A diverse and inclusive workplace is one in which everyone feels equally included and supported in all aspects of the workplace regardless of who they are and what they do for the company.
Diversity and Inclusion are two ideas but they are not interchangeable. Diversity refers to an entity’s structure or representation. Inclusion relates to how successfully different groups of people’s contributions, presence, and perspectives are valued and assimilated into a region.
A place where different genders, races, nationalities, and identities are present but only the perspectives or ideas of certain groups are valued or have any authority or influence, may be diverse, but it’s not inclusive.
Diversity and inclusion are essential for today’s business world, as a diverse group of people from various backgrounds and cultures gives the balance of voices and diversity of thought that we need. However, it appears that many companies still don’t have a healthy balance of people from various backgrounds working for them.
Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace
Both aspects of diversity and inclusion are important- Diversity without inclusion can result in a toxic culture and inclusion without diversity can make a company stagnant and uncreative. Companies are starting to focus on more diversity, but many are overlooking the importance of inclusion. Your employees will feel out of place and unsupported if you don’t make a concerted effort to promote both inclusiveness and diversity.
There are several ways to start incorporating diversity and inclusion at the workplace. Here are some ideas:
Standards should be based on objective criteria.
Objective criteria reduce the chance of bias or prejudice. To eliminate the unconscious prejudice as much as possible, meet as a team to openly discuss these criteria and develop collaborative action plans together. Using something like Achiever’s Action Builder function, which allows managers and teams to establish a focus, construct a plan, and agree on successful action, is one approach to collecting everyone’s point of view.
Frequently recognize and reward employees
Recognition is important for every employee. Appreciating employees for they demonstrate that you value them as individuals. Make a recognition and award program that encourages your employees to recognize not only their colleague’s talents but also their difference.
Public acknowledgments have a good impact because they foster a sense of belonging and provide visibility across the organization.
Employees should be recognized by their bosses, managers, and peers for minor and significant successes daily. Recognition is a certain approach to creating a welcoming and inclusive work environment.
Make use of tools to track D&I.
Use HR tools to monitor your progress towards creating a more diverse and inclusive organization. To identify the blind spots of all departments at all levels, you can use employee engagement software.
If you have a recognition platform in your workplace, look at your recognition activity dashboards to quickly identify any teams or people who may be underappreciated – ensuring that everyone feels appreciated daily is critical to creating an inclusive culture.