Diversity and Inclusion Within the Workforce

Did you know that diverse teams see an improvement in their performance by up to 30%? Yet only 40% of employees agree that their management teams foster an inclusive environment. Diversity and inclusion can be deciding factors when recruiting and retaining top talent. 

Let’s explore some of the benefits of diversity and inclusion and how you can adapt these into your workplace. 

Diversity and inclusion can be characterised as organisation’s effort, policies and practises which ensure different groups of individuals of different backgrounds are accepted, welcomed and given the same opportunities within the workplace. An organisation which is aiming to integrate diversity and inclusion will employ a diverse team of individuals who reflect the society in which it operates.  

Benefits of diversity and inclusion within the workforce can: 

• Increase your talent pool 

• Increase overall performance 

• Strengthen the trust of your employees and improve overall retention rate 

• Provide new perspectives and encourage innovation 

• Improve decision-making 

Widen your talent pool 

Expanding your talent search to more diverse candidates increases your chances of finding the most suitable candidate. 

67% of workers consider diversity when seeking future employment. Expand your search and utilise social media platforms, vacancy email notifications and third-party platforms. The right candidate might be closer thank you think! 

Improve performance 

Organisations with significantly more ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to outperform competitors. Additional study found that diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture new markets.  

Now, this mechanism is proven to work at all levels. Examine how diverse your senior team is and work from the top down. 

Strengthen employee trust 

Employee trust has a huge knock-on effect on boosted team moral leading to employee dedication to not only the organisation but to their line management.   

Mental health is high on the agenda for both millennials and Gen Z audiences which increases significantly within people who work in a diverse workplace. Consider how your organisation supports its employees as this will also improve employee retention rate. 

New perspectives 

Diverse workforce equals diverse ideas.  The Harward Business Review found a significant correlation between diversity and innovation outcomes.  A diverse workforce is also better equipped in finding gaps in the market as well as generating new ideas.  

Better decision making 

Can a diverse workforce provide better, more profitable decision making? The short answer is yes. According to Forbes, inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time.  

Different perspectives, experiences, education and talent are just some of the perks of a diverse workforce. 

So, how can you encourage inclusion and diversity within your organisation? 

• Begin at the recruitment stages. Encourage a bias-free screening process. You can remove a candidate’s name or education from their application to give everyone an equal opportunity. Consider third party platforms which allow you to recruit bias-free. 

• Celebrate diverse holidays and important dates for different employee groups 

• Hold webinars and sessions addressing diversity within the workplace and how employees can support each other 

• Revise your employee value proposition and your organisation’s mission statement 

Our brains are wired to seek out familiarity and bias plays a significant part in the recruitment process. Cross examine your recruitment process and identify areas where you can select candidates bias free. Find ways to support your team and encourage healthy conversations addressing diversity. 

For more information on bias free interview processes click here!