August 13, 2026

Beyond Tick Box Hiring: What Is EDI and Why It Matters in Recruitment

Written by Charlotte Whitehouse

If you’ve ever wondered what is EDI? Then you’re not alone. As businesses place greater emphasis on creating equitable workplaces, the conversation has shifted from simply increasing representation to building recruitment processes that are genuinely inclusive.

Unfortunately, many organisations still approach EDI recruitment as a box-ticking exercise, focusing on meeting targets rather than creating lasting change. While metrics have their place, true progress comes from embedding equity, diversity and inclusion into every stage of the hiring journey.

So, what is EDI in business? More importantly, what does it mean for recruitment?

What is EDI?

EDI stands for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

When people ask what EDI in business is, the answer goes beyond company values or policies. EDI should influence decision-making across every part of an organisation, including recruitment, onboarding, career development and leadership.

For employers, this means developing an EDI recruitment strategy that prioritises fairness, removes barriers and gives every candidate an equal opportunity to succeed.

Beyond Tick Box Hiring

Hiring diverse talent is only the beginning. Without inclusive processes and workplace cultures, organisations risk attracting candidates they struggle to retain.

Diversity hiring shouldn’t be about filling quotas or meeting external expectations. Instead, it should focus on widening talent pools, reducing unconscious bias and ensuring recruitment decisions are based on skills, potential and experience.

Moving beyond tick box hiring means asking important questions:

These are the foundations of effective inclusive hiring.

What Is Inclusive Recruitment?

Many employers ask what is inclusive recruitment?

Inclusive recruitment is the process of designing every stage of hiring to remove unnecessary barriers, reduce bias and ensure candidates from all backgrounds can compete fairly.

Rather than expecting candidates to fit a traditional mould, inclusive recruitment focuses on creating opportunities for everyone to demonstrate their abilities.

An effective fair recruitment process benefits both employers and candidates by:

Building an EDI Recruitment Strategy

A successful EDI recruitment strategy requires more than updating a diversity statement on your careers page.

Instead, organisations should review every touchpoint within the candidate journey.

Some of the most effective inclusive recruitment strategies include:

Write inclusive job descriptions

Avoid gendered language, unnecessary qualification requirements and jargon that may discourage qualified candidates from applying.

Widen your sourcing channels

Partner with community organisations, universities and professional networks that represent underrepresented groups to strengthen your diversity recruitment strategy.

Introduce structured interviews

An inclusive interview process asks every candidate consistent questions against clearly defined scoring criteria, helping reduce unconscious bias and improve decision-making.

Train hiring managers

Education around unconscious bias, accessibility and inclusive communication helps create more consistent hiring decisions.

Measure outcomes

Review recruitment data regularly to understand where candidates may be dropping out of the process and identify opportunities for improvement.

Inclusive Hiring Best Practices

Organisations committed to inclusive hiring often share several common approaches.

Some of the most effective inclusive hiring best practices include:

Together, these actions help create fair hiring practices that benefit every applicant.

How to Improve Diversity in Recruitment

If you’re wondering how to improve diversity in recruitment, the answer lies in looking beyond headline diversity metrics and taking a more strategic view of your recruitment process.

Rather than focusing solely on the number of applications from underrepresented groups, organisations should analyse the entire candidate journey to identify where barriers may exist. Consider asking:

These insights can help pinpoint whether challenges lie in attraction, assessment, decision-making or retention, allowing you to make targeted improvements rather than relying on assumptions.

The most effective diversity recruitment best practices combine data-led decision-making with inclusive hiring processes, ensuring every stage of recruitment is fair, accessible and designed to attract and retain diverse talent.

When organisations pair this with an inclusive workplace culture where people feel valued and able to thrive, diversity becomes a sustainable business outcome rather than a recruitment target.

Hiring for Diversity and Inclusion Is an Ongoing Journey

Effective EDI hiring isn’t something organisations complete once before moving on. It requires continuous learning, regular review and a genuine commitment to improvement.

Organisations that focus on hiring for diversity and inclusion don’t just create fairer workplaces, they gain access to wider talent pools, stronger innovation, improved employee engagement and better business outcomes.

Moving beyond tick box hiring means recognising that inclusion isn’t a target to reach; it’s a way of working. By embedding inclusive recruitment, implementing thoughtful EDI recruitment practices and continually refining your approach, businesses can build teams where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.

Read our 2025 EDI Report here

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