Actionable Tips for Building a Diverse Workforce

It's a question the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board wrestles with regularly, and it's why the Board launched its year-long Pathways Pledge campaign — to help employers move from awareness to concrete, culture-changing steps. Here's where to start.

1. Start With an Honest Baseline

Before you can build a more diverse workforce, you need to understand what your current one looks like. Take a thorough inventory of your job titles, the demographics of your staff and recent hires, and salary levels across roles. This data gives you a starting point — and reveals gaps you may not have noticed.

2. Broaden Your Definition of Diversity

Race and gender are the most visible diversity categories, but they're far from the only ones that matter. Expand your thinking to include education, income and class, language, military experience, disability status, religious beliefs, age, parental status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and geographic background. Map your current team against this fuller picture. Understanding the real scope of diversity is the foundation of a meaningful recruiting strategy.

3. Build a Diverse Candidate Pipeline — With Input From Your Whole Team

Develop an action plan for attracting candidates from underrepresented groups, and make sure you're gathering input from across the organization — not just leadership. The people who will be working alongside new hires often have the most practical ideas and the most relevant concerns. Including them builds both better strategy and stronger buy-in.

4. Audit Your Job Postings for Inclusive Language

Review every job description with fresh eyes. Is the language neutral and welcoming, or does it unintentionally signal that certain candidates won't fit in? Where possible, shift the focus from educational credentials to specific skills and tasks. Update outdated terminology, include transferable soft skills like teamwork and deadline management, and make expectations clear and measurable. Candidates from all backgrounds should feel they'll be evaluated on merit — not connections.

5. Design Benefits That Reflect Real Lives

Different people value different things. Paid family leave, transportation stipends, wellness programs, training opportunities, and alternative holidays for different religious observances can all make your organization more attractive to a wider pool of candidates. Put yourself in a candidate's shoes and ask what would make this job worth taking. Then make sure those benefits are prominently listed in your postings and on your website.

6. Recruit Beyond the Usual Channels

If you keep posting in the same places, you'll keep reaching the same people. Explore niche online platforms that serve specific communities, hold job fairs in a variety of neighborhoods, advertise in local community papers, and make it known publicly that your organization is actively diversifying. Word of mouth remains one of the most powerful recruiting tools available — use it intentionally.

7. Reduce Bias in the Screening Process

Consider removing names and addresses from incoming resumes during the initial review to reduce unconscious bias. Develop structured interview questions that allow for true apples-to-apples comparisons based on skills and experience — rather than comfort level or familiarity.

8. Invest in the Diverse Team You Already Have

Diversity isn't just about who you hire — it's about who gets developed, promoted, and supported once they're in the door. Be deliberate about internal mobility. Create mentoring programs that connect employees at all levels with managers and decision-makers. Investing in your existing team signals that opportunity is real and available to everyone.

A diverse team brings a wider range of perspectives, stronger problem-solving, and greater creativity. It also strengthens your reputation — today's workforce and consumers have high expectations and a global outlook. The best time to start is now. Lead on.