‘Diversity in the workplace’ refers to a circumstance in a professional setting that consists of employees with different characteristics, such as race, language, age, religion, education, personal upbringing, skills, etc.
Companies often strive to build and sustain a diverse workplace, but it can get tricky to foster an environment free of biases. Evolve Communities’ Diversity and Inclusion Training in Australia is a program that teaches teams about cultural awareness, helping workplaces become more open and, in turn, enjoy the benefits of a diverse setting.
Why Foster Diversity in the Workplace
How does cultural diversity impact different areas of work? A diverse workplace poses benefits both within and outside of a business. It boosts employee engagement and productivity, which in turn may increase revenue, reduce employee turnover, and improve brand reputation. Here are some reasons why you should actively foster diversity in your workplace:
Higher Employee Engagement
Diversity in the workplace welcomes a variety of different perspectives, which opens the floor up to new discoveries and innovative ideas that may bring a refreshing level of excitement within teams. A diverse workplace also has an underlying inclusive culture, and when each employee feels included in the professional setting, they’re more likely to be engaged in their work and motivated to contribute to the company’s well-being.
Increased Sales and Revenues
With higher employee engagement comes boosted productivity within a workplace, and when all heads of a team are working together towards a common goal, it’s inevitable to see an increase in sales, revenues, and conversions. Even the numbers show it–diverse workplaces often have profits at a higher percentage versus the average in the country.
Less Employee Turnover
In diverse workplaces, employees feel accepted and truly part of a team, so they’re less likely to leave, reducing overall employee turnover. The high retention rate will make your company a coveted place to work, attracting better candidates in higher volumes for future openings.
Improved Brand Reputation
People care about the culture of the brands they support. When a company maintains diversity, they’re showing that they’re socially responsible and that they have an energy of openness that also extends to their clientele. Diverse workplaces can cater to a wider market, and will always have a good reputation that gives them a competitive edge.
How to Build a Diverse Workplace
When tackling the question, “What is diversity in the workplace?” it’s crucial to discuss the concept of inclusion, as well. Diversity and inclusion are two faces of the same coin. For a workplace to be diverse, it must be inclusive.
Inclusion is the first step to achieving diversity in a work environment, and it can be achieved by fostering a space in which every person in a company feels valued and is given an equal opportunity to grow professionally. Here are some steps you can take towards inclusion that can help you build diversity in the workplace:
Create a Diversity Strategy
Achieving diversity in the workplace takes a lot of planning and hard work, and usually happens over time. To ensure that you’re working towards the right direction, be sure to create a strategy with goals.
This way, you have concrete action plans that you can implement slowly. A great start is to enrol in a diversity and inclusion training course, like the one offered by Evolves Community.
Hire with an Inclusive Mindset
A diverse workplace is generally characterised by the people who work there, as well as the amount of freedom they have to express themselves as they truly are. Review your current hiring practices and fix parts that could be preventing you from hiring from a more diverse talent pool.
Open Communication within the Company
Communication is an important aspect of the workplace, but it’s especially crucial in a diverse workplace because it’s the primary channel for connection between persons of different backgrounds. Always encourage your employees to be open with one another.
Proactively Resolve Diversity Issues
Working towards diversity in the workplace will present its fair share of hardships. It’s not that easy to break existing biases and prejudices and tackle problems related to discrimination and personal differences.
Be ready to address any big issues by proactively nipping any potential conflicts in the bud. If a problem arises, find a resolution quickly and create policies to ensure that they won’t occur again.
The Importance of Workplace Diversity
Diversity in the workplace benefits all, and while its advantages are enough reason to work for it, striving for workplace diversity is also a giant leap towards a better future. Leap forward to a more open and inclusive workplace by enrolling in Evolve Communities Diversity and Inclusion training.
