Companies are always striving to challenge and improve their workplace diversity. It takes focus, time, and investment – but there are ways to approach it that make the task much easier and better.
Businesses can massively benefit from creating a varied workplace, from output to innovation. Here are five ways you can do this in your company:
Create a decision-making team
A Forbes study conducted over two years and with over 600 businesses found that those with inclusive teams make better business decisions 87% of the time. This being said, creating a decision-making team to hire people not only helps boost inclusion in the company, but also increases your chances of diversifying your company in a less-forced way, steadily and with the help of employees. The same Forbes study found that these teams outperform individual decision-makers 66% of the time. Forming boards and teams throughout the business is a great way of integrating employees and encouraging discussions and better work relations.
Educate employees and managers
It’s imperative to make sure that managers understand the importance of creating a diverse workplace through their hiring and management of the employees. They are the primary point of contact between the C-Suite and workers; managers are the first people to go to when talking about developing a more diverse workforce.
Assessments of facilities need to take place, as well as ways to celebrate a varied work structure for employees. According to Josh Bersin research, a leading industry analyser, inclusive companies are 1.7 times more likely to be classed as innovative and a leader in their field. This starts with management.
Build diversity-friendly workforce policies
The best way to diversify your workforce is to make people feel comfortable and happy working for you. A good way to do this is to allow employees to take work off for religious holidays that may not be associated with the company as standard, as well as have some flexibility with hours so that employees feel like they are welcome in what is being promoted as a culturally diverse company.
Mentorship programs
Mentoring is a great way of ensuring that everyone in the company has the opportunity to advance in the business. Employees with high potential should be offered mentors who will guide them in learning key skills and elevating them through the company. This way you can take on a larger range of workers from a diverse background and develop the top prospects, hopefully creating more diverse departments at every level of the company.
Ask employees for referrals
A great way to get on new talent from different backgrounds, races or age is to ask for referrals from employees. Tell the employees that you are looking for an individual who has a set of skills and are willing and ready to pick up more. Including them in the process expands your recruitment net and can help find those hidden talents that help to diversify your workforce.