9 Progressive Tips to Cultivate a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

Today, modern employees are much more aware of the diversity and inclusivity of their workplace. In fact, it’s never been easier to recognize an organization that champions these values against one that does not.

Why does this matter? 

According to a McKinsey study, respondents who feel very included in their organization are nearly three times more likely to feel excited by and committed to their organization.

Employees nowadays want to work for a company that values and respects what makes them unique. They want to feel like they can be themselves in the workplace – especially around their colleagues and managers.

As a Business Manager or HR Professional, it’s important to recognize the significance of diversity and inclusivity in your workplace. Failure to do so can easily result in low staff

In this article, we’re going to share a few important tips to help you effectively cultivate a workplace environment where everyone in your organization can feel valued and included.

1. Focus on building diversity and inclusivity into your core organizational values

Start by designing a detailed policy that outlines why your company is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, as well as how you intend to incorporate these values into your workplace culture.

Make sure that you also give your employees a chance to have their say when designing this policy. That way, you can ensure that you’re building something that truly reflects the ideals of your entire workforce – not just the management team.

Review this policy regularly to make sure it’s always serving your organization effectively.

2. Give every employee a voice

Not only is it a great idea to consult your staff when building inclusivity in your workplace, but you should also seek to open regular channels of communication that provide them with the opportunity to express themselves and converse openly about issues affecting the workplace.

Make this a safe space, free from judgment, and invite new ideas and thoughts. This will allow everyone to feel like they are being heard and included, which will lead to higher levels of job satisfaction overall.

3. Lead by example

As a Business Manager or HR Professional, you know the best way to make real change in your organization is to lead by example.

Take the opportunity to demonstrate the values of diversity and inclusivity in your everyday interactions with both employees and clients. By displaying your own commitment to the cause, you’ll start to get buy-in from more and more staff until, eventually, all levels of your organization will be committed to the same values.

4. Champion equal opportunity in your hiring process

Beyond simply celebrating diversity with your existing staff, it’s just as important to promote equal opportunity throughout the hiring process as well.

According to the same McKinsey study, 39% of all respondents said they have turned down or decided not to pursue a job because of a perceived lack of inclusion at an organization.

Make sure you put the right systems in place to ensure your hiring process focuses on skills, qualifications and experience, rather than age, background or gender. You should also make efforts to ensure that your hiring campaigns are reaching a wide range of candidates.

5. Offer diversity and inclusivity training in your workplace

The reality is that not every employee is going to understand the importance of diversity and inclusivity right away – but that’s okay.

By implementing education and training on what it means to be an inclusive workplace, you can help get your entire team on the same page and ensure everyone has a clear understanding of why your workplace is making this commitment.

6. Celebrate the holidays and occasions that are important to your staff

Everyone has their own occasions or important events that they celebrate throughout the year.

As a diverse and inclusive workplace, it’s integral to at least acknowledge the relevant important celebrations in your employees’ lives. That doesn’t mean you have to throw an office party for every celebration – just make sure these events don’t go unrecognized and that they’re celebrated in some small way.

7. Partner with other diverse and inclusive organizations

Connect and collaborate with other companies and/or charities that operate by similar values to the ones you do – diversity and inclusivity.

In doing so, you can build a valuable business partnership that can be mutually beneficial for both you and your employees – perhaps even leading to further inclusivity in your workplace.

8. Accommodate flexible working arrangements where possible

As a diverse workplace, some employees will have their own cultural or family commitments outside of work that impact their ability to be there as much as other employees.

By making flexible working arrangements available to those who need them, you can manage expectations and allow them to tend to their other responsibilities when necessary – meaning they’ll be far more likely to stay with your organization for the long term.

9. Gather feedback from your team to further cultivate a diverse and inclusive workplace

By collecting feedback from your employees, you can further improve diversity and inclusivity in your workplace for all team members to help increase staff satisfaction and boost employee retention rates.

Fortunately, there are innovative HR tech platforms like VibeCatch that make it easier for you to prepare surveys and polls for employees.

VibeCatch empowers you to actively listen to and understand your staff

In the digital age, data is king, and regularly measuring your employee engagement and well-being levels equips you with valuable insights that can enhance your work environment for everyone.

At VibeCatch, we offer the ideal way to proactively listen and communicate with your team so you can foster healthy relationships and reduce the turnover of your best employees.

Built on science, our platform collects frequent and anonymous feedback from employees and delivers an automatic and clear breakdown of the results to help you make smarter decisions for your people.