Staying focused on what matters most: Great hiring

3 mins, 17 secs read time

It’s not an understatement to say that we’re living in challenging and fast-changing times. The recent Executive Orders (EOs) in the US regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) have created intense debate and uncertainty around what the appropriate course of action for companies should be. And it’s clear from conversations with our customers that questions about remaining compliant while practicing great hiring are mounting.

A question that comes up often in those discussions is whether Greenhouse will continue to be committed to DE&I. The short and clear answer is yes. Simply put, we see no conflict between making good, merit-based hiring decisions and structured and inclusive hiring – as Greenhouse has always believed, these are one and the same. Our products are designed to support fair, unbiased hiring and they do not, and will not, enable any illegal discriminatory practices for or against any group or individual.

In this post, I’d like to clarify 1) how our products continue to enable our customers to make great hires and 2) how our internal commitment and values build a great company.

Our products help companies hire more effectively

Navigating legal and compliance questions

We’ve received questions from our customers about the legal and compliance implications of the EOs, particularly if any of our product features conflict with these new regulations. The answer is no, they don’t. Our products are designed to ensure objective and legally sound hiring decisions, helping companies comply with the law by promoting fair, merit-based hiring decisions.

Who is Greenhouse for?

We also get asked if Greenhouse is only for companies deeply invested in DE&I or if it’s a tool for any organization focused on great hiring. The answer is simple: Greenhouse is for any employer who wants to hire the best people using fair, data-driven and merit-based practices.

Our tools help companies remove bias and make structured, objective hiring choices. All of our features – whether labeled as supporting DE&I or not – help organizations remove error (or bias) from the hiring process – a necessity for hiring top talent.

What Greenhouse does not do is either leave hiring to chance or enable favoritism – whether that means giving preference to certain social groups, ethnic backgrounds or any other factors irrelevant to job performance.

At their core, our products are built to help companies use structured hiring to hire the best people consistently, fairly and effectively – no matter how they frame their hiring priorities.

We run our business with talented people from diverse backgrounds

During a recent company-wide AMA (Ask Me Anything), I was asked whether Greenhouse would stay committed to our DE&I initiatives. My answer was simple: yes, we absolutely remain committed to IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Allyship – a framework that guides our practices internally.) This means we’ll continue to invest in our IDEA team, support our Arbors (our employee resource groups) and uphold fairness in how we hire, manage and promote our people.

For us, nothing has changed. Our approach to diversity is not a reaction to trends but a core value and proven best practice that has always driven our success. We’ve attracted the best talent, and seen the power of unique perspectives fostering innovation.

And because we fundamentally value an inclusive culture free of discrimination, people feel like they truly belong and are able to do their best work. While the landscape may shift – and others around us may follow fads – our commitment to fairness and strong hiring practices never will.

We’ve always aimed to hire the best, most qualified person for every role here at Greenhouse – and that’s what we’ll continue to do.

Looking forward

Given the changing political and social dialogue around this topic, many companies are facing uncertainty. Greenhouse will remain steadfast in our commitment to helping companies hire with clarity and confidence. Hiring the best isn’t a trend – it’s our standard.