Diversity in the workplace involves inclusivity and respect for differences. This idea is being embraced by many companies these days as more of them now hire women, people of color (POC), persons with disabilities (PWD), veterans, and even the old. The practice for diversity is getting stronger, as the intersection of many cultures and various backgrounds is widely celebrated.
Attracting a diverse talent pool through your company’s diversity data is a good beginning. But beyond this, having a diverse talent pool assures your employees that you see and value their worth more regardless of where they are from.
In recent years, companies and government organizations have realized that valuing diversity increases productivity and profitability. It only shows that diversity doesn’t only improve your recruitment but also your workforce performance, which in turn positively impacts on your bottom line. In the next sections, we discuss how diversity elevates employee performance and the efforts you can make to improve diversity in your workplace.
Diversity Leads to Higher Rates of Productivity
Ultimately, your company can benefit from having a diverse set of employees. The International Labour Organization (ILO) released a report on the value of diversity in workplaces, stating that multiple studies have shown how diversity leads to productive and resilient workplaces. Below are some of the ways on how diversity can affect productivity.
Your employees can collaborate and strategize better.
Working together and strategizing for the next best move for the company is also influenced by diversity. Even for remote work, diversity has been seen to contribute to efficient strategizing in the workplace. With comfort comes ease in the communication process between employees.
Your employees can create healthier bonds through empathy.
Your employees will better understand their customers, colleagues, and even the management by being exposed to diverse people. Being in a diverse workplace is a learning experience on empathy. They will inevitably talk and share experiences. These stories will be meaningful in how they could apply that in their business dealings with diverse clients.
Diversity Increases Profitability
According to Harvard Business Review, companies with gender-inclusive policies are reported to profit more when they believe in the cause. With the US being a melting pot of global talents, knowing that your company embraces diversity will positively affect your recruitment numbers.
Microsoft is one of the top Fortune 500 that have progressed far in its diversity and inclusion programs. It’s still one of the biggest companies today with revenue reported to be amounting to USD 51.7B and still growing. Other companies included in the top 20 are Verizon Communications, Intel, Gap, and Target.
As most businesses start from a need for a product and service, having a diverse set of people as employees promotes the production of new and creative ideas to complete tasks and smoothen processes, according to Boston Consulting Group. Team members from a multifaceted background give you more think tanks and experiences in processing problems and providing solutions.
Diversity leads to an accumulation of experiences and ideas. Utilizing these to their full potential can help build stronger and more inclusive products and services. Your diverse employees can give you first-hand accounts of the needs that can be created and the niche markets available.
Various products originally intended for disabled people are now manufactured and used by abled people. Women have also contributed much to the business of innovation. Inventions like the Kevlar, foot-pedaled trash can, windshield wipers, and many others have all been invented by women. People of color, such as African-Americans, have also invented products that have become ingrained in daily life. These inventions include the three-light traffic signal and the refrigerated trucks. Moreover, the participation of minorities in the labor market has allowed products and services to be created for them.
Practicing Diversity in the Workplace
Employees who feel valued by their company are more likely to work hard for tenure, thus, benefiting both you and your employees. You can do simple activities to show how you want to start or even further value the diversity of your workforce. Here are some of them:
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Celebrate Holidays Meant for Minorities
From Black History Month to Pride Month, minorities have holidays that could have been celebrated outside the office. Start having these small celebrations by announcing them on your office bulletin board. You may also engage your management team to include inserts on these cultural holidays in their email blasts on the monthly or weekly updates about the company. It can even be as simple as reminding your members in a Microsoft Teams or Skype message about the specific celebration.
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Address Workplace Discrimination
Having strong diversity data does not exempt you from discrimination. So, it would be best if you were strict in addressing any form of discrimination, whether outright or subtle. You may address discrimination through mediation between the parties involved or by having open forum events. These events in your workplace can provide a better picture to your employees of the dangers of hate crimes and any form of discrimination.
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Encourage Freedom of Expression
Ensuring that your workplace is a safe space encourages freedom of expression among your employees. For instance, implementing gender-neutral dress code policies would allow queer employees or those going through a transition phase of finding their gender identity a safe space outside their homes to express themselves. Allowing freedom of expression involves respecting and honoring your employees in how they want to be addressed or the conversations they are willing to have.
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Hire More Diverse Talent
To hire more diverse talent, you can refer back to applicants who were previously rejected due to various factors such as age, gender, marital status, race, veteran status, and even disability. You can offer arrangements that could attract diverse talents. For example, a work-from-home arrangement can attract applicants from different states and those physically unable to do the daily commute.
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Partner with Diversity-Oriented Staffing Agencies
A staffing agency can help make your hiring process smoother by allowing you to focus on other processes in your business. With more companies seeing the value of diverse employees, the recruitment process can be more time-consuming. Partnering with a staffing agency can help you look for candidates that will increase your company’s diversity.
CELEBRATE THE GLOBAL DIVERSITY MONTH WITH US!
Recognizing and valuing the significance of diversity in the workforce is part of what we do at Agile Workplace Staffing. By working with us, you can uphold diversity in your recruitment practices as we search for diverse top talents for your team.
With our talent sourcing capabilities, we can connect you with various pre-screened, pre-vetted, and certified applicants. We can connect you with talents from Engineering, Manufacturing, to Life Sciences industries. Contact us today!
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