We are moving towards a more globalised ecosystem which catalyses the need for inclusive and diversified workplaces. An organisation that realises this and acts on it swiftly will have a competitive edge in the marketplace today. This is more evident in today’s global marketplace, where we tend to interact more often with clients from various cultures.
A diversified workplace raises the level of creativity, leading to increased productivity. For instance, employees from different backgrounds can bring in a variety of solutions to the desk to achieve a common goal.
Candidates today are drawn more towards companies that provide them with an atmosphere of inclusivity and diversity. Some of strategies that promote diversity at a workplace are:
Hiring stage
Bringing diversity into the hiring process creates a gateway for a more diversified workforce and is an essential component of any strategic management plan. Diversity in a workplace just doesn’t happen. It requires a lot of predetermined and deliberate thought process. For example, if a qualified pool of candidates does not match the needs of one’s diverse clients, it is probably time to go beyond the traditional method of hiring.
Leadership team
For a business to succeed, the need for diversity in the leadership team is of utmost importance.
If this is ensured, challenges such as stereotyping and preconceptions of roles and abilities at the workplace can be overcome. Diversity in leadership team creates a strong foundation for employees to be motivated and work effectively in various demographics, encouraging a two-way communication process for feedback.
From the employees’ perspective, this gives a sense of belonging and recognition.
Mentoring programmes
Mentoring programmes can help employees come together and address problems by educating themselves on cultural bias and prejudices and therefore, becoming more sensitive to each other’s preferences. Mentoring programmes must go beyond just acknowledging the differences in people. Organisations must establish and maintain mentoring training programmes on a regular basis to make an impact on each individual’s behavior at the workplace.
Equal employment policy
Developing and implementing equal employment policy is an effective step towards nurturing equality and anti-discrimination at workplace. It gives a sense of personal worth and well-being among employees in an organisation. This in turn increases the level of commitment, satisfaction and loyalty towards the employer. Equal employment opportunity is also a beneficial way of attracting a diverse labour force into an organisation.
Appraisal programmes
When we talk about employee retention and fairness at workplace, organisations must consider a transparent procedure in terms of performance and appraisal programmes that are non-discriminatory. Also, consistent and frequent evaluation programmes give an understanding of whether or not employees are meeting expectation levels at work.
Here’s how some of these strategies can be implemented:
Encouraging employees to work in diverse groups helps in bringing innovative processes and creative ideas to the workplace. For example, diverse perspectives can help an organisation interact with potential clients globally in terms of developing a pitch or preparing a presentation that is more suited to their needs and approach.
(Thammaiah B.N. is managing director at Kelly Services India)
