In this week's Hiring Highlights, we pit recruiters against investors in a battle royale to determine who talks the most sense. Plus we share some essential podcast insights from DEI leader Joahanna G. Thomas.

There is no better person to explore these issues than Joahanna G. Thomas, the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Epidemics Sound, and we were delighted to catch up with Joahanna for latest Scaling Stories podcast.

The good news is that according to LinkedIn’s Future of Recruiting report: “Three out of four [recruiters] say that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring is not being deprioritized – in fact, nearly 20% say it’s a higher priority now.”

But that doesn’t always ring true, and for any businesses that don’t instinctively value diversity, Joahanna explains how DEI principles are not simply just – but common sense.

“If they can only understand numbers and profitability, diversity is great for the bottom line. Inclusion is great for the bottom line.” 

Joahanna urges businesses to “find that untapped market of your industry that you’re losing on if you don't make diversity as part of your business strategy”.

Indeed, it’s notable that the LinkedIn report predicted that “Gen Z will reward employers who value development and diversity”.

And at a time of cost-cutting, Joahanna makes a persuasive case for how inclusion is not some added extra, but “tangible”, citing factors like “brand awareness, attrition and recruitment savings, [and] legal fee savings. We’ve heard of companies paying millions of dollars because of harassment and pay inequality”.

It was great to catch up with Joahanna, and you can watch more video interviews with hiring legends over at our Scaling Stories page.