Keeping diversity information separate from the information used in recruitment decisions can be extremely costly for some SME recruiters who may not have access to the resources available to larger agencies. The Sammons Group, an independent SME recruiter which has just successfully passed its renewal audit for the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s Diversity Assured Recruitment standard, has solved the problem with a coding system, negating the expense of a separate database.

This simple but cost-effective method means that the key to the numerical code on the central database is known by only three authorised staff members. Associate director Sarah Gordon told Recruiter: “Consultants cannot access the information themselves, but can still request anonymous diversity statistics at any time.

“In this way they are able to monitor their performance with regard to promoting diversity for internal and external purposes without compromising the sensitivity of the candidates’ diversity data.”

Gordon told Recruiter about her company’s diversity monitoring at the REC’s Diversity Forum, where the recently published Equality Bill was discussed, and also highlighted the challenges for women in interim and executive management roles.

Another issue many agencies encounter is reluctance on the part of candidates to complete diversity monitoring forms. Gordon said:

“Many candidates are suspicious that the information they supply may be used to discriminate. So it is vital not only that the form itself clearly explains the company’s commitment to being positive about diversity, but that the individuals giving out the form are trained to explain why the information is being collected.”