Fresh Priorities Companies renew emphasis on building a diverse staff and ensuring pay equity The strength and quality of a business' workforce is the biggest factor in its success. Yet many companies don't achieve their maximum potential because the staff-especially management teams-lack the diversity to help them connect with more customers. Bias during the hiring process is the biggest obstacle to hiring a diverse staff. Here are actions that executives can take: * The first step toward eliminating bias in your company is conducting an assessment. This might require hiring a consultant specializing in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to explore bias in your business. * Post-assessment recommendations could include measures such as adding blind resumes, eliminating university degrees from job requirements and having multiple and diverse interviewers. * It is important to your company's bottom line that women and people of color are hired for " pursestring " executive positions and not just DEI, human resources and marketing roles. * Pay equity is critical to retaining talent and achieving fairness in your company. Have your HR department or an outside firm conduct a pay-equity audit to identify problems. * Include salary ranges when posting job openings, as is required in many states, including some of the country's top cannabis markets. mjbizdaily.com | May-June 2022 35http://www.mjbizdaily.com