Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Most of us agree that diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace are ‘a good thing’. This is such a commonly accepted point of view that it’s become almost trite, bordering on meaningless.  You might assume that to have diversity across gender, age, race, culture, attitudes and skill sets amongst your employees is a good thing because … well, everyone knows it’s a good thing.

However, study the issue more closely and we discover there are several sound business reasons for recruiting a team comprising a variety of mindsets, personalities and traits.

Research shows that with a fully diverse workforce, your firm will have a 35% greater chance of success than your less diverse competitors.

There are at least five good reasons why you should build diversity, equality and inclusion into your recruitment strategy.

1. Stronger Applicants

With a diverse workforce, you’ll find that when you do recruit, your organisation will appeal to far more candidates.

Candidates will be attracted to an employer that adopts a contemporary ethos – a modern, forward-looking vision for its employees.

For the same reasons, a diverse workforce will ensure far greater staff retention.

2. Greater worldwide opportunities

If your business is international, or you’re planning to expand globally, having appropriately diverse staff in key positions will be critical.  You won’t want language difficulties to be any kind of a barrier to client relations.

Employees who are fluent in the languages of your target markets will be key.

3. More talents, skills and experience

The more people you take on from a variety of backgrounds, the more likely your business is to benefit from the inherent diversity of skillsets.

Of course, your employees will have some similar traits and experiences.  But, there’s always the probability that each will bring at least one unique skill or element of experience to your team.  This could manifest itself as a fresh approach to marketing, to client relations or a new process.  Whatever they contribute that’s fresh, they will pass on to their colleagues, enabling them to develop and thus further increase the strength of your organisation.

4. Improved individual performances

The success, or otherwise, of your organisation will be down to various factors.  Chief among these is the chemistry between your individual team members.  Without a diverse and inclusive mix, it will be much tougher to have everyone pulling in the same direction.

A team with a diverse balance, believing in the same business ethos, will be more likely to be working for each other for their mutual benefit and for that of the business.

To make the process of finding the right employee a bit easier, you should ask certain interview questions which will highlight a person’s teamwork abilities.

5. Innovation

With a variety of diverse employee types and skill sets, your organisation will, almost by definition, be open to innovation – new ideas and approaches, which will is likely to lead to growth and increased prosperity.

Diversity will push every employee to strive for better things and encourage them to excel.

Achieving diversity – talk to the specialists

Diversity, equality and inclusion starts with your workplace ethos and evolves into your recruitment practices. Your first step is to talk to us.  We’ll help you to identify the gaps that need filling in order to achieve a healthy and diverse employee mix.

As experts in Employee Engagement & Retention, we understand the complexities of workplace dynamics. We appreciate the value of a strong company ethos and how vital it is for you to build a team that buys into that ethos – with every employee bringing their own strengths and skill-sets to the party.

For straight-talking advice on all aspects of HR, call us – 01604 763494