Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Best Practices for Building a Culture of Belonging
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Melissa Orozco
Our society has never been more diverse than it is today. Unlike in the past, where diversity referred to race, gender, and age, this term now includes more factors like sexual orientation, religion, education, culture, and mental conditions. In the workplace, diversity and inclusion are now huge determinants of retention rates. For instance, a WebMD survey found that 75 percent of workers would choose to work for an organization that incorporates diversity and inclusion in its culture over one that doesn’t.
When employees feel like they belong, they’re more likely to stay longer in an organization, which contributes to increased productivity, reduced hiring costs, and a highly skilled workforce. Combined, these benefits increase an organization’s competitiveness.
Now, while implementing and diversity and inclusion program is important, you must approach it strategically to ensure it achieves the best results. Here are some diversity and inclusion best practices your organization can adopt:
Involve Everyone
Your diversity and inclusion strategies can only be effective if they actually address the challenges and needs of each and every stakeholder in the organization. Therefore, you must involve all the stakeholders when creating a diversity and inclusion program.
To do this, you can do several things like holding meetings, using suggestion boxes for anonymity, or conducting surveys. Using two or more methods will guarantee you get the best results because each has its strengths and weaknesses in getting stakeholder opinion.
And if including everyone in your organization may be unachievable (especially in large firms with thousands of employees), you can use representatives for different groups.
Benchmark from Successful Organizations
If you’re just getting on building a diversity and inclusion program for your organization or have one that isn’t working, benchmarking from successful organizations can be a great start. Some tell-tale signs that an organization has a working diversity and inclusion culture include high retention rates, positive employee reviews, a diverse leadership team, etc.
However, benchmarking doesn’t mean you should copy-paste these organizations’ programs. Rather, it means finding out what they are and have done, then trying to build upon or improve based on your organization’s needs. Remember that your organization has a unique workforce and needs, so ensure you tailor your program accordingly.
Train Relevant Stakeholders
Even the most well-intentioned people have biases—mostly unbeknownst to them. Therefore, to create a culture of belonging, you must educate all stakeholders on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This means creating training workshops that sensitize employees and leaders to these and how to handle related situations effectively. Continuous training helps stakeholders eventually realize their unconscious biases and correct them.
Aim for Continuous Improvement
There will never be a point in time when you reach the perfect state of inclusion in your organization. For one, the factors involved—new gender identities, cultures, and societal changes—are constantly changing. Just look at how much society has changed in the last ten years. For instance, we now have over 100 new genders, as opposed to only having two genders not too long ago. Therefore, to ensure your organization remains inclusive over time, you must continuously assess your diversity and inclusion program and improve accordingly.
Conclusion
“People go where they feel welcome but stay where they feel valued,” goes the popular saying (or at least along those lines). So, if you want your skilled employees to stay and contribute to building your organization, you must implement diversity and inclusion.
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