Your company now has a diverse workforce that includes people of different ages and ethnicities, owing to the efforts of your HR department. You should take pride in being able to find and hire people from a diverse variety of backgrounds and traits. You will, however, face the challenge of creating an inclusive work environment.
The objective is to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. Bringing in new employees is a significant investment, and if they are not happy, it doesn’t amount to anything. So, the question remains, how to create an inclusive workplace?
No need to be worried. This article will discuss how businesses and HR can create an inclusive workplace for employees from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Let’s dive in.
Why is promoting inclusion in the workplace crucial?
An open-minded approach can help people in positions of leadership, staff, and even business partners.
Trust in the fairness of treatment for all employees, regardless of color, gender, sexual orientation, or age, increases productivity. In addition, a diverse workforce is also more likely to stick around if the workplace is inclusive.
• In 2018, more diversified organizations reported a 19% boost in innovation revenue.
• Profitability increased by 43 % with diverse boards.
• A diverse workforce is 35% more likely to produce above-average revenues.
• When teams are diverse, decision-making improves by 87 percent.
Here’s how to create an inclusive workplace
Now that you know why being more inclusive at work is essential, let’s look at ways to be more inclusive.
Engage with your employees
The first step toward being more inclusive at work is to set a good example.
So, we’d like you to think about your current relationships with your coworkers. Do you think how you handle your coworkers helps them to open up to you?
You can only create an inclusive workplace by making everyone feel like they can openly communicate with you. Begin by attempting to develop authentic, personal relationships with your co-workers is the first step in fostering an inclusive culture. Don’t make assumptions about other people’s lives; instead, allow them to open up to you.
Be careful that this method may result in awkward discussions. Not everyone is willing to take a more accepting stance. Because these talks are so essential, you must be well-prepared for them by being conscious of your prejudices and prepared to defend them even when others try to refute them.
Try listening to your workforce.
It’s half the battle won when you try to make your employees feel a sense of belonging. They’ll be much more motivated to give it their all at the workplace if they see how much effort you’re putting in recognizing and appreciating every one of them.
And what about the other stats we talked about earlier? While analyzing your company’s progress and outcomes, you may come across them. And your employee retention will soar because who would want to quit a firm that has included one of its fundamental beliefs?
Create a council to create an inclusive work environment
You’ve secured C-suite backing; now consider the stakeholders and key players who can assist in bringing your company’s inclusive culture to life. People interested in making the world a better place should participate in this endeavor.
They’ll also oversee bringing new ideas to the top and collaborating with you and other departments to implement and communicate change. A specialized council is essential for a geographical location (if you have multiple locations), job type, and other factors. When addressing potential members, though, be respectful. Nobody should be treated as a “token.”
Some of your employees may have yet to adjust to the fact that they’re not exactly like the rest of the squad. Enabling employee resource groups is an excellent method to deal with this.
Create council groups based on the answers to an anonymous survey to help your employees improve their self-esteem and learn new skills.
Involve the top management
Your executive team will be your strongest ally in promoting inclusion in the workplace. A lack of C-suite support will make it harder for your firm to foster diversity.
Teach the importance of diversity and inclusion to your company’s top executives. This entails delivering diversity and inclusion training to the C-suite (D&I). You must provide a safe place for your leaders to ask uncomfortable or humiliating questions “behind the curtain” as part of the process.
Then, when top management is confident and onboard, they will be an effective foundation for creating an honest, welcoming tone.
Bonus: 5 Ways to Transform Work Culture In Your Organization
Highlight the attention
As humans, we change something only when we find that it is no longer working for us. When it comes to transforming the work culture of your organization, make sure you impart the message loud and clear.
Understand what is not working for you and convey to the organizations that it needs to change. For example, change the attributes that belong to the old company culture, including pay scales, meeting rituals, workspace, etc. Also, let go of the people that bring toxicity to the organization, no matter how top-performing individuals they might be.
Be motivational
One of the fundamental qualities of positive work culture is motivation. Understand the motivation theory and make a point not to apply a one size fits all approach. Not all employees are the same, which is why you can’t have the same incentive for everyone. It’s analogous to treating them like rats in a maze.
Modern workplaces are far more diverse and require different sets of motivations for different employees. Initiate a talk with the leadership along with employee groups to understand the different motivations of employees and how they can be made more appealing.
Build foundations on trust and goodwill
It is up to the managers in a workplace to create a culture of reliability, trust, and goodwill among the employees. One of the best things to do is to invest in your employees, with long-term goals in mind.
For example, you can provide them with training and education, health benefits, or invest in their personal goals. This will induce a feeling of autonomy among the employees and make them more connected to the organization.
Create a New Infrastructure for Change
When you’re trying to transform your company culture, make sure you have a new infrastructure that monitors and sustains it. Infrastructural changes are the easiest to make and can help in aligning performance management with your new values. Keep monitoring the progress and informing your employees about the same.
Communicate Effectively
Make sure you communicate effectively with the employees in your organization. Share your vision and goals with them and make them understand and believe why they fit in your organization. Reinforcing your message and expectations helps in making them understand how their contributions shape the outlook of the workplace.
Conclusion
Consider diversity as picking many people from a wide range of artistic experiences, capabilities, and talents. Ensuring that everyone’s opinions are recognized and considered creates an inclusive work environment. An organization’s success is enhanced when it allows employees who are different from one other to thrive.
Now that you know how to create an inclusive workplace, use the insights and instill them in your organization’s core beliefs. Only then can you develop an engaging and productive workforce.
Here’s Springworks’ Culture Manifesto for your company. Just click on the below button.
Feel free to go through it, share it with your team-mates or folks higher up in your company. Also, put this on your to-do list if you don’t already have a list of values.
Originally published on December 27, 2021 2:00 PM, updated May 23 2022
