Diversity and inclusion have become key aspects of business strategy as companies recognize its benefits for their bottom line. A diverse team provides greater perspectives and problem-solving abilities that benefit both employees and clients.
Establishing inclusive environments within your workplace by setting up Slack channels, employee resource groups and events can help create an inclusive work culture and make newcomers feel welcome and accepted.
1. Invest in Employee Development
Employees are the heart and soul of any successful business, and their job satisfaction and loyalty can have a tremendous effect on its overall performance. When employees feel valued in their workplace environment, they’re more likely to invest in its success and work tirelessly for its growth.
Diversity within teams can also serve as a source of innovation and creativity, by providing different perspectives that might otherwise go unconsidered – helping your organization stay ahead of competitors.
Professional development opportunities for your team members can be an effective way to retain them during periods of high turnover. By showing that your company values and prioritizes their career development, investing in professional development opportunities for them shows they matter and can ultimately boost productivity and morale.
2. Invest in Recruiting
Diversity and inclusion in recruitment has quickly become a business strategy, not simply a HR priority. Research demonstrates that teams composed of diverse members perform better and are more innovative.
Diverse teams bring unique experiences, perspectives and ideas to companies; therefore it is vital that they hire candidates from diverse backgrounds when recruiting new employees. It is also crucial that biases that could impede recruitment are avoided during this process – such as gendered job postings or overly stringent hiring criteria – in order to maximize employee diversity and ensure successful recruitment efforts.
Partner with organizations that support minority talent, attend career fairs, and utilize social media to advertise job openings. Furthermore, include religious and cultural holidays in company meetings to build an atmosphere of belonging among employees while showing that your company values inclusion.
3. Invest in Training
Companies are increasingly providing diversity and inclusion training to employees as a means to educate them on how to respect and value all types of employees, regardless of background. Furthermore, this type of education helps identify unconscious bias and cultivate workplace allies.
Diverse teams bring an abundance of perspectives that enhance creativity on teams and facilitate problem-solving. One such team could have at least one member who shares cultural background with end user; these teams were 152% more likely to understand product needs as well as identify revenue opportunities.
An organization’s leadership team can be seen as a reflection of its culture. A diverse executive team demonstrates a dedication to inclusion within their company, inspiring employees to follow suit with similar efforts.
4. Invest in Mentoring
Mentorship programs can be an effective means of fostering diversity and inclusion. By connecting employees from underrepresented groups with experienced professionals who can provide guidance and assistance, mentoring programs offer employees from underrepresented groups the chance to benefit from mentoring relationships that provide guidance and assistance.
Twomentor found that companies who invest in formal mentoring initiatives typically see returns that surpass their costs of implementation. Twomentor found that companies which implement formal mentoring initiatives experience a 19% return on their investment with positive impacts on business performance as a result.
Mentorship programs must be open to all employees rather than only targeting certain demographics, to maximize benefits across the board and foster a diverse culture that lasts. If possible, companies should try pairing mentors and mentees from diverse diversity groups for optimal results.
5. Invest in Leadership Development
Businesses looking to unleash their full innovation potential should focus on building diverse and inclusive leadership teams, providing an array of perspectives and experiences when making important decisions for the company’s future direction. Diversity efforts also can help build its brand image as being forward-thinking employers who care about employee welfare.
Companies investing in diversity and inclusion training for all levels of leaders within their organization to foster more diverse leadership teams are taking proactive steps. Such programs include providing unconscious bias training as well as creating employee resource groups catering specifically to certain demographics within the workforce, so all employees have their voices heard while contributing their ideas towards business success.
