An inclusive and diverse work environment can prove to be very beneficial for the company. Employees coming from different backgrounds can bring unique things to the table. Organizations that value this diversity and embrace it have an edge over the organizations that those. These benefits include better ideas, creativity, innovation, enhanced performance, and an overall stronger and healthier workplace environment.
However, just hiring random people from a few different backgrounds will seldom prove to be enough to take advantage of all of these benefits. To create a diverse workplace, it is essential to promote inclusivity in the company or organization.
In addition to making the employees feel welcomed, it is necessary to create an environment that encourages them to perform better and improves their productivity levels.
As a leader or a manager, here are a few steps you can take to cultivate an inclusive and diverse workplace.
Reassess the Executive Team
Creating an inclusive and diverse workplace can be challenging if the leaders don’t represent a diverse group of people. When trying to bring more diversity into the company, your executive team should be your biggest supporter. This includes gender diversity, racial diversity, ethnic diversity, sexual orientation diversity, religious diversity, etc.
It would certainly not be possible to hire a person from every culture and background in the world. However, try to diversify the management team as much as you can with the options you have. It is also essential to educate them about the importance of diversity. When newer employees see people from different backgrounds at the top, it makes them feel more welcomed and boosts their motivation.
Anti-Discrimination Policies
A Harvard Business Review survey showed that about 75% of the respondents felt superficial policies weren’t enough to bring any tangible change to the workplace environment. When making an effort to encourage a diverse workplace environment, it isn’t always easy to evaluate if the employees would make the same effort, especially when working with a large workforce.
What’s worse is that a single discriminatory comment from one employee to another can affect the workplace environment significantly. So even with 50 people working to reduce discrimination, only one person can ruin everything. Therefore, it is necessary to enforce strict anti-discrimination policies in the company in order to prevent any such incidents.
Equity Over Equality
When it comes to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, it is crucial to understand the difference between equality and equity. Having a diverse group of people at your company but providing all of them with the exact same resources may not be beneficial for everyone.
Are there vegan and Kosher-friendly food options on the menu? Does the company have any allocated space for Muslim employees to offer their daily prayers? Are there any spaces for new mothers to breastfeed their babies? Is the office wheelchair accessible?A healthy workplace environment acknowledges the different needs of each employee and tries to accommodate them as well as possible.
It may be challenging, but creating a diverse work environment isn’t impossible. If you want to learn more about promoting a healthy and diverse work environment and improving your leadership skill, consider signing up for Mental Minutes Coaching by Kimberly Dalius.