These days, there are many conversations going on around the topic of diversity and inclusion in organisations.
It appears that organisations are beginning to pay attention. Some might say that the needed changes are going slowly, but I have learnt to celebrate steady progress while I keep pursuing more. I have also learnt to focus, not merely on speed, but on consistency and sustainability. The long term view.
And the truth, as I see it, is that steadily (albeit slowly), the global business and working environment is becoming more and more diverse. The world as we know it now is more complex and interconnected. This has given room to what we all refer to as diversity, which shaped by globalization and technological advances, forms the fabric of everyday life in modern society. There is also a growing polarization – both in the physical and digital worlds – fuelled by identity politics and the resurgence of nationalist ideals.
As more and more people migrate from one place to the other and for various reasons, they carry with them their talents, their knowledge, their skills and capabilities as well as their curiosities. The skill pool is becoming more and more diverse and organisations know this.
The idea of free movement of people and good as wielded by globalisation is meant to bring together people of diverse skills, ambitions, and capabilities. It must be noted that there are studies which show that immigrants tend to be more driven, and whenever they are given any opportunity, they always try to outdo themselves. The truth is that women and immigrants will need to be twice as good to be able to access the same opportunities as their counterparts.
Generally, immigrants mostly contribute to 2 economies and their ambitions and willingness to go the extra mile in any given opportunities are almost always guaranteed. This has produced mostly positive results in productivity and innovation for the organisations that offer these opportunities.
Take a look at the most innovative, disruptive and prosperous urban centres in the world – New York, Dubai, London and Singapore – the fact that they are all international melting pots with a high concentration of immigrants stands out. There are people and government policies that suggests that immigration is a problem, but research shows that there is a direct correlation between high-skilled immigration and an increase in the level of innovation and economic performance in cities and regions.
These days, diversity is a given. Almost uncontrollable. An almost assured occurrence because more and more people and businesses cross borders and cultures and do not forget that more young people are also joining the workforce daily. Multiple gender identities, multicultural and multigenerational perspectives and approach to work and business, multiple religious beliefs, different physical abilities… All of these are all coming together and our workplaces are now wearing more rainbow colours than ever before.
Organisations and businesses are realising the many benefits of a diverse workforce; innovation, cultural advantage, competitive advantage, all directly translates into consistent revenue growth, not to mention the CSR thumbs up and corresponding societal impact.
In fact, it’s increasingly clear that having a diverse team makes for a better organisation.
- Companies that have more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenue. Source: Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
- Inclusive companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market. Source: Josh Bersin research.
- Diverse teams made a business decision, they outperformed individual decision-makers up to 87% of the time when it comes to making business decisions. Source: A white paper from online decision-making platform Cloverpop.
- Workplace diversity generates higher job acceptance rate. 67% of job seekers said a diverse workforce is important when considering job offers. Source: Glassdoor.
- Companies with diverse workforce outperform its competitors. Racially and ethnically diverse companies outperform industry norms by 35%. Source: McKinsey
Image: BCG
However, though Diversity and inclusions are almost always used together, they are two completely different things.
While diversity matters, we must remember that diversity in the workplace does not necessarily mean inclusivity in the workplace.
Diversity brings together all our different characteristics and identities: gender and ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religion, social status and disability. It highlights our differences, and reminds us of the beauty and interconnectivity of our humanity.
Inclusion, on the other hand, is the conscious behaviours that embrace and celebrate our differences. Inclusion happens when we have removed all barriers, discrimination and intolerance. An inclusive organisation consciously and constantly evolves to identify, include and meet the changing needs of its employees. An inclusive organisation recognises and supports all stakeholders and provides them with meaningful involvement and equal access to opportunities.
We all agree that diversity is important and immensely beneficial; but even more so is ensuring a workplace and culture where people from all backgrounds feel included and valued.
Inclusivity is the key to actually maintaining (not just creating) diversity in the workplace. It is the only way to unlock the endless benefits of diversity and to better manage the cultural clashes that might arise.
Ways to foster Inclusion in your organisation:
1. Embrace Change.
With time everything changes, and when we are open-minded to change, we are better able to handle it.
It important for every organisation to always consider the relationship between all external and internal factors of the organisation. And to build a more inclusive organisation, it is equally important to constantly review and reflect the individual employees’ lifestyles, needs and aspirations.
The “one size fits all” policies can no longer be a norm. To create policies that will foster an inclusive and engaged workplace, it is important to focus on establishing customised solutions and individualised experiences for all stakeholders and never forgetting that it could all change with time.
Wherever people and nature come together, change is constantly happening. Those who are open-minded to the changes whether it be gender neutral bathrooms, flexible work schedules, more cultural diversity, wider age spans, different paths to the C-Suite, etc. make for better organisations.
Remember that your organisation’s ability to flow with change, adapt accordingly, will ensure not only a more productive and successful, but most likely, also a happier workforce.
2. Ensure that your Executive Team Portray Diversity And Inclusion.
I am sure you have heard the expression; Lead by example. Are you leading by example?
If you think you are, how diverse is your executive team?
No matter how big or small your organisation is, you must remember that the structure and makeup of your executive or leadership team is a huge indicator to the rest of your workforce (not to mention your customers, partners, and other stakeholders). There is nothing that shows your core values and structure as an organisation the way your top management does.
The truth is that every inclusive work environment requires an inclusive leadership. Your organisation cannot claim to be diverse without this diversity being reflected among the top management teams.
Are men and women represented? What about people from various races, ages, cultural and religious backgrounds?
A survey report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that among the Fortune 500 companies, only 24 CEOs are women, which represents just 5% of the total number of CEOs. The same report pointed out that, among the 500 CEOs, only three are black, another three are openly gay, and one identifies as a lesbian.
As a 2018 research from McKinsey shows, greater diversity in the workforce results in greater profitability and value creation. The same holds true at the executive level, as McKinsey found a statistically significant correlation between diverse leadership and better financial performance. According to another McKinsey’s research, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity at the executive level are 33 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile. When it comes to gender diversity, companies in the top quartile are 21 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile.
3. Foster A Company Culture Where Every Voice Is Welcome, Heard, And Respected.
Most often employees quit jobs where they feel that their authentic self and uniqueness is not appreciated or valued. It is human nature to have the need to feel free to express ourselves based on our unique perspectives. If we find ourselves in an environment where this need is not being met, then we begin to feel disgruntled and we will become less and less productive. As such, it is of vital importance that organisations create an environment where employees feel a sense of belonging.
Companies must make sure employees feel included and respected regardless of their
- age,
- gender,
- race,
- religion,
- sexual orientation,
- physical conditions,
- cultural background or
- country of origin.
You must pay special attention to how you can embrace non-discriminatory practices and policies. Employees feel included when they feel “safe” to voice their concerns and opinions without fear of victimization. The freedom of expression without fear also empowers companies to not just listen to but also actively embrace diverse viewpoints. Companies must not be defensive, discriminatory or castigating in their responses.
One great way to do this is to invest in a workforce communications platform where employees can feel free to share their ideas or needs openly. By integrating the company’s communications channel into one platform and granting direct access to everyone, each employees will feel identified and included in larger company’s initiatives and goals. Also, this can provide insights from unified analytics to understand how best to meet employees’ needs and help them thrive. This will guarantee a personalized employee experience that is inclusive and allows all voices to be heard.
4. Invest in Cultural Intelligence as well as Diversity and Inclusion Trainings.
You must remember that diversity and inclusion create a multicultural, multigenerational environment with multi-expectations and ways of expression.
When people with diverse views, and beliefs, and perspectives come together, there are a lot of benefits. But there will also be friction and sometimes even bewilderment, because different people from different backgrounds and generations sometimes have vastly different perspectives on all sorts of issues, from what they choose to wear to work, to how they compose an email, to the kind of feedback they give on employee reviews, to what kinds of ideas they pitch in meetings.
While difference and change is always welcome, you must also create an atmosphere where people learn to co-habit and respectfully so.
To be able take full advantage of the benefits and mitigate the friction, you must ensure that every stakeholder is helped and supported through the never-ending process of adaptation. It is a learning curve for most people and your organisation should ensure that employees learn to navigate the terrain of diversity properly without desecrating your organisation’s core values.
So it’s not just important for your organisation to have a workforce where individuals are free to be themselves and think differently, but it is even more important to constantly train them to understand and respect how other people at the company think.
Having said this, organisations must always remember that a one-off training is not enough to teach employees what it means to be inclusive. Like any form of behavior change, inclusion requires individuals to identify key moments in which to build new habits or “microbehaviors” (daily actions that can be practiced and measured). And when these habits are put into action in an environment that supports honest conversations and healthy tension, real change becomes possible.
It is important to identify change cohorts within the organization and equip them with the skills and information to help them champion change within their departments, teams, working groups. This way it is ongoing.
5. Introduce and adopt policies that acknowledge and honour a variety of cultural and religious practices as well as gender and other diverse identities.
A good place to start could be holidays and celebrations. Most companies still give Christmas Day off, even though it is highly recommended that all company holiday parties are made nondenominational. Organisations are also encouraged to offer “floating holidays” to accommodate the religious preferences of all employees. For company event, organisers should ensure that food and beverages that everyone can eat and drink are included. For instance, include both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks during events.
Organisations should establish gender-friendly bathrooms and restrooms and also set up dedicated nursing rooms for mothers. A nursing room needs a door that locks, a comfortable chair, covered windows, proper ventilation, and a special refrigerator to store the pumped milk.
Millennials are on the rise in the workforce and they are generally considered tech savvy. But, the older generation still abound and might not boost of the same level of proficiency with tech tools, so it might be important to adopt multiple tools and platforms or channels that the two groups can work with.
It might look like a lot of work, but if your organisation asks proper questions about preferences and provides employees with options, it will be easier to adopt the policies that will guarantee every experience becomes more inclusive and employees will feel valued as well as included as an important piece of the organisation.
6. Eliminate Bias In The Evaluation Process And Promotion Opportunities.
A large body of research shows that the hiring process is unfair and full of bias, most of them unconscious. From sexism to racism, and ageism, employees have long tales of being treated unfairly. If left unchecked, these can harm your company.
Generally people have good intentions, but good intentions only are never enough. There needs to be intentionality. If we are not intentional about the things we do, in management but also in all other areas of life, we end up putting our foot in our mouth and we may even do more harm than good. And this why it is important for organisations to constantly question and combat any and all biases, whether conscious or unconscious ones.
Some strategies to combat bias include:
- Rewriting job descriptions so they are gender neutral and use words that strike a balance of gendered descriptors and verbs
- Create a blind system of reviewing resumes or appraisals for employees so you don’t see “demographic characteristics”
- Set diversity goals as an organization, which will help you track your progress and to be more conscious about avoiding negative behaviours that might jeopardise inclusiveness.
- Talk to and listen to the people in your organisation to identify areas where they may be feeling isolated or discriminated against.
When all is said and done, diversity and inclusion is not something that happens by chance. It can only be achieved when organisations truly engage in practices that will tell everyone that they are interested in creating a business where everyone and the world at large can benefit.
Organisations that create as much positive impact in the lives of people as the benefits they will reap.
