What is Diversity Hire?
The term ‘Diversity Hire’ can be interpreted in different ways. However, in general it is used to describe an individual who is perceived to be hired by an organization because of their demographic characteristics only instead of their merit. The demographic characteristics include race, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, etc. This term is often taken negatively as it usually means that an individual is hired to fulfill the organization’s diversity quotas or to represent themselves as inclusive.
Difference between Diversity Hiring and Diversity Hire
Diversity Hiring and Diversity Hire are two related but different concepts of employment and workplace diversity.
Diversity Hiring is the practice used by organizations to seek, recruit, and hire candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and demographics (like race, gender, etc.). On the other hand, Diversity Hire is a term that is used to describe a person who others think has only been hired because of their demographic characteristics and not because of their qualifications and skills.