Every employee wants to feel valued and appreciated, irrespective of skin color, background, abilities, culture, or sexuality. For that to happen, business owners and leaders must implement policies that reflect the current trends in inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
The more time and effort you put into making your business one of complete inclusion and diversity, the better your staff retention levels will be and the more rewards you and your employees will reap. Here are just a few of the many diversity and inclusion trends you might like to explore for the betterment of your business.
Hiring a Diversity Expert
When you’re new to making diversity in the workplace a priority, it can be daunting to know where to begin. You want to make your team feel valued and appreciated, but you might not know what it takes to achieve that goal. Hiring a diversity professional can be the answer.
These experts look at your business as a whole and devise ways to help you create a more diverse workplace. They can assist with inclusive language, establishing processes for discrimination-related complaints, and even hosting education sessions for you and your team. With 70% of employees saying they have experienced prejudice in the workplace, it’s clear that hiring a diversity professional can be beneficial.
Supporting Mental Health
We’ve been through a lot in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge for the average person to manage, especially those navigating home-schooling and living with a reduced income due to job loss.
As a result, it has become more critical than ever for businesses to facilitate conversations with employees about their mental health. Both small and large businesses are now implementing mental health policies, educating themselves on how to broach the topic, and putting support systems in place for those who are struggling.
Having a Multigenerational Workforce
Many people continue working long after reaching retirement age, creating an interesting workplace dynamic for businesses. Some workforces now consist of up to five generations: the silent generation, baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z.
Each generation has something unique to offer, including their life experience and skillsets. While the average business might prefer to hire from a particular age group, there is evidence to suggest a diverse spread of ages can provide benefits such as more talent, better resilience, stability, and knowledge retention.
Being Transparent
Becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace can be challenging for some business owners, and it doesn’t happen overnight. However, honesty and transparency are proving helpful. By admitting that they’re not perfect and being honest about the changes they’re making, business leaders can set themselves up to earn a reputation for fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces.
Removing Unconscious Bias
Unconscious bias describes a pre-reflective idea of someone based on their color, gender, race, or something else. For example, you might assign cleaning roles in your business to women because of their traditional role as homemakers or hire a young person for a tech job, thinking they will have the most skills.
These unconscious biases can affect our relationships and even impact our decision-making skills. Fortunately, many business owners are working toward eliminating unconscious bias by assessing which biases might influence their decision-making and allowing data to guide their decisions.
It has been a wild ride for business owners in recent years, but many leaders have stepped up to the plate regarding diversity, inclusion, and equity. These trends are just a few of the many that are expected to take off as more business leaders see their value in driving growth and success in the future.