7 Tips for making a workplace diverse and inclusive

The flame of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) has been burning bright with people, businesses, and governing bodies alike acknowledging the socially oriented approach. For instance, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently announced steps to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) at the agency. The space agency appointed Steve Shih as the (agency’s) first Diversity Ambassador and Elaine Ho as the next associate administrator for the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. NASA’s announcement is just one example of the growing emphasis on DE&I-focused initiatives on the global level.

As per a report by LinkedIn, 78% of global talent acquisition leaders and hiring managers assert diversity as the top trend affecting their hiring strategies. The growing emphasis has eventually increased the demand for diverse talent and diverse staffing solutions across industries. But what is driving this demand? The answer is simple.

Importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace 

Having a diversity-focused and inclusive culture benefits an organization in multiple ways. Diverse talent brings in new perspectives that enhance problem-solving abilities and improves the decision-making of the team. Diverse and inclusive teams manifest better employee engagement, higher revenues, increased innovation, and a productive work environment.

For instance, as per multiple studies –

1. Diverse teams are 87% better at decision-making.
2. Companies that are diverse are 70% more likely to capture new markets.
3. Companies with an inclusive culture are 1.7X more likely to be innovative.
4. Companies with an inclusive culture get 2.3X more cash flow per employee.

A culture of diversity and inclusion in workplaces also helps an organization hire and retain top talent and skilled employees. A Deloitte report suggests that 83% of millennials are actively engaged when they believe the organization fosters an inclusive culture. Moreover, diverse and inclusive workplaces are known to have 5.4X higher employee retention. But how do you make a workplace diverse and inclusive?
Let’s discuss it in detail.

Tips for making the workplace diverse and inclusive

Making a workplace diverse and inclusive takes a lot more than just developing policies and programs. Everyone working at an organization should take an equal share of responsibility to foster a work culture that is welcoming, endorses respect, and values each employee irrespective of color, religion, gender, ethnicity, or nationality. Here are some important tips you should consider-

1. Get leadership buy-in
   Encouraging a sense of belonging in the workplace starts from the top with C-suite and leadership teams. The influence of leaders in an organization is paramount, and they are the biggest allies when it comes to building a diverse and inclusive culture. The culture of diversity and inclusiveness starts at the top and echoes throughout the organization. If the leadership does not comprehend the idea of a DEI-backed culture, the efforts will probably go in vain. Thus, the primary step to building a diverse and inclusive culture is to get leadership buy-in. Offering DE&I-specific training at the C-suite level is one great idea to pitch the importance of having diverse and inclusive workplaces.
2. Optimize recruitment strategy
   Building a recruitment strategy to source diverse talent is paramount for making a workplace diverse and inclusive. For instance, your recruitment strategy should emphasize developing inclusive job descriptions, conducting unbiased interviews, ensuring a strong onboarding process, and broadening talent search by collaborating with minority institutions. Hiring from a heterogenous talent pool not only makes a workplace diverse and inclusive but also brings value and future success to the organization.
3. Integrate inclusiveness in core values
   Organizational core values are vital for mitigating bottlenecks and empowering (organization) growth. The set of principles is the bedrock of your organization’s existence and defines its culture. Thus, to foster a sense of belongingness at the workplace, it is crucial to integrate diversity and inclusiveness into your core values. Your core values light up the way for employees and guide them to succeed in achieving goals.
4. Value and celebrate the uniqueness
   Many talented employees leave their jobs if they experience trouble in being their authentic selves at a workplace and look for alternatives where they feel valued. Almost 75% of the employees are likely to switch their job to a more diverse workplace. Thus, you must have a culture that values uniqueness and makes the employees feel connected. An organization should make the workplace welcoming – a place where employees can feel free to express themselves and communicate their ideas. For instance, build a culture that acknowledges and honors multiple religious and cultural practices. Celebrate all festivals and make people feel valued. These small gestures speak volumes!
5. Ensure pay equality
   Let’s be honest, despite significant efforts to bridge the gender gap, pay inequality (still) persists in many organizations. For instance, a report by Harvard Business Review suggests that women in 2022 earned 17% less than men on average. This is a major bottleneck, especially when you want to eliminate gender bias from your organization. Thus, organizations must address the issues and promote pay equality. It goes a long way in hiring and retaining female talent and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion based on trust.
6. Be sensitive in your communication
   Communication is one important aspect that can either make or break a team. Thus, make sure that your communication strategy is effective and inclusive. For instance, plan to have personalized one-on-one conversations regularly with your employees. It motivates the employees to speak their minds honestly and builds mutual trust. Moreover, keep a look at your company documentation and optimize the language to make it more equitable.
7. Train everyone in the organization
   Lastly, make sure you provide training focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion to the employees. This could be through exclusive strategic training programs, microlearning initiatives, e-learning opportunities, or mentoring sessions. The training helps employees understand the impact of cultural differences on work and interactions. It also raises awareness about the nuances of diversity and inclusion and encourages employees to embrace them.

Over the last couple of years, organizations have started stressing the importance of building diverse and inclusive workplaces. The issue of diverse workplaces has become more visible than ever. In fact, the workforce of tomorrow – Generation Z – is deemed the most diverse generation in U.S. history. DE&I is one of the top trends in the staffing industry and is gradually becoming a prominent concern in the whole corporate world.

How can Pyramid Consulting, Inc. help?

Pyramid Consulting is an Intentionally Inclusive global staffing company that helps customers build diverse and inclusive workplaces. Client value-driven is one of our core values that compels us to define our success by making our end customers and consultants successful. We provide diverse staffing solutions and facilitate a pipeline of diverse talent to assist you to meet your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) specific goals. Combining our intentionally inclusive commitment with DEI staffing expertise, we help you to foster a workplace that favors diversity in thoughts, experiences, and representation.

At Pyramid Consulting, we are intentionally putting DE&I into action through programs, initiatives, and partnerships. Our DEI practice is building upon our intentionally inclusive efforts around diversity recruiting, employee and contingent staffing engagement, and community impact across the entire company portfolio. Our unique diversity-first program GenSpark is focused on upskilling diverse candidate pools to close the talent gap in tech. For instance, many GenSpark graduates are already recasting the workforce for our customers. Here are some interesting statistics –

1. GenSpark graduates have a 93% retention rate with corporate clients.
2. 90% of trained candidates land a job through the GenSpark program.
3. 108 of the Fortune 500 companies hire from GenSpark.
4. 75% of GenSpark graduates are from underrepresented groups

Pyramid Consulting is the ultimate talent provider that can help you put diversity into action. We ensure supreme talent satisfaction, continuous client support, and increase the diverse representation in talent pools by 80%.

Contact us today if you are looking to make your workplace diverse and inclusive!