Inclusion
An inclusive workplace means everyone feels valued at work. It lets all employees feel safe to:
- Come up with different ideas
- Raise issues and suggestions to managers, knowing this is encouraged
- Try doing things differently to how they’ve been done before, with management approval
All evidence proves that organisations focused on building a more inclusive culture attract and retain a wider diversity of talent. The inclusive culture then empowers diverse talent to think differently and share their experiences and perspectives, which in turn is a key driver for innovation, development and engagement.
Inclusive cultures enable our colleagues to do things differently, working in ways that suit them, with flexible working patterns to ensure their life-work balance is healthy and that they are able to deliver their best for their organisation.
Reputation
With big companies now having to publicly disclose their gender pay gap data, and the drive for more inclusive workplaces increasing, introducing diversity drives into hiring decisions can improve your chances of acquiring the best staff. If you have proven success in hiring diverse candidates into senior roles, it can have a visual impact on those checking your company out before choosing to apply for a job.
It can also improve integration for new starters if they can see diversity throughout the business. Word travels fast in the modern world — especially through social media and review channels like Glassdoor. Get your diversity right, and your employer brand will strengthen significantly.
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New Markets
When you introduce people into your teams with different social, geographical and cultural
backgrounds, you instantly get a new knowledge-base for potential new markets. The business economy is becoming increasingly globalised. Whether you’re looking to open up your markets to working-class Welsh communities, translating your core message into Hungarian, or expanding operations to New Zealand, hiring a more diverse team will give you the core skills you need to push your business forward.
Why pay through the nose for a questionable standard translator when your in-house copywriter writes in three languages? Why employ separate language telesales operatives when you can hire staff who are multilingual? There are other advantages too. Having multiple nationalities and cultural backgrounds within your business can make it more appealing, modern and relatable to the outside world.
If these were not incentives enough, don’t forget that your business has a legal obligation to support certain equality and diversity objectives. In the UK, the 2010 Equality Act replaced a whole raft of legislation, including the Equal Pay Act 1970, Sex Discrimination Act 1995, Race Relations Act 1976, Disability Discrimination Act 1995, Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003, Employment Equality (Religion & Belief) Regulations 2007, Age Discrimination Act 2006, Equality Act 2006 Part 2 and Sexual Orientation Regulations 2007. If you want to find out more, visit https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/. In the U.S., obligations include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you want to find out more, visit: https://ca.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/0-376-2317?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true
Therefore, having a workplace that emboldens diversity, equality and inclusion will lead to a positive impact on the success of your business.