The world is continuously moving towards better diversity and inclusion in the workplace. A survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reveals that 57% of recruiters utilize talent acquisition strategies developed to attract diverse candidates. However, diversity and inclusion in the workplace are not only about recruitment. To create a truly diverse workforce and an inclusive culture, organizations must use a holistic approach by implementing proven best practices.
Here are a couple of tips you can use to achieve diversity and inclusion:
Executive commitment and ownership
HR leaders need to create D&I programs with executive support to make lasting change. Through leadership commitment, organizations can ensure that D&I initiatives can rise to the level of priority required to affect change.
Leadership needs to focus on framing the story. Does your company’s workforce reflect your market’s diversity and interests? HR can develop awareness for diversity and inclusion and impose policies to improve factors from diverse candidate recruitment to employee involvement in an inclusive company culture.
However, only executive leaders can make it personal. They can establish flexibility for working requirements, compensation of diverse employees, or succession planning. They can develop and approve communications to employees, prospective customers, and investors. They can set the goals and create the mandate necessary to kickstart the change.
Transforming expectations
Clear objectives create results-driven initiatives. Executive leadership needs to be accountable for attaining change, whether in the percentage of varied groups progressing to higher roles over a given timeframe or favorable result in a compensation audit across the organization. As the leadership works with HR and lines of business, they can categorize objectives, share the vision, and share activities that will bring change.
Identify goals and metrics
For diversity and inclusion programs, relevant metrics are vital to ensure accountability, supporting and cultivating activity, and driving impact.
Diversity is measured through headcount, while inclusion is focused attention. There’s a wealth of data that can be tracked, and that data can aid companies in identifying and addressing employee issues. A holistic look at metrics and the data that can be gathered across the employee life cycle will give a good picture of where the issues lie.
The data collected will regulate the D&I strategy’s direction. Assessing the proportion of different nationalities in a given location and market and comparing it to its mix will show some gaps. This approach applies to all levels and types of diversity, including age, ethnicity, gender, nationality, and religion. Legal counsel advice is crucial as you collect data since laws vary across states and countries.
Build a sense of belonging
A sense of belonging enables employees to put in their best effort. It’s one of the most crucial psychological needs that must be met for employees to feel connected with both the employer and their organization.
Fairness is a significant consideration for employees to feel accepted and valued. Biased salaries and benefits packages for employees from diverse backgrounds will lack diversity and poor workplace culture.
There is a significant growth opportunity for businesses that champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Not only is it a primary factor that will attract and keep talent within your company, but it will also lead to increased productivity and ultimately more profit.
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