There has been a lot of talking about what would be happening with our new President taking control of the DOL. Let’s look at what we know to be factual.
So far amidst all the speculation about “rolling back” anti-discrimination rules and orders, nothing remotely close to that has happened. To date for the most part the D.O.L. executive orders that have been repealed, or replaced have been about targeting everyday life. Things like product safety standards and how they get reported to the government and how much regulatory and supervisory control the government should be involved in. Also included were regulations that would dictate how for instance a construction company must write new instructions so one heavy equipment operator should not run over another worker with a work vehicle. Yes this is really a suspended regulation.
Factually speaking the current administration was pulling, reversing or suspending more than 860 pending regulations affecting the workplace, workforce, conditions, etc. Of this number, more than 450 will be completely withdrawn and another 390 will be set aside and reevaluated.
I mention these things because none of this will effect what you as a hiring entity should be doing in regards to your recruiting efforts. Nothing that is happening now or on the immediate horizon, even the merger of the EEOC with the OFCCP.
Recruiting basics are the same as they have been, what you do as a recruiter will not change. You still are charged with the same task. Get the best candidate for the position you are filling, using the resources that you have as cost effectively as possible and remaining compliant with the current labor rules and regulations.
What has changed is the way you can become more efficient while doing recruiting. By this I am referring to the myriad of options and resources that you have when it comes to your choices of how to attract the right workplace candidate. Every few years an avenue for better recruiting comes to the forefront of the human capital industry and becomes the way to accomplish some of the recruiting goals. The latest area of focus is “NICHE”, just what niche do your recruiting needs fit into? Are they industry needs? Are they corporate needs? Are they compliance needs?
Well ladies and gentlemen I am here to tell you that there is nothing new about “NICHE” recruiting. A perfect example of this is, EQUALITY through its family of Diversity and Minority recruiting tools such as, Veterans Enterprise, Black Perspective, Hispanic Today and Women in Business & Industry, their corresponding job boards and the specific minority community content driven web sites themselves. Equality has been a pioneer, a specific minority community voice and a platform for targeted “NICHE” recruiting for more than twenty years.
What will not be changing, no matter what the current administration does or does not do is simple and not up for debate or discussion. No changes will be made to anti discriminatory hiring practices. No changes will be made to your obligation having to reach into minority communities for the best applicant. No changes will be made requiring you to publicly profess your company’s commitment to equal opportunity in the workplace to all potential employees from any one possible identified or self identified minority candidate pool. Some of these components used to be referred to as “Good Faith Efforts” or GFE’s. The names may change but the idea and for that matter the end result will remain the same. You must do everything you can to show that you have been honestly searching everywhere for that new hire and that means using the best resources that you have available as well as how to get a very good ROI.
The answer to the question NOW WHAT? Simply stay the course, continue to look at specifically targeted “Niche” options and keep using or moving toward using established minority community recruitment resources. The truth is as far as the actual recruiting and hiring of employees goes it will remain for the most part the same.
Equality and it’s family of minority, and diversity hiring resources, which have been serving as a premier community job and information resource for more than twenty years. Equality Magazines has worked and partnered with Direct Employers, CareerBuilder, Job Target, ZipRecruiter, Hodes, TMP, the OFCCP, as well as number of Fortune 500 companies. We are a unique position to offer both community outreach through our family of specific niche minority and veteran web sites and job boards.
About the Author
Mark Cohen has been working since 1995 to promote diversity and equality in the workplace through minority recruitment and community outreach. In his position as C.O.O. JMR Publishing and VP and Director of New Business Development at Equality Magazines.com, Mark has become a recognized authority on minority recruitment and good faith compliance efforts throughout the electronic recruitment industry.
