What is Opportunity Employment?
Opportunity Employment is a strategic approach to talent investment based on a set of principles and associated talent practices that prioritize equity, inclusion, opportunity, and mobility for entry-level and often overlooked frontline employees while generating business value.
The 6 Principles of Opportunity Employment
Opportunity Employers benefit from increased diversity, improved retention and employee engagement, and boosted brand perception. Businesses can begin to access these benefits by building a talent strategy based on the following principles and their associated talent practices.
Strategy & Setup
A commitment to inclusion and belonging is foundational to being an Opportunity Employer. Without a strong culture, effective practices may fall short. Ensuring your employees have channels to voice opinion and offer feedback, are empowered to speak out against bias and racism in the workplace, and feel connected to the company’s purpose are but a few ways this culture can be developed.
In business, what matters gets measured. In order to be an effective and responsible Opportunity Employer, it is important to dig into your talent data. Your employees may not all have the same experience at your company. By disaggregating your data by race, ethnicity, and gender, establishing metrics of success for your equity and inclusion strategies, and holding people accountable for those metrics you can better ensure success.
Recruiting & Hiring
Opportunity Employers go beyond traditional recruiting methods to actively seek out talent that face barriers to employment and economic opportunities due to systemic factors. Understanding how your company can effectively connect with Opportunity Talent will help you develop a strong talent pipeline.
Many common hiring practices can act as barriers for Opportunity Talent and limit your candidate pool. Taking steps to remove bias and focus on skills over credentials in your job postings, applications, and interview processes can help prevent missing out on Opportunity Talent who may be right for the job.
Retention & Advancement
Ensuring all employees have access to a living wage and benefits – from healthcare coverage to transportation assistance – is critical to becoming a strong Opportunity Employer. It is also a powerful way to improve retention and employee satisfaction, especially among frontline employees.
The support employees receive can make or break their work experience. Building systems for effective onboarding and development can help employees reach their full potential and create pipelines for other roles at your company.
