Some of my favourite conversations in the last six months have been around inclusive hiring. Many people are doing brilliant work to support people from marginalised groups into the workforce, and I've learnt a lot from talking to employers like Timpson and organisations like The Bridge of Hope.

In this episode, we're going to explore what happens when an employer removes all screening, all background checks and all education and experience requirements from their hiring to be more inclusive. What are the advantages, the challenges, and the results?

My guest this week is Nykeba King, Global Head of Inclusion at The Body Shop. A few years ago, The Body Shop created an Open Hiring program to ensure they were being as inclusive as possible. It's a strategy that has produced some amazing results, and it is now giving them a unique competitive advantage in today's challenging talent markets.

In the interview, we discuss:

Recruiting challenges at The Body Shop

What is Open Hiring, and how does it work?

No background checks, no screening, no education requirements

How Open Hiring is helping The Body Shop in the current talent markets

Making recruiting more purposeful with "Targeted Recruitment."

Replacing scrutiny with trust

Removing barriers and removing bias

Implementation challenges

The danger of second-guessing someone's ability to do a job

Wrap-around support to build an inclusive workplace

Time to hire, performance and retention

What's next for Open Hiring


Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.