Diversity is everywhere, inclusion isn’t: An explorative study into the ethical and diversity outcomes of social media recruitment in New Zealand

Abstract

New Zealand is known to be a socially diverse and inclusive nation. It was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893, and has had 30 years of sex discrimination legislation. There are 213 different ethnicities living in New Zealand, and the country ranks second in the global index of employee diversity. New Zealand’s life expectancy is one of the highest among the OECD countries, and its migration balance is one of the most volatile.

There is no doubt that the future demographic of New Zealand is changing; so what does this mean for the New Zealand workplace? According to ‘Rainbow Tick’; while diversity is everywhere, inclusion isn’t; and it will soon become a matter of competitive sustainability for organisations to effectively manage ‘inclusively’ within this diverse environment.

While there is a growing trend to utilise social media and e-recruitment to attract new talent, and to address person-organisation fit; this study seeks to explore whether these tools actually enable ‘inclusive recruitment’, or in fact increase the likelihood of unethical practises and homogeneous organisations.

This review acknowledges the need for New Zealand organisations to stay commercially viable, and to increase awareness of the global marketplace in which they operate. It also provides recommendations for employers to take a critical look at their recruitment processes as they evolve from a purely Human Resources function to wider organisational responsibility, which integrates with Strategic Objectives, Communications and Brand Management strategies.