Cecilia Akuffo is Tom Fox’s guest on this week’s episode of the Innovation in Compliance Podcast. Cecilia is a Talent Acquisition Partner who has extensive experience in management, interviewing, recruiting, and social media. Cecilia works in the higher education industry as a Tech Recruiter. She joins Tom to talk about her career, workplace dignity, and what she is looking forward to in the future.

Setting The Tone in Talent Acquisition

Talent acquisition communications training is crucial in the compliance context because that's where it all starts, Cecilia points out. The first time you look at someone's resume, or the first time you have an interaction with them in the talent acquisition process, you can start to convey your company's values, culture, and expectations. Doing recruiting right sets the tone at the beginning for how you expect individuals to comply within your organization. 

The Evolution of Talent Acquisition

The main evolution in the world of talent acquisition is that it is its own entity within organizations. In the past, recruitment was not seen as much of a big priority, and companies did not actively invest in that part of their organization. Now, talent acquisition has multiple departments, and companies have recognized the need to focus on getting talent for their organizations.

Workplace Dignity 

Tom asks Cecilia to talk about her podcast, and why workplace fairness and dignity is important. Cecilia explains that she wanted to highlight companies that normalized their employees coming to work in exchange for a paycheck, but not accepting abuse as part of the package. The companies that perform the best are the ones where the employees feel that the executives reflect the values that they expect of their workers. When fairness is emphasized, a healthy work environment is established.

Diversity and Inclusion

Along with an emphasis on dignity and fairness, companies need to have diversity and inclusion. Diversity is being invited, and inclusion is valuing whatever contribution you have to offer. "Inclusion is not just having people at a certain level speak… It's also inviting other voices, including those that may not have the same kind of power," Cecilia says. Give everyone an opportunity to have their voice and contribution be seen and heard.

What's Next

Tom asks Cecilia what is her vision for the podcast network and for talent acquisition. "The most important thing driving me is related to workplace fairness and dignity," she begins. There are many podcasts that focus on diversity and inclusion but not enough that focus on what is truly happening in the working world. Cecilia wants to focus on workplace dignity to bring more attention to the issue.  

Resources

Cecilia Akuffo | LinkedIn | Twitter

Workplace Fairness and Dignity