How Diversity and Inclusion is Changing Modern Workplaces

As the world becomes more aware of workplace injustices, it comes as no surprise that more and more job seekers are opting for diverse and inclusive workplaces. As a matter of fact, a CNBC survey revealed that the majority of employees (80%) want to work for a company that values diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Apart from appealing to job seekers, diversity and inclusion can also bring about a number of benefits for your company in terms of customer service and financial gain.  

Whether you are running a company that implements a full-time office, work-from-home, or hybrid work setup, diversity and inclusion can play a significant part in the success of your business. In this post, we take a closer look at how diversity and inclusion are impacting workplaces nowadays, as well as the challenges of implementing these values and how to effectively address them. 

What Is a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace?

A diverse and inclusive workplace is a work environment that welcomes workers from different backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, and age groups. In this workplace, everyone feels valued and equally involved regardless of who they are, where they're from, or what they do for the business. 

How Diversity and Inclusion is Changing Modern Workplaces

Diversity and inclusion are two of the most critical core values that businesses need to implement within their organizations. These values are crucial not only for treating employees fairly but also for fostering good relationships with stakeholders and customers. Below, we get into further detail on the benefits of diversity and inclusion one by one. 

Increases Access to Talent

If you are having difficulty finding top talent, improving the diversity and inclusion practices in your workspace is one of your best bets. Believe it or not, the International Labour Organization (ILO) notes that high levels of equality, diversity, and inclusion can be linked to talent recruitment and retention. 

When you change your recruitment processes and adopt stronger diverse, and inclusive approaches, you can broaden your search and gain access to a larger pool of potential candidates. Consequently, you get more opportunities to meet qualified applicants and hire the best talent for the job. 

Provides More Opportunities for Global Expansion

As diversity and inclusion increase your access to talents, so as the opportunities for global expansion. Businesses with a diverse and inclusive workforce can unlock growth and success by being open to applicants around the globe. Additionally, they can also tap into new markets, enhancing potential financial gains. 

Boosts Employee Engagement and Performance 

Feeling a sense of belongingness through diversity and inclusion can create more impact than you think. As a matter of fact, belonging is thought to be the most powerful predictor of the efficacy of the Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) movement. When employees feel a sense of belongingness within the organization, they don’t just tend to feel more positive but also more engaged and committed to their work. 

What’s more, by building an inclusive work environment, employees' productivity and performance also increase. As per a Gartner study, inclusive teams improve team performance by up to 30%. 

Enhances Decision-Making 

By having a diverse and inclusive workforce, companies can gain new perspectives, which can help in making decisions. Research conducted by Cloverpop, an online decision-making platform, has shown that teams with diversity make better decisions. The study noted that gender-diverse teams made better decisions compared to individual decision-makers 73% of the time. Meanwhile, teams that are composed of individuals from various age groups and geographic locations make better business decisions up to 87% of the time. 

Improves Customer Experience

In the current business landscape, brands that emphasize diversity and inclusion can position themselves as more understanding and welcoming to their customers. In addition to an improved brand image, a team composed of diverse members can provide a better customer experience as they can empathize with the different needs of customers and communicate issues more effectively. 

According to a meta survey, 59% of their respondents said that they are more loyal to brands that advocate diversity and inclusion in online advertising. 59% of the respondents also noted that they prefer to purchase from diverse and inclusive businesses in online advertising.

Helps in Achieving Positive Financial Results

As we have discussed above, employees in a diverse and inclusive workplace tend to engage and perform better, as well as provide a better customer experience. As a result, a company can expect improved financial gains. 

McKinsey’s research suggests that businesses that embrace diversity can outperform their market competitors in terms of financial performance. In particular, racial and ethnically diverse companies have a 35% higher potential to gain financial returns above their respective national industry medians. Meanwhile, gender-diverse businesses are 15% more likely to have financial returns. Another key finding to look at is from Harvard Business Review, which found that more diverse companies report 19% higher innovation revenue. 

Challenges of Implementing Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

While diversity and inclusion are ideal in a workplace, implementing them can come with challenges. Below are some challenges you may encounter. 

1. Communication gaps due to cultural or language differences 
2. Stereotypes and prejudice
3. Slower processes and decision making due to language barriers
4. Less trust 
5. Lack of consensus
   

Unfortunately, some of these are due to prejudice. It’s everyones responsibility to improve that in the workplace.

How to Improve Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

There is no denying that overcoming challenges related to improving workplace diversity and inclusion is no easy feat, but there are some ways to make progress. Below we share some tips on how to achieve this. 

1. Be respectful
2. Be understanding 
3. Be open to discussions and listen to your coworker's inputs and suggestions 
4. Implement flexible work arrangements 
5. Recognize the differences in the culture and address micro-aggressions as soon as possible
6. Support career development

Want to Simplify Processes so You Can Focus More on Diversity and Inclusion? Check Out StaffConnect 

Practicing diversity and inclusion in the workplace requires sustained effort. Unfortunately, not all companies can allot the same effort to these practices due to their demanding processes. Thankfully, there’s an app that can help simplify your processes so you can focus more on fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. 

Introducing StaffConnect, an all-in-one business management software that helps streamline processes and automate tasks. StaffConnect is designed with the latest management tools, such as calendar integration, payroll, GPS Check-In and Out functionality, a communications hub, and a lot more. Our app is dedicated to help improve your productivity, save time, as well as reduce costs. 

Eager to discover StaffConnect’s other features and functionalities? Schedule your free demo today and experience our app firsthand.