10 Ways Embracing DE&I Takes Your Business to the Next Level

I totally get the skepticism that some people have of Diversity and Inclusion. It’s often treated as just another force fed training for many employees.

 Sometimes it treats white men like they’re all racists who fell into their success without working hard for what they have.

 You get shown some videos, you feel forced to say all the “right” things during “team building” exercises, and you walk out thinking that it was a complete waste of time and money.

 Many of the people running the programs are overly academic and can’t relate to the day-to-day grind of a real workplace.

 It’s hard. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable.

 I understand all of that.

 But you have to get this right.

 Your company's future absolutely depends on getting this right.

These are just 10 ways that embracing Diversity and Inclusion takes your business to the next level.

 Higher Employee Retention

Companies that embrace Diversity and Inclusion tend to keep their employees for a longer time. When your employees feel like they can be their true selves and have their differences celebrated, they end up staying around. Seeing their co-workers being treated the same way has the same effect.

The average employee only stays at a company for about three years, and the cost of replacing him is a small fortune. Being able to keep your employees for longer adds all kinds of value to your operations and your bottom line.

 Happier Employees

 “I don’t care if my employees are happy, as long as they’re productive.” I’ve heard that statement a lot from leaders during my military career. Trust me, you should care.

 Attitudes are infectious. The right attitudes and morale can make impossible tasks seem routine. But the wrong attitudes can make the routine seem impossible. Employees who are accepted and embraced for their differences will go the extra mile to have a positive attitude. That happiness and positive attitude will do wonders for your company.

 More Productive Employees

That’s right, employees at companies that embrace diversity are more productive. When employees don’t have the burden of feeling unwelcome at their jobs, they have the mental space to just focus on doing their best work.

They don’t have to look over their shoulder and wonder if their co-workers and bosses are laughing behind their backs. They don’t have the sinking feeling that they’ll never get promoted no matter how hard they work. It’s an often unspoken burden that keeps many people from truly giving their all to a company. It’s a burden that hurts your bottom line.

 More Effective Teamwork

This is a simple fact. Employees who respect each other’s differences and appreciate each other’s skill sets work better together. Everyone’s input gets considered. Everyone feels empowered to offer ideas instead of the same two or three people who share the same perspectives. Everyone feels involved. Everyone is actively invested in meeting your goals. The only way to foster this kind of teamwork is to create a culture that embraces diversity.

 Greater Employee Empowerment

Every great company has employees who feel empowered to take initiative and risks, knowing they have the full backing and support of the company behind them. When people don’t feel welcome at work, they tend to be more conservative. They try to be as invisible as possible and do just enough to fly under the radar. This results in a workplace being governed by fear. Fear of being ridiculed. Fear of getting passed over or even fired for making a mistake. This kind of attitude is poisonous to your company’s culture, and it happens when your company doesn’t embrace diversity.

When your company embraces diversity and inclusion, your employees are free from that fear and can focus on expanding their skills and talents. They feel empowered to take on ambitious projects and contribute more to team frameworks. Even if they make mistakes, developing that kind of culture is essential to long term success as a company. The positive, productive results of an empowered culture feeds on itself and produces great dividends that attracts talent from other companies.

 Greater Innovation

 Our world is constantly changing. A system that was cutting edge three years ago might be antiquated now. The only way a company can protect itself against these changes is through constant innovation.

Several studies show that diverse companies are also more innovative. This is because a company with diverse employees also enjoy having diverse viewpoints. A team with five employees from different backgrounds look at a problem from five different angles. This allows greater room for creative solutions or major breakthroughs than having a team that all looks at a problem in the same way. Creating a work culture that embraces diversity and inclusion is essential to facilitating innovation in your company.

 More Effective Communication

One of the hallmarks of great companies is the way they communicate. Even when team members disagree or is facing a challenging situation, they respect each other enough to speak openly, honestly and respectfully. It’s hard to have those conversations with people you resent or don’t appreciate. When times become stressful, you need all hands on deck to work together. Effective communication is arguably the most important factor in whether your company fails or flourishes in the face of adversity.

When you develop a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion, effective communication becomes much easier to establish and maintain. Much of that culture is based on mutual respect, and when people respect each other, their communication becomes open, clear and respectful. When your company can maintain this level of communication under adversity, you know you have something special.

Improved Public Image

Being known for embracing diversity and inclusion is one of the most valuable reputations you can have in the eyes of the media and general public. You can generate millions of dollars worth of marketing by just making all your employees feel welcome at work.

Being featured in the news for your diversity efforts and placing at the top of any number of “Most Diverse Companies” lists attracts major talent to your company and can benefit you in ways that are hard to quantify.

 Passionate Ambassadors for your Brand

When people love their jobs, they can’t wait to tell the world about it. The pride they feel, the satisfaction they get from their work, the camaraderie they have with their co-workers. They’ll tell their friends, their family, their professional peers and everyone on social media. It’s all positive, free word-of-mouth marketing.

Do you know who will feel envy from this marketing? Talent from your rivals who hate their current jobs. They realize how special it is to work in a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion, and they will do anything to join that culture. Develop the culture that makes major talent leave their rivals for you.

 Hiring better employees

The most important part of any company is their people. You have to ensure that you’re hiring the best of the best, regardless of their level in your company. When your hiring process is free of bias and discrimination, you know that you are only hiring the best fits for your company.

When you don’t care about someone’s race or background and only focus on their competence and potential, your company benefits in multiple ways. You not only employ the best people available, but you’re also able to attack problems from so many unique angles. That’s what embracing diversity and inclusion does for your company. Your competition can’t compete with that, and your company can’t afford to be without it.

By now, you should know the tremendous value that diversity and inclusion brings to your company. It’s not just about “doing the right thing.” Having a culturally and ideologically diverse company makes your company better. Your people work harder. Your people work more efficiently. Your people flourish through adversity. It makes your company money, bottom line. So you need to get it right.

 At Gregoire Diversity, we not only have client facing services (Coaching, Facilitation, Policy and Practice checks), but we also have the Diversity Doctor online courses that walk you though any questions or concerns of having a diverse and inclusive workplace. We know it isn't a fun transition, but it is a valuable one. We aren't here to judge. We're here to help. Go to https://www.gregoirediversity.com and schedule a FREE 30 Minute Consultation so we can help you right now!