Equity vs. Equality: A Slight, But Crucial Difference in the Workforce
Picture a six-foot-tall fence. Got it? Great. Now picture three differently sized people trying to look over this fence. One is three feet tall, one four feet, and the last five. They’re each handed a block that’s the same size to peer over the fence. See the problem? Only the five-foot person will be able to use the block, their provided resources, to get a look over the fence, while the other two will be left short. While the intention was there to give them help, this approach ended up actually serving just one of them. This is the difference between equality and equity.
All things aren’t equal, so this one-size-fits-all approach will always come up short for upskilling people. It’s important to make sure that training (our fence block) is available to everyone, but that’s not enough these days. We have to go the extra mile to bring equity into the equation. For those that require extra support, CareerCircle is poised to provide exactly that. While one person may hit the ground running without added guidance, the next may be in need of everything from extra study guides to support and technical resources. Even more important to keep in mind is that this by no means signifies that a person lacks ability, but simply that they may need more support. Our process was designed to support people in ways that actually benefit them.
The final piece of the equity puzzle comes through advocacy. After enabling a candidate through greater resources and training that suits their individual needs, it’s important to put that same level of effort into representing them as an individual with unique skills. Upskilling can only go so far, and it’s really brought to life when a candidate is presented as a whole individual, with unique passions, experiences, and skills that can be applied to their career. Our mission is to treat and represent our candidates as more than their resume when we go to work on finding them the career of their dreams.
Our talent pipeline is filled with qualified candidates from all backgrounds. Focusing on the difference between equality and equity allows us to fight for underrepresented talent with purpose, and help create a workforce built for the future that lies ahead.