Diversity and inclusion in the workplace has become a huge topic in recent years, and rightly so. In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that companies are still resistant to hiring a diverse workforce, but sadly it remains the case.
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace has become a huge topic in recent years, and rightly so. In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that companies are still resistant to hiring a diverse workforce, but sadly it remains the case. However, on a more positive note, we’re seeing an increasingly high number of businesses creating diversity and inclusion plans, and more impressively, following through on them.
Diversity and inclusion means making your workplace a space where everybody can be their whole selves, no matter what their background. It’s about promoting the positives of having a diverse workforce, and recognising that the workplace should be inclusive for everyone. Here’s why it matters.
Diversity and inclusion help your business and society
Having a diverse workforce is great for your business. We’ll touch on this a little later, but has a tremendous impact on society. Too often, people are discriminated against due to race, religion, sexual identify and preference, and even due to disabilities. There’s no room for it in modern society, and that’s why it’s great to see the business sector leading the charge when it comes to promoting diversity and inclusion.
As an added benefit to your business, customers love supporting brands who share the same values as them. So, if you’re supporting diversity like most people do, you may find yourself attracting more customers.
Attracting the best talent
The simple fact is that the best talent can come from any background. If you’re overlooking potential employees based on their race, sexual preference, religion or medical reasons, you’re probably missing out. That’s the direct effect of not hiring a diverse workforce. The indirect effect is on the other top talent in your industry who only want to work for companies who promote diversity. If you’re not inclusive, you’re depriving yourself of the top talent.
An inclusive workplace brings out the best in people
One key aspect when it comes to employee engagement and getting the most out of people is allowing them to bring their whole selves to work. Some companies are happy to hire people from diverse backgrounds, but they forget to create an environment where those people actually feel safe. If you want to see the best of people, ensure your workplace celebrates diversity and lets your entire workforce be who they are.
Creating a culture of flexibility
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace isn’t just about hiring people from different cultural backgrounds. It’s about respecting that everyone’s lives are different, yet they all have the same ability to contribute to the work you’re doing. This also includes people with families, people with elderly or sick relatives to care for, or basically those with any needs that don’t fit into a perfect workplace scenario. So, as part of your diversity action plan, include flexibility as a key feature.
That might mean allowing flexible work conditions, a variety of workplace options, or letting people work from home.
Diverse workforces achieve more
Ultimately, diverse teams achieve better results. By bringing different backgrounds and experiences into any project, you capture more points of view, different ideas, and you also remove any biases held by non-diverse teams. By working with those who don’t think exactly the same as you, it creates more innovation and overall better performance.
If you’d like to find out more about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, or discuss flexible and collaborative workplace arrangements such as serviced offices or co-working spaces, contact us at Urban Hub today!
