Diversity in the workplace is more than just a buzzword. It’s something that has been proven to have a positive impact on businesses and their employees. Inclusion in the workplace is about creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, valued, and respected.
When employees feel like they belong, they are more likely to be productive and innovative.
Throughout the first season of the HR Think Tank podcast, we were fortunate enough to speak to trailblazers in the world of leadership and inclusion. Our guests had some incredibly valuable insights on the importance of inclusion and diversity and how it reaches far beyond just hiring a candidate to meet certain quotas.
Here’s why inclusion in the workplace matters.
Understanding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace are not only good for business; it’s critical to creating innovative and productive teams. When employees are encouraged to share their unique perspectives, you can create a high-performing and innovative environment.
The goal of workplace equity is to create an environment where everyone can participate equally and successfully. People should be able to work towards their goals without being hindered by their background, culture, or other characteristics.
However, to achieve equity, your organisation needs to embrace diversity. Recognising, respecting, and valuing people’s differences is a fundamental part of what it means to work in an environment where diversity can thrive.
And if diversity can thrive, your employees are more likely to feel included. Inclusion is a powerful force that can drive success in any workplace. It’s about creating an environment where people feel a sense of belonging and connection because when people feel valued, it leads to higher employee engagement and satisfaction, as well as greater productivity among employees.
Inclusion Creates a Sense of Belonging Which In Turn Engenders Greater Productivity
In episode 13 of the HR Think Tank, our guest Cat-Thao Nguyen, CEO and Managing Director of Global Ready shared her insights on the importance of inclusive leadership development and how organisations can effectively create a workplace culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
She argues that there are four main perspectives on why organisations should advocate for inclusion in the workplace:
- Leveraging various diversity traits in employees facilitates complex solving: an environment where employees have their diversity traits recognised, celebrated and leveraged allows for a different perspective on things that we may not be conscious about. Cat-Thao further explains that “complex problems aren’t merely solved with expertise anymore. For example, a junior staff member may have a different take on the problem than a veteran in that industry.”
- Inclusion allows for more innovation: extensive research has shown if the executive leadership possesses different diversity traits, they can out-innovate their competitors and are 70% more likely to capture new markets.
- A sense of belonging engenders greater productivity: recent research has shown that diversity in the workplace is an important factor for business growth. For example, a report by Deloitte found that companies with more diverse leadership teams are 35% more likely to have above-average financial returns than their peers, and McKinsey & Company found that gender-diverse boards can improve shareholder value by 26%.
- An inclusive environment creates an appealing workplace culture: money isn’t the only competitive advantage when it comes to employee retention. More so now than ever, candidates are looking for a workplace culture where they feel like they can belong. In fact, Cat-Thao goes as far as saying, “people will turn down jobs that pay significantly more to be at a place where they can fulfil their potential.”
An Inclusive Workplace is not Static
When it comes to defining diversity in the workplace, organisations often resort to visual representation. As a result, there is a general assumption that a diverse workplace simply means one that has a balanced representation of specific gender, sexual orientation and racial characteristics. While these characteristics are important, Cat-Thao maintains that that is not an all-encompassing definition of what diversity really means.
Instead, Cat-Thao asserts that the definition of diversity extends far beyond it. It’s the visible and non-visible traits combined that give a candidate their unique life experience and, therefore, perspective on things that we may not be conscious about.
In the same breath, Professor Simon Darcy argues that there is a list of things employers can implement to make their company more inclusive; Simon mentions that the list isn’t necessarily static. Instead, employers need to consistently adapt and accommodate, so the list of things is dynamic and ongoing.
And as a person with a high-level spinal cord injury and a power wheelchair-user, he has an insider’s perspective on developing inclusive organisational approaches for diverse groups, including people with disabilities.
He notes that disability spaces, access and inclusion evolve. So, what was best practice 20 years ago, may not be best practice today and organisations need to keep that in mind when creating an inclusive environment for their employees.
Key Takeaways
Inclusion in the workplace should be a top priority for businesses as it has been shown to have a positive impact on employees, customers, and the bottom line. By creating an inclusive environment in your business, you can reap the benefits of a more productive, happier workforce that is better able to drive your purpose further.
For more advice on workplace culture, recruitment, inclusion in the workplace, leadership styles and retaining high-value talent, make sure to tune into the HR Think Tank with Khai Ngo.
Or, if you would like to know more about our VerifyNow’s recruitment and screening services, get in touch with us today!
When you relearn how to lead with humanity, your employees will follow suit and trust in your leadership – which is essential if you want them to perform at their best.
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