Strategies To Build Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

Inclusion and Diversity are often used interchangeably, but the difference between the concepts is vitally important. I believe that organizations with diverse qualities, experiences, and work styles bring more ideas to the table. These concepts have continued to gain traction in the corporate world as their benefits have become increasingly apparent.

Leading industry analyst and researcher, Josh Bersin, calls Diversity and Inclusion as one of the growing topics of these few years. He said, "Companies that embrace diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their business statistically outperform their peers."

What is the Difference Between Them?

Diversity is used to differentiate people and groups from each other. It empowers people by appreciating and respecting what makes them different in terms of age, religion, race, etc. However, Inclusion refers to the efforts done to embrace those differences. It is all about a sense of belonging. 

In a nutshell, Diversity is the mix, and Inclusion is getting the mix to work well in a team.

Importance of Diversity and Inclusion at Workplace

It is challenging for organizations to become diverse and inclusive due to communication gaps and cultural barriers. However, the importance of having a diverse and inclusive organization far outweighs these challenges. Let us have a look and understand their significance.

1.   Provide Better Competitive Edge:

Organizations that embrace Diversity gain a higher market share and a competitive edge in entering the new market. The inclusive behavior in an organization's workforce can unlock the innovative potential of a diverse workforce and grow its business. 

2.   Boost Creativity and Innovation:

Organizations with a diverse workplace and equality can gain a wider range of ideas, which is essential to meet clients' needs more effectively. It is also a key ingredient for better decision-making among the team due to different viewpoints that help organizations solve issues faster. 

3.   Offer Adaptability:

Many varieties of background, experience, and talents enable businesses to have higher flexibility in adapting the dynamic markets. Diversity empowers you with unique ideas and improved decision making for faster and effective planning, development, and execution of business strategies to grow.

4.   Attract High-Quality Candidates:

67% of applicants use Diversity as an important factor when considering organization and job offers. So, it is an essential part that should be included to hire and attract the top talent in the market.

5.   Increase Employee Empowerment:

According to Salesforce research on Diversity, employees who feel their voice is heard at work are near five times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best.

Best Practices for Diversity and Inclusion

Diverse and Inclusive organizations provide remarkable results with innovative ideas. In such a competitive market, organizations must look beyond the traditional recruitment process. Here I am sharing a few best practices for the D&I concept.

1.   Offer Equal Growth Opportunities: 

Providing an equal opportunity to grow is one of the best factors that can attract and keep talent within the organization. Therefore, managers need to be careful about offering fair chances to grow.

2.   Restructure Your Recruitment Process:

HR professionals should be more focused on reliable personality assessments to measure candidates' personality traits, motivation, and skills. HR professionals can use tools like resume parser to avoid unconscious bias at the time of screening. It is an effective recruitment solution that can parse resumes in a scalable manner.

3.   Educate Employees on Diversity and Inclusion Concept:

If organizations want to introduce Diversity and inclusion concepts, they need to educate about the benefits and importance of supporting your initiatives. In your education program, you must include all hierarchies starting from top to bottom if you want to convert this concept into success.

4.   Change Job Descriptions:

To attract more diverse talent, start using diverse language to target a large audience, this will make a big difference. Stop using masculine word types like 'dominate' etc. these words are less appealing to female applicants.

5.   Support Team Collaboration:

Employers should support teamwork and appreciate their efforts timely. Team collaboration must be one of your core values to attract and keep a more diverse workforce.

Embracing the D&I concept in the organization will provide you with valuable input to grow and increase the organization's productivity. Building such a culture is not something that can be done overnight, but yes, a useful tool for the long term.