. This approach invites more diverse perspectives and differences of opinions. Building a diverse hiring committee should include individuals with both demographic (e.g., age, race, religion, abilities, and gender) as well as functional (e.g., all levels of employees in the organization) differences. Having diversity in your recruitment team will also make diverse candidates feel more comfortable applying for jobs and during interviews. Diversity In Hiring Diversifying representation in your fitness business begins with formal hiring policies and procedures, best practices, and proven systems to support the organizational objectives. Best practices should include how to attract the candidates you want to hire, including attracting the most qualified for the job. Implementing a diversityfirst hiring strategy can support hiring
