The benefits of a diverse workforce have long been recognised by businesses – in terms of their reputation, innovation, and profitability. At Works, we actively encourage employees to collaborate, embracing their unique physical, mental, and spiritual differences, which ultimately contributes to our success. However, creating and maintaining a genuinely inclusive environment can be challenging. That’s why some ventures fail to take off, while others falter in their attempts to nurture diversity.
Determining whether a company has achieved diversity can be a complex task. Is a company considered diverse if it employs a certain number of people from different ethnicities or genders? Or if it educates its staff on diversity and inclusion? Perhaps, if it offers a range of products from independent producers? Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer. This article will, however, examine some common traits shared by diverse businesses.
Representation in Governance
Many organisations claim to prioritize diversity, but their executive teams may not reflect this commitment. While they may have a workforce that includes individuals from diverse ethnic and gender backgrounds, diversity at higher management positions can be lacking. For companies to truly meet the challenges of a diverse workforce, it’s essential for the executive team to be representative of their wider staff.
Diversity within an organisation has the potential to foster innovation and discovery of new opportunities that may never have been explored otherwise. It is, therefore, critical that diversity is fully integrated into all decision-making processes to achieve the most successful outcomes. Besides, it’s crucial to embrace diversity at every level of management and on the board of directors.
Hearing of Intent
Simply diversifying a company’s workforce by hiring individuals from different racial and ethnic backgrounds is insufficient to ensure an inclusive workplace. Managers must take additional measures to provide their staff with the support they need to succeed. This may involve re-evaluating policies, communication channels, and pre-existing notions. For instance, a more comprehensive parental leave policy may be necessary to support female employees in the workforce.
Ignoring the concerns and issues faced by employees can prevent business leaders from identifying areas that need improvement. Conversations about these concerns can be held in person, through online forums, or digital suggestion boxes. Organisations that recognise the value of diversity understand that driving change is an ongoing process that requires the input and feedback of all their employees.
Equal Pay for Equal Work
It’s evident that addressing pay disparity is crucial. Reports and blog articles have repeatedly shown that gaps in earnings persist between various demographic groups, such as Blacks and Whites, Hispanics and Whites, and women and men. Establishing pay equity is the logical next step for companies looking to foster greater inclusivity.
Companies that fail to address salary gaps between men and women or different racial and ethnic groups during the hiring process risk alienating potential employees who could help drive business success. It’s crucial for companies to proactively address any salary discrepancies to foster greater diversity and inclusion in the workforce.
Anonymous Recruitment Methods
Marginalized individuals, including women and people of colour, have expressed concerns about the lack of diversity in recruitment and employment practices. Additionally, there have been debates about whether corporations should focus solely on an individual’s race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, etc. Anonymous hiring could be a feasible solution to tackle these issues.
Anonymous recruitment methods involve evaluating applicants purely based on their qualifications and relevant experience, removing any information that could lead to bias, such as photographs, names, and gender. Companies that value inclusivity and diversity focus on individuals’ abilities rather than their appearance during the hiring process.
Developmental Activities
A comprehensive training program that includes both technical skills and cultural awareness is vital to support employees’ growth and development. Companies must provide adequate support to help employees enhance their skills and reach their targets. Crafting an individualized career plan with specific goals and milestones for each employee is necessary to ensure successful progress.
Participation in cultural sensitivity courses and training is key for personnel to stay updated on the latest developments. These programs must be regularly reviewed and updated multiple times a year. Truly diverse companies understand the significance of investing in their employees’ development to cultivate future leaders. Additionally, employees are able to appreciate and leverage each other’s differences to their advantage in the workplace.
Keeping Up with Developments
The Harvard Business Review recommends businesses to apply the same strategies applied to enhance productivity and profitability to their approach towards diversity and inclusion. This includes defining objectives, collecting data, monitoring progress over time, and comparing performance with other companies.
The company should strive to double the proportion of women in senior management positions, from 25% to 50%, within the next five years. To accomplish this, they should implement measures such as project lead, mentoring, and leadership development initiatives. The organization should review the success of these initiatives every six months by evaluating the percentage of women in executive roles.
Monitoring key metrics is crucial for organizations to measure the extent to which they have achieved their objectives. Companies that are genuinely committed to diversity and inclusion should proactively plan for this by establishing metrics to track progress and be ready to make necessary adjustments to their practices.
Beyond Race and Gender
Discussions about workplace diversity typically center around topics like race and gender. Nevertheless, it is imperative to take into account additional dimensions of diversity, such as a range of ages, backgrounds, and perspectives. Incorporating various individuals during the hiring process may present more challenges, but companies that broaden their scope are more likely to achieve success.
Incorporating a diverse range of experience levels can be advantageous for a company, as the dependability, traditional work ethic, and historical viewpoint associated with senior staff can complement the adaptability and fresh perspective of newer hires. Challenging assumptions is essential to avoid stagnation, and individuals with contrasting worldviews can benefit this process. Furthermore, introverted team members often have valuable insights, even if they may not express them as vocally as others.
Although transitioning to a more diverse environment may come with challenges, companies must not feel disheartened and should make every effort towards achieving it. They must avoid simply using PR language to make empty promises, as reported by CNBC, “promising is one thing, but bringing authentic change is a completely different story”.
