With today's economy's increasing globalisation, achieving diversity within the workplace is an extremely smart decision. If you're a business owner who hasn't yet attempted to truly diversify your employees, you should continue reading! In this blog, we delve into the advantages of better workplace diversity, whilst proving you with ideas for confronting the challenges that you may face as you work towards this goal.
Most people will picture a diverse workplace as one that includes individuals of various genders, ethnicities, and racial backgrounds. While this is correct, there is certainly more to it. The term diversity has evolved - a diverse workforce includes people from a wide range of backgrounds including, ages, ethnicities, religious & political beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, and physical abilities.
Workplace diversity isn't just a passing trend; it's something that most businesses aspire for. Although it can help towards your brands image, there are numerous more practical benefits that will help to assist your company's bottom line. So, what are the primary advantages of workplace diversity?
The Advantages:
Different perspectives & innovation: Employees will have diverse backgrounds and characteristics, which means that their skills, experiences, and abilities will also be diverse, resulting in a well-rounded workforce. Since your teams will be diverse, your employees will be much more likely to collaborate and learn, whilst bringing in more inventive and creative ideas.
Increased employee engagement: Research shows that employee engagement is much higher through diversity and inclusion. Given that this is only one aspect of employee engagement, but it appears to be quite a significant one. It's a no-brainer that when employees feel more included within a business, they are instantly going to feel more engaged.
Higher employee retention: Having diversified staff indicates that you are open to other viewpoints and qualities. When employees feel accepted and respected, they are less inclined to stray if another opportunity arises, whilst also being less likely to seek out new opportunities because they're feeling dissatisfied.
Overall reputation: Companies that are committed to adopting and encouraging diversity within the workplace are typically perceived to be a better and socially responsible organisation, which leads to a much stronger brand reputation.
Workplace diversity can also make your organisation appear more appealing. Having a diversified workforce makes it easier for others to relate to your business and brand, providing opportunities to new markets, consumers, and even other business partners.
Increased skills & knowledge: By hiring with diverse backgrounds, skills, and experiences, your company will benefit from a wider talent pool and a broader spectrum of innovation and viewpoints.
Think of age for example. Older employees tend to bring in more life experience and background knowledge, whereas the younger generation can provide new ideas and ways of thinking. So, when we have diversified teams working and sharing ideas together, the results you'll see will be extremely interesting.
How to create a diverse workplace:
Make it unique: It goes without saying that smaller businesses have the opportunity to be unique, meaning that their diversity programme should be too. One size doesn't fit all, so you should do your research on where you think those improvements can and should be made.
If you clearly identify what you're trying to achieve, you'll be able to see whether you've managed to hit your target or not. You'll have a better chance of success if you can match your objectives with your implementation.
See where there's space to improve: While it may be difficult or even unpleasant, if you want to assure equality and diversity, you must first recognise where you may be missing.
Recognising what unconscious bias is and how to minimise it may help you resolve practises that you may have been unaware of previously. The discussion about equality and diversity will remain, but it is essential to recognise that we all have a personal obligation to make our workplaces more diverse.
Communicate: Communication's importance cannot be underestimated. According to research conducted by Accenture, two-thirds of leaders believe they create an empowering environment, but only one-third of employees agreed.
One method to overcome that divide and create a "culture of equality" is to have an open and constructive discussion.
It would be a good idea to sit down and discuss with your team what could make them feel more empowered in the workplace - not only would you be taking steps in the right direction, but the collaboration will ensure that you remain transparent and accountable.
Here at Talented Recruitment Group, we believe that when it comes to building a successful and sustainable business, D&I is essential. It is no longer practical to simply carry out your primary business duty; in today's world, you should take a stand, practise what you preach, and start to engage in corporate and social responsibility.
We hope that some of these tips are useful to you - let us know what you think!