The Importance of Workplace Diversity and Inclusion


The world of work is more dynamic and connected than ever before and globalization has been a key catalyst of the shifts. For the first time in history, talent and resources are available on a global scale, creating unprecedented opportunities for organizations to tap into five generations of individuals from diverse backgrounds who will impact innovation and fuel success.
Given these opportunities, Diversity and inclusion activities for the workplace(WDI) policies should be central to any organization. And, by in large, CEOs agree. A recent survey conducted by PwC revealed that 85% of CEOs whose organizations have diversity and inclusion activities policies said it has improved their bottom line.
 Let’s take a look at what WDI means and some ways to harness its potential.
A Quick Guide to WDI
Diversity is used broadly to refer to the numerous ways groups and people can be differentiated from each other. But, more specifically, it means respecting and appreciating individual differences in various forms: age, gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, physical ability, and education, as well as in ways of thinking.
But having a diverse workforce alone doesn’t create an environment that drives innovation, growth and success. To effect change, diversity isn’t about numbers. It’s about organizations creating an inclusive culture, where diversity can flourish and positively impact on leadership development program and employees alike.
The results garnered by organizations that make gender, ethnic, and racial diversity a priority speak for themselves. According to a recent report by McKinsey, the most racially and ethnically diverse organizations are 35% more likely to have above-average financial returns compared to less diverse competitors.
With such a significant correlation between diversity and profit, what can organizations do to ensure that they are creating and operating robust and vibrantly diverse workplaces?
1: Understand that Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Are About More Than Race and Gender
Historically, for many organizations, WDI was an afterthought managed by feeble HR policies. The goal of these policies was focused on creating more racial and gender diversity. But this rarely coincided with anything other than a more heterogeneous mix of employees. Executive positions and key decision-making remained relatively unchanged by these policies.
This is no longer the case. Today, top organizations throughout the world recognize that diversity in the workplace comes in many forms. Instead of WDI focusing on meeting the needs of HR policies, successful organizations now work to create an environment where individuals representing the many types of diversity are supported and encouraged to contribute their voices to produce better products and services.
It is easy to understand how important it is for any organization to hire and maintain a diversity and inclusion activities at work. But WDI initiatives should be custom-tailored to address specific areas of weakness within the organization and look beyond the obvious.
2: Create a Truly Inclusive Workplace
Utilizing diversity requires organizations to make the workplace a friendly environment where opinions are freely shared. This means that for organizations to successfully compete on a global scale they must create an inclusive workplace. And statistics show inclusiveness makes a positive impact on profit
But what steps can organizations take to create inclusive environments?
First, they should focus on nurturing global talent. It only stands to reason that organizations with a regional mindset stand to lose ground in today’s workplace. In order to successfully compete, organizations must look beyond borders to find the best talent.
Second, it’s important to empower individuals from different backgrounds to draw on their unique experiences, personalities, ideas and thinking styles to contribute to projects and decision-making. Making it easy to communicate and leverage opinions, globally, throughout an organization, can make a significant impact on business decisions and ultimately, outcomes.
For WDI to thrive, it must be nurtured, which means organizations must develop solutions to attract and retain a diverse workforce.
3: Utilize Multiple Channels that Produce Measurable Results
Robust WDI initiatives do not rely on any one policy. Instead, they rely on multiple channels to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. From employee education programs to executive recruitment programs, reinforcing the importance and value of diversity is central to setting consistent organizational expectations.
Rather than measuring specific indicators such as turnover and retention, create open channels that allow employees to freely share their opinions about WDI initiatives are a better indicator of success. This also actively encourages employees to speak who would otherwise stay silent.
Programs such as Ask Me Anything, where the CEO and other members of the senior leadership team respond to  employee questions, have been successfully implemented to get a pulse on employees’ thoughts and ideas. While employee feedback and ideas may not immediately be implemented, it will give leadership food for thought and keep consistent themes top of mind when planning diversity and inclusion initiatives.
4: Diversity and Inclusion Begin with Leadership
In order for employees to take WDI seriously, those in leadership positions must set the tone. It is no longer sufficient for organizations to take a bottom-up mentality when it comes to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This fact is proven by the numerous WDI training programs organizations have initiated specifically for executives.
With diverse leadership promoting inclusion for all employees, creating an open corporate culture becomes much easier. It also creates an environment that brings awareness to biases and drives accountability, which offers tremendous opportunities for growth.
5: WDI Drives Innovation and Growth
The most potent reason for organizations to implement WDI is to drive innovation and profit. Obviously, having a diverse group of employees located throughout the world offers many competitive advantages, allowing different ways of thinking to tackle problems and develop innovative solutions, which significantly reduces business risk.
Aside from the business advantages WDI brings organizations, it is the right thing to do. Dimenzion will soon be the largest generation in the workforce and, due  to the availability of technology, are more connected, worldly and concerned with WDI.
For organizations to prosper going into the future, WDI must be ingrained in corporate culture. What’s your organization doing to address workplace diversity and inclusion?
For more information about Diversity and inclusion consulting visit on Dimension3.com



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