“Across the US, only 3.2% of senior leadership or C-suite positions are reserved by black people.”
“In terms of female representation at senior level, India is at third-lowest position as compared with other countries.”
“18.3% of the United States population is Hispanic, but roughly only 4% of companies have Hispanic executives on board.”
Let’s sit with these numbers and think about what they mean. What we are trying to represent is how the corporate world lacks diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Talking about the tech industry, it is struggling significantly when it comes to diversity and inclusion. In the end, it fails to attract diverse talent.
But in recent years, diversity and inclusion in organizations have surpassed being just a corporate trend and become one of the business priorities for organizations across the globe. The concept gained so much traction in the corporate world because its benefits become evident, and even employees have made it a deciding factor for choosing the right employer.
Diversity and inclusion in organizations are all about saying – “Be Yourself Here”. It is to ensure that we don’t just respect differences, but we celebrate them. It helps companies to bring up people with diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and potential to gain momentum.
However, not all organizations manage to drive innovative results through diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The fact is that 70% of companies believe they successfully attract and retain diverse employees, but hardly 11% understand what that means. Are you one of those from the corporate world willing to shape up your diversity and inclusion program and policies in your firm? The change can be challenging, but it is, of course, rewarding. To help you with what works when it comes to diversity and inclusion in companies, we’ve come up with a few handy things that can help you out!
Workout on “Gender Balancing” & “Equal Opportunity”! Gender balancing in a workplace is all about ensuring every individual working with you has access to equal opportunities. Organizations need to encourage cultural change and provide equal opportunities to everyone irrespective of their gender, disabilities, or cast. It is crucial to break the bias and work on gender balancing to attract the right talent through inclusive gender-focused hiring practices. Furthermore, the organizations must go with LGBT+ inclusion to make it more diverse in the global marketplace.
Fostering “Multiculturalism”. A culturally diverse workplace encourages people to develop their skills and talents freely. It brings a range of ideas and expertise to learn from a more diverse group of colleagues. It won’t just help organizations boost problem-solving skills but also increase happiness and productivity among the employees. Many organizations like AddWeb encourage employees to celebrate their culture by arranging different festival events. It is a great way to engage individuals from different cultures, racial, and ethnic groups to trust, respect, and understand across cultures.
Welcome people who speak “different languages”. Imagine being part of an organization where everyone says something you don’t know! To make sure you help employees feel “INCLUDED”, you cut off the language barriers and preferences. Many global organizations often face this problem with different teams working at various locations and speaking other languages. When they want to arrange a meetup, they often get confused about which language to be spoken by the person who is part of that event. Encouraging multilingual work culture will foster learning opportunities within employees to learn other languages. This is a long-term investment that will return great benefits when you think of expanding globally.
Don't forget "Empathetic Leadership". Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are often treated as ownership of HR, but that's not true. It is the responsibility of every individual leader to invest time and effort in it. Only when the entire C-suite takes the initiative, an organization's efforts will start giving results. The leaders should begin thinking empathically to understand how employees feel when left out in a specific situation and respond to their dilemma accordingly.
Always think about employees' "Happiness and Well-being". People react differently under different situations. While fear can narrow down your employee's perspective about work, maximizing joy and connection can help you create a more inclusive workplace. It would help if you focused on creating moments that elevate happiness and wellness among the employees. Always spotlight the moments of success and celebrate them. It will boost life satisfaction and employees' mental or emotional state with pleasant and positive emotions of joy. If your employees are healthy, happy, and positive, it will, in the end, benefit you!
Every company faces significant challenges in creating a work environment where everyone is heard and gets the freedom to be themselves. These five touchpoints, of course not an exhaustive list of strategies, can surely help you pave your way towards a great place to work.