Women. Check. Different sexual orientations. Check. Disabled. Check. Visible minorities. Check. Millennials, gen-Xers and boomers. Check.
What’s next after your business meets its diversity targets in human resources? The truth is that most companies are planning backwards.
It takes more than a diverse HR score card to achieve a balanced workplace. The term you should be considering first is inclusion – an active process of integration that results in a feeling of belonging. Without a policy of inclusion, true diversity is difficult to reach.
Diversity – respect and appreciation for our differences – can only be achieved by inclusive change management.
Why should you care? Aiming for diversity and inclusion in the workplace is not just a feel-good goal; there is a positive impact on the bottom line.
In the Industrial Age, an organization’s success depended on how many widgets they produced. Now, in the knowledge era, it our ideas and thoughts that have become the widgets. For example, no matter what the field, companies are encouraged to be innovative to stay a step ahead of the competition.
That attitude in turn leads to new and better solutions followed by increased productivity, efficiency and engagement. This atmosphere of engagement is what allows organizations to attract and retain top tier talent.
Here are some points to consider:
1. Get buy-in with a business case. Organizations need to reframe their thinking and rebalance their approaches to diversity to start with an inclusion strategy. Get the leadership to rebalance goals with a focus on inclusion. Your argument can be that diversity of thought in the R&D lab or the boardroom is what fosters innovation.
2. Break down the barriers. There are plenty of barriers to including everyone in the workplace. Some are as obvious as a lack of ramps or elevators for people in wheelchairs or positioning a desk near a washroom. Some are not as obvious, such as a lack of same-sex partner benefits. Accommodating a new employee’s needs can be as simple as providing a different computer keyboard.
3. Foster inclusive leadership and reach consumers. In today’s business landscape, inclusive leadership is what drives organizational effectiveness. Brand recognition is not enough to win and keep consumers. If your team truly mirrors Canadian society, you are on the way to reframing and redefining how you do business. Decision makers need to find a way to shift and change with it or get left behind.
4. Revisit organizational policies on talent management. Organizations need to infuse inclusive behaviours even before employees are hired. It all starts in the recruitment cycle; and changes to where and how they source talent can impact future work attitudes. A company’s orientation procedures for new employees can guide inclusion. Follow up with training, recognition, engagement and retention strategies that are inclusive.
5. Create awareness through education and measurement. Take advantage of the many tools and workshops available. For example, the Conference Board of Canada, along with the Ontario government, has produced a free employers’ toolkit, a resource that includes sample case studies and templates on making the workplace more accessible. Keep a focused approach on a balanced scorecard that measures both inclusion and diversity.
With Canada’s future growth in population mainly coming from immigration, combined with the flattening of the global economy, organizations will be forced to focus on their most valuable assets: people. What will differentiate organizations of the future is their ability to not only attract the best and the brightest talent, but to take advantage of the diversity that each one brings to the table. The power of knowledge and the willingness to explore new options is what will separate the top tier organizations and result in a positive impact on the final output. •
