Research studies will increase diversity in recruitment

Vattenfall has set high and clearly-defined goals in terms of strengthening diversity in the company. In this context, the outcome of the recruitment processes being carried out plays a major role. For this reason, in January this year a project was launched in collaboration with diversity and inclusion consultants from the social enterprise Mitt Liv (“My Life”) and researchers from the Stockholm School of Economics and Law. The team will review a number of recruitment processes, from the design of employment criteria to selection methods and the way job interviews are carried out. In addition, the project will outline frameworks for inclusive recruitment tailored to the organisation’s needs, and identify and design tools and methods to be used by recruiters and recruiting managers to support an inclusive recruitment process.

A stated goal of widening recruitment

Vattenfall’s aim is to develop recruitment in order to be in even greater accordance with the company’s diversity goals. The Axel Johnson Group, with the Swedish food producing group Axfood, is also included in the study.

"As part of our work on diversity and inclusion at Vattenfall, we have a stated goal of reviewing and developing our recruitment processes in terms of diversity from all relevant aspects. This includes gender, ethnicity, disability, age and so on. This collaborative project is one step of the work with the aim of using research to help develop our recruitment methods," says Linn Rejström, Head of Recruitment at Vattenfall.

Ten to twenty recruitment processes will be followed until the summer. Researchers will shadow the processes to find patterns and understand the mechanisms and assumptions that influence selection when hiring an employee. At the same time, the consultants from Mitt Liv will review the written documentation and the instructions that form the basis of Vattenfall’s recruitment process.

Laurence Romani from the Center for Responsible Leadership at the Stockholm School of Economics and Law is leading the research project.

"The purpose of the research is primarily to acquire knowledge about how recruitment processes work, how the applicants’ experience profiles are valued in relation to the organisation’s needs, focus and current staff composition, and to try to understand the things that affect the selection process. By being a fly on the wall during the process, we want to study how people in organisations think and prioritise, and what thoughts they struggle with when a new employee is being recruited," she says.

Several ways to strengthen diversity

In parallel, experts from the organisation Mitt Liv will review written instructions and guidelines from an inclusion perspective. Researchers will follow recruitments in all of Vattenfall’s markets, focusing on positions that require some kind of academic education. The evaluation will result in a skill-based and inclusive recruitment process with a foundation for research, which can be shared with the whole Vattenfall Group.

"This is just one of the many ways we're working to raise awareness of bias and strengthen diversity and inclusion within the company. Vattenfall has had a D&I Officer for several years, a responsibility that rotates between the members in Executive Group Management. We'll continue to focus on our D&I activities, as we're convinced of the importance of having as broad a recruitment base as possible. Diversity within the company helps us to better understand the markets we work with, which strengthens our business," says Linn Rejström.