Diversity matters. From an ethical and human rights perspective, it is clear and evident why it matters, or at least it should be. If you look at diversity from a pure business perspective, it's a great investment. Diversity and inclusion affects revenues, decision-making, and employee retention.
According to a report by McKinsey & Company, diversity is positively correlated with profitability and value creation, yet women and minorities are still underrepresented.
Gender diverse teams make better decision makers, which means these companies end up becoming more successful.
Job seekers look for companies that encourage workplace diversity.
If you still need reasons on why diversity is important, here are more workplace diversity statistics.
Encouraging workplace diversity shouldn’t just be about increasing profitability and those diversity numbers. Neither should the words “diversity” and “inclusion” be used as buzzwords to make your company sound better.
Now, diversity and inclusion can’t be ‘improved’ overnight. It takes time, but here are 7 simple and effective ways to start encouraging workplace diversity (yes, these can be done remotely!)
1. Education and training
Never underestimate the power of education! It’s important for employees to understand the underlying issues and history of gender inequality and the under-representation of POC. Provide them the training and resources needed to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment.
2. Conduct meetings and/or focus groups to understand employees’ perspective on diversity and inclusion.
The best way to understand how your company can improve is to ask your employees themselves. Ask for their input and feedback. What would they like to see changed? If an employee is planning to resign, conduct an exit interview to understand why they’re leaving.
3. Take a look at your executive team.
Take some time and evaluate your teams. How diverse are your executive and management teams? For the most part, your executive teams reflect on your company culture. If an employee doesn’t see, or believe, that they have an opportunity to make it into C-suite, they are less likely to be engaged and stay with the company. When hiring for executive positions, make an effort to promote from within your company.
4. Improve anti-discriminatory policies
Create a safe environment for your employees to report instances that made them feel uncomfortable and/or discriminated against. Stress that your company values diversity and inclusion, and any less will not be tolerated.
5. Evaluate and improve workplace policies
Change starts from within. Evaluate current workplace policies, and you will most likely find room for improvement. For instance, does your company allow for time-off for all religious and cultural holidays? How do you support working parents?
6. Create opportunities to increase cultural awareness
Introduce events to allow employees to share and appreciate cultures! Celebrate different cultural holidays with the team. Host a virtual potluck and give everyone a chance to introduce the foods that they’re having. Or, the next time your team is having a Friday night get-together over Zoom, jam it out to music from across the world!
7. Offer opportunities for employee engagement
Give your employees opportunities to get to know each other outside of work. This can easily be done by implementing mentorship or employee volunteering programs. Volunteering can help employees foster deeper relationships with each other, while giving back to your community.
Remember, encouraging diversity and inclusion is an ongoing effort, and not a one-off thing that you check off a “to-do” list. It's all about your employees and making them feel safe and included. Here are 9 Companies Around the World Embracing Diversity in a BIG Way.
