Support Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) in your workplace! A study found that organisations with diverse workforces had a 19% higher innovation revenue. This can help companies better serve their customer base, reach new business markets, and gain a competitive advantage.
Diversity of backgrounds brings a diversity of thought. Here’s why that matters:
Diversity creates innovation
A diverse workforce can offer a variety of perspectives that can support breakthroughs in creative and innovative ideas. That’s why more diverse teams can outperform by 46%. But diverse workforces can only thrive if you support inclusivity within your workforce, so create an environment where employees won’t feel the need to conform. 83% of employees revealed they felt empowered and engaged in the workplace when they believed their company fostered an authentically inclusive culture.
75% of employees feel it’s vital that their company promotes workplace ED&I. That’s because working in an environment that promotes ED&I can help your employees feel a sense of belonging and become happier within their roles.
Belonging is what allows employees to be their authentic selves without the fear of any discrimination or different treatment. It enables the workforce to feel valued within the organisation and that their work makes an impact on the success of the company, no matter the differences between team members. Happier employees are more likely to be 13% more productive in their day-to-day roles, promoting creativity and, in turn, higher chances of success for the business.
Your employees’ happiness will reflect in their work as engagement increases. Employees will thrive in their job roles, and your organisation will see significant levels of creativity and productivity because they want the company to succeed!
What can you do?
Tackle discrimination and biases
61% of workers have witnessed or experienced discrimination in the workplace based on age, race, gender, or LGBTQ+ identity. This can keep employees from bringing their authentic selves to work, hindering innovation, creativity, and teamwork.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) must go hand in hand. Communicate the importance of both to your team and set expectations through a Code of Conduct. Discuss your ED&I goals and progress throughout the employee lifecycle, including during recruitment, employee onboarding and team meetings. Everyone should be clear that ED&I is a priority and that discrimination will not be tolerated.
Want to understand more about how to tackle biases and how to recognise unconscious biases at work? Check out our Unconscious Bias course.
Recognise pronouns
The correct use of terminology is essential to communicate respect and to create a space for dialogue for non-binary and transgender team members. And this is easy to implement within your organisation.
Provide the opportunity for non-binary and trans people to communicate their pronouns by allowing all employees to use their pronouns in things such as company profiles and email signatures. It’s such small changes that have huge impacts on someone’s self-esteem and belonging. Encouraging everyone to do the same – but not enforcing it – is another great way to avoid ‘othering’ people who choose to highlight their pronouns.
Everybody is human – it’s easy enough to say the wrong name in a busy workplace, and sometimes you may get somebody’s pronouns wrong. Try to adopt gender-neutral language for those who haven’t shared their preferred pronouns. However, if you have used the wrong pronoun by mistake, apologise, correct yourself, and remember for future communication.
Create a safe space
A TotalJobs Survey of 410 trans people showed that 65% continue to hide or disguise their gender identity at work, compared to 52% in 2016.
Change this statistic for your organisation! Create a safe space for people so that they know they have someone to talk to, whether as a group or in a completely private and confidential 1:1. Some may be open, and others may not want to talk, but respecting both is absolutely crucial.
Creating an inclusive and safe space is a way to ensure that your people know that if they want to talk, they can. It’s not always easy to speak to family or friends, and talking to colleagues may not always be the obvious choice, but if they know their workplace supports them from the outset, it can bring great comfort.
Not only is it important to provide a safe space to talk, but it’s also essential to have facilities that are available to all. Gender-neutral toilets are a great way to show your people that you care about them and want them to know they’re safe at work. Gendered bathrooms can make a day in the office uncomfortable for some of your people. But by providing an inclusive environment, you’ll encourage happier working lives for your people.
Educate, educate, educate
Education doesn’t just finish at school. Courses are a great way to spread awareness amongst your workforce about particular issues, to help them gain greater understanding, and also know how they can support their peers.
Our Unconscious Bias Course helps your people understand these biases, tips on how to uncover and challenge personal biases, and the impact on peers and customers.
Our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Course teaches how to discuss equity and diversity issues confidently, identify discrimination, and articulate the benefits of diverse perspectives.
Find out more about our engaging and interactive courses here.
Written by Claire Moloney Claire is an enthusiastic and meticulous content writer whose passion is to support growth and continual learning for everyone.
