69% of millennials prefer to buy from brands that demonstrate diversity in terms of their promotions and offers.
This desire for inclusivity is equally prevalent in the hiring industry.
Nowadays, jobseekers are looking to enter workplaces where they can feel supported, uplifted and safe.
There are several different ways to attract ideal candidates to job roles, from improving the quality of your job adverts to advertising in the right places.
But one of the best ways of all to attract top talent? 🤔⁉️
An honest demonstration of your companywide commitment to inclusivity, delivered via a concise, readable and memorable diversity statement.
To receive the highest possible quality of job applications, diversity statements are a must.
Contents
- What is a Diversity Statement?
- The Best Diversity Statement Examples
- Improve the Recruitment Process with a Strong Diversity Statement
What is a Diversity Statement?
A diversity statement is an expression of a company’s commitment to creating an equal and inclusive working environment for people of all backgrounds.
These statements can vary a great deal in shape and size and usually come as part of a larger package of concrete plans and statistics.
Making an impression with your diversity statement matters.
How Long Should a Diversity Statement Be?
A diversity statement should ideally sit between 20-75 words.
It needs to be something that you can slot into your job adverts while directing candidates towards a more detailed statement on your website. ↪️
Long enough to get the point across and make an impression, but not so long that the message is lost (or the reader grows distracted).
Beyond the total length of the statement, you should be paying attention to individual sentence length.
If you’re looking to connect with a wide range of candidates, don’t use overly wordy sentences or confusingly construct them.
Try to keep each sentence in your diversity statement to no more than ten words (or at least each clause!)
What Do Good Diversity Statements Include?
When writing your statement, diversity and inclusion practices and commitments should, of course, be the main focus.
But beyond this clear need to express and demonstrate your respect and care for all human beings, what is a good diversity statement?
What does a good diversity statement for a job advert contain, and what shouldn’t make the cut?
Over at AdBuilder, we’ve done our research.
Here’s what we found:
Most importantly, a good diversity statement should be honest, authentic and aligned with the actions and values of your company.
It should be more than a webpage.
It needs to be something that you’re always actively working towards and keeping in mind.
The Best Diversity Statement Examples
I reckon it’s about time we jumped into the examples.
Don’t you?
One of the best possible ways to figure out what needs to go into your diversity statement is by using the high-performing statements of other brands as a crib sheet. 📑
Diversity Statement Sample 1: Google 🕵🏻♂️
The Headline
Build For Everyone
The Sub-Headline
Google is committed to continuing to make diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do – from how we build our products to how we build our workforce.
The Statement
Google is growing to fulfil that vision. In the past few years, we’ve doubled in size. Today, we have more than 100,000 employees in 170 cities spanning nearly 60 countries. Operating at this scale brings an elevated level of responsibility to everything we do, including a workforce that’s more representative of our users and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- Concrete actions and approaches listed – The initial statement goes on to be backed up by cold, hard facts and commitments, including a list of diversity promoting programmes such as CS First, Code Next, Tech Exchange and a range of residencies.
- Short, focused URL – The URL of this webpage puts diversity front and centre. It comes before Google, and it doesn’t overcomplicate. It seems to emphasise how deeply and directly committed the brand is to diverse hiring and employment practices.
- Snappy, intriguing headline – Though some diversity statements go with a more practical, keyword-focused heading, this Google heading is certain to draw candidates in and make them question exactly what it means.
Diversity Statement Sample 2: Boots 🥾
The Headline
Diversity
The Sub-Headline
Boots colleagues – inclusion and diversity
The Statement
Our teams, whether in stores or our support office, are amazing – they inspire great ideas, drive new plans forwards and help make Boots a fantastic place to work.
Ensuring that we are always recruiting, retaining and promoting a diverse mix of colleagues who are representative of the diversity in our local communities gives us a great opportunity to have access to a broad range of ideas and allows us to give you the wide mix of products you know and expect from Boots.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- Puts the focus on real, hard-working people – This Boots diversity statement puts the employees first and gives them the praise they deserve, signalling to candidates that they’ll be supported and appreciated within the company.
- The personal language used – You’ll find a lot of ‘our’ and ‘we’ in the statement, helping to generate a sense of honesty and closeness between reader and writer. As a company, Boots becomes more tangible and less faceless using this type of language.
Diversity Statement Sample 3: British Red Cross ⛑
The Headline
Equality and diversity policy
The Sub-Headline
The British Red Cross is committed to inclusion and diversity in everything we do.
The Statement
At the British Red Cross, we take inclusion and diversity seriously. We know that getting this right is critical for us to live our organisation’s values: dynamic, courageous, compassionate and inclusive.
We are always trying to improve our way of working to be more inclusive and equal. Springing from our fundamental principles, this means that our organisation and the support we give to people in crisis should be impartial, neutral and universal.
We are an anti-racist organisation. Our vision is for the British Red Cross to be a place where people of all ethnicities feel welcomed to work, volunteer or seek help.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- Well-structured and well emphasised – In terms of readability for a wide audience, the British Red Cross’s statement is perfect. Sentences are short and simple, and paragraphs aren’t too bulky. Important words are sparingly emphasised in bold, offering even more clarity.
- Ties in with company values early on – An emphasis that diversity is more than a box to tick – that it’s a core company value and ethos – can have a strong positive impact on qualified potential applicants, showing them that this company feels truly suited to their morals and beliefs.
- Specific terms used – Though most statements will use the words ‘inclusion’ and ‘diversity’ at one point or another, a good diversity statement should do more. This statement includes explicit reference to the fact that the British Red Cross is an ‘anti-racist organisation’. That’s a concrete promise of safety for POC.
Diversity Statement Sample 4: Netflix 📺
The Headline
Inclusion and Diversity
The Sub-Headline
INCLUSION ON-SCREEN STARTS WITH INCLUSION IN THE OFFICE
The Statement
Netflix’s greatest impact is in storytelling. Stories like 13th, Disclosure, Selena, Da 5 Bloods, Special and The Half of It broaden representation, empathy and understanding. We create and connect these stories to people all around the globe – removing the barriers of language, device, ability or connectivity. Better representation on-screen starts with representation in the office. Our work has to be internal first, so it can impact what we do externally. We believe we’ll do that better if our employees come from different backgrounds and if we create an environment of inclusion and belonging for them.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- Speaks to existing points of reference – This statement tells you not just what Netflix plans to do, but how they’ve already showcased diverse and minority voices in the past. A good track record isn’t boastful to mention, and it might allow applicants to get a better sense of what you’re about.
- Acknowledges the value of diversity – Very clearly, Netflix recognises that better representation can produce incredible storytelling that connects with new audiences across the globe. This praise for diversity and the power it can bring to the workplace is sure to be appreciated by jobseekers.
Diversity Statement Sample 5: Tesco 🛒
The Headline
Diversity
The Sub-Headline
At Tesco, everyone is welcome and has the opportunity to get on. Fostering a diverse and inclusive culture is at the core of how we do business. It is embedded in our values: We treat people how they want to be treated.
The Statement
As part of our values, we are committed to supporting inclusion and diversity at Tesco. We actively celebrate colleagues’ different abilities, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith, and gender. Everyone is welcome and supported in their development at all stages in their journey with us.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- Specific and concrete about the different types of inclusivity – Like Boots, Tesco isn’t afraid to name the ins and outs of ‘diversity’, expressing support for people of different abilities, orientations, faiths, ethnicities and genders. The words aren’t empty – they’re very specific.
- Concise – Tesco’s initial statement comes in at under 50 words, putting it directly in the sweet spot for maximum information conveyed versus maximum attention retained. Candidates will get a strong sense of Tesco’s commitment to inclusivity in a short space of reading time.
Diversity Statement Sample 6: Indeed 🔍
The Headline
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
The Sub-Headline
Our commitment to transparency and accountability
The Statement
Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs. To achieve this, we put jobseekers and companies who use Indeed at the heart of everything we do. In 2019, we declared the kind of culture we want to have and the values that are important to us. These values are: put jobseekers first, pay for performance, innovation, data-driven, and inclusion & belonging, which translates to creating an environment where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and make it easy for others to do the same.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- The unique detail about Indeed company culture – This statement tells us about Indeed’s culture, in which questions are asked and employee values are respected and upheld. While expressing various commitments to ‘transparency and accountability’, Indeed tells potential future employees what they can expect from the open, connected workplace.
- Positive, emotive words – Words like ‘belonging’, ‘innovation’ and ‘authentic’ leave readers of this statement feeling positive, uplifted and interested, hopeful of a more equal future and of Indeed’s ability to play a role in that.
- Ties into company mission – Again, the way that this statement ties into Indeed’s company mission expresses that to this company, diversity is the opposite of an afterthought. It’s a core pillar – a foundation upon which Indeed is growing.
Diversity Statement Sample 7: Mars 🪐
The Headline
At Mars, the world we want tomorrow is inclusive and diverse.
The Sub-Headline
At Mars
The Statement
Our 130,000+ Associates are valued, respected and encouraged to be their unique selves. No matter the visible or invisible differences, we have long been committed to fostering an environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their full potential, be heard and valued.
While inclusion & diversity (I&D) has long been a business priority, we know we have significant work to do, and we are accelerating our commitment to inclusion and diversity in our workplaces and communities.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- Recognising a wide spectrum of diversity and difference – When Mars acknowledges both visible and invisible differences, the company reminds candidates that we are all different and the same in a million ways. Mars’ diversity statement tells candidates that they will be heard and valued regardless of their differences.
- Acknowledges that there’s more work to be done – The company doesn’t pretend to have a perfect track record. It doesn’t seek to tell jobseekers that the work is over. Instead, a continued and accelerating commitment to workplace inclusion and diversity is made.
Diversity Statement Sample 8: Apple 📲
The Headline
Inclusion and Diversity
The Sub-Headline
We’re All In.
The Statement
Across Apple, we’ve strengthened our long-standing commitment to making our company more inclusive and the world more just. Where every great idea can be heard. And everybody belongs.
What Makes This Statement One of the Best?
- Conversational language and short sentences – Though the initial statement is very short and sweet, there’s plenty more to discover on the full webpage. Still, throughout, conversational language, short sentences and an accessible format make a wealth of helpful and detailed information easy to digest.
- Images, infographics, stats and graphs – Further aiding digestion of important diversity and inclusion policy information is the range of mixed media that Apple implements and presents in a visually appealing manner. From graphs and infographics to stats and photographs, depth is added to the experience of reading the diversity statement, keeping researching candidates engaged.
Improve the Recruitment Process with a Strong Diversity Statement
Hopefully, these eight shining examples have inspired you to accomplish great things with your diversity statement.
If you’re still in need of support creating inspiring, attention-catching job adverts that are inclusive and welcoming to people from all walks of life, we’ve got two options ready and waiting for you. 👀
- AdBuilder will help you to streamline and simplify your job ad writing process.
- AdGrader will give you a sense of how inclusive your ads are and how to improve them.
Stick around, and you’ll find many more ways to improve and elevate the hiring process, including:
- The 8 Best Diversity Job Boards in the UK to Help Step Up Your Hiring Process
- Gender Bias in Job Adverts: Are You Making Any of These 4 Mistakes?
James is the founder and owner of AdGrader and a recruitment expert from Sutton Coldfield in the UK. He regularly advises companies on how to improve and get the maximum ROI from their recruitment processes and diverse & inclusive advertising.
Read more from James