Diversity and Inclusion can coexist and are often interrelated concepts!

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION – AN INSIGHTFUL COEXISTENCE

?“No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” – Mahatma Gandhi

?“Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.” – Virginia Satir

Diversity in workplace

Diversity at a workplace refers to,?an organization that has a blueprint, to employ a workforce consisting of individuals with varied characteristics, which may be: gender, religion, race and ethnicity. It is a component which is largely responsible for driving the business performance. An improved employee performance boosts morale and generates enhanced innovation, which then leads to admirable profits.

Understanding Inclusion

Inclusion is?a culture, wherein a mix of people come to work, feeling comfortable and confident of who they are. Inclusion creates an atmosphere that ensures one is valued and is considered an institutional enricher. Inclusion?allows each one to feel a sense of belonging, thereby nudging them to be more engaged and to contribute the best version of themselves to their respective roles.

Diversity & Inclusion – Are they two peas in a pod?

Diversity is the “what” and inclusion is the “how”. Diversity is a fact, while inclusion is a choice, that one should make to attain a thriving workplace.

Diversity focuses on the workforce demographics, such as gender, race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, veteran status etc. while, inclusion is the estimate of culture, that enables diversity to flourish. Diversity and inclusion are two interconnected concepts; however, they are far from interchangeable. Diversity is about portrayal or the format of an entity, while inclusion is about how well the inputs, existence and outlook of different groups of people are appreciated and integrated into an environment.

Hence, even though they may not be playing an identical role, they do go hand in hand with each other.

Zones of Challenges

Communication & Language

Many organizations face communication issues, which are bound to arise, when you gather people from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, ages, etc., to work together. Misunderstandings, clashes, and conflicts are a natural consequence. Companies with lack of communication may have instances of unintended misdemeanour, unclear practices, and mistrust within the organization.

Lack of diversity in leadership roles

This is compounded by the lack of diverse candidates applying for leadership roles in most work sectors. In the absence of increased diversity at higher levels, juniors struggle to find mentors, they can relate to. It therefore becomes a pressing priority to have diverse voices in rooms where decisions are made. Championing diversity, primarily among women is certainly not something that can be overlooked anymore, especially in the area of technology.

Unable to source diverse talent

There must be sense of obligation to be able to connect with talented individuals, notwithstanding their backgrounds. The focus should be solely on the expertise that they bring along with them. By doing so, people applying for various roles get to see the larger picture of the organisation. Once the workforce senses that they are a contributor, automatically the inkling of affiliation to the organisation gets implanted, which further sets in motion, the success of any team.?

Acceptance and respect

Respect for diversity is a relational skill, which can be defined as the comprehension, that human beings are equal participants in the moral world, by virtue of their human status. However, while doing so, each individual’s singularity and variance, must be acknowledged and credited for.

Accommodation & accommodating beliefs

The principle of accommodation involves three factors:?dignity, individualization and inclusion. It is viewed as a measure to prevent and remove barriers that impede employees with disabilities from participating fully at any workplace. When an organisation responds sensitively to each person’s own unique circumstances a secure workforce blanketed in equality, is born.

Accommodating belief is, adapting to a work environment that allows employees to exercise their religion or sincerely held social beliefs, without causing undue hardship to the employer.

Ethnic and cultural differences

Colleagues from different cultures can bring with them?different attitudes, values, behaviours, and etiquette. While these are augment and beneficial in a diverse professional environment, they can also cause misunderstandings or friction among team mates.

Gender Equality - yet to enter mainstream

Gender equality can be achieved?when people are able to ingress and enjoy equal rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of gender. The need of the hour is for workplaces to implement pay parity or comparable remunerations. Shifting roadblocks to the full and equal participation of women in many sectors, is an area which is yet to see a gigantic change.

Physical and mental disabilities

It is often noted, that professionals with physical disability report?significantly higher levels of perceived job discrimination and inequality at work. Additionally, the most common mental health issues at any workplace are?observed to be - anxiety, depression and stress which leads people to experience social isolation as a result of their limitations.

Generation gaps

A workplace which encompasses different generations also brings along with it, possibilities for conflict. This usually is because of differences in attitudes, values and beliefs among different age groups. Consequentially, typecasting is seen as a natural outcome. For example, older workers may label younger workers as lethargic or lacking in respect for authority while the younger one’s may feel that a very stringent and closed-minded approach is being taken by the older generation at work. Such an environment may act as an hindrance and hence be counterproductive.

Perspective clashes

One of the main stimulants to the culture of belonging and inclusion is the?lack of perception and understanding. When distinct perspectives, experiences, and needs of employees from different backgrounds, identities, and cultures clash due to this lack of judgement, it becomes an impediment, to achieving a positive atmosphere at work.

Issues of Diversity- why it needs to be addressed?

Diversity undoubtedly drives creativity and innovation. We all will agree that every culture, nationality and person read the world in a different way. The knowledge, perspectives, and outlooks are also varied. When all of these different ideas are shared at a single platform, miracles can happen. Hence to generate a workplace full of phenomenal work, a diverse candidate pool has to be built at all levels of businesses.

Capitulating Strategy

??Personalizing is the key. By providing opportunities to employees and equipping them to share their own experiences and perspectives can yield fruitful results.

???Including various perspective to the professional roles can bring in dynamicity.

???Investing time and effort in getting to know your employees will a worthwhile long-term investment

???Respecting diverse people and their multiple talents will nurture a strong premise

Mentoring – a dominant feather in the cap

Mentoring?buckles up the people of an organisation, to learn and grow together, to disseminate experiences and knowledge, and level up inclusivity, at work, across the board. Such is the dominance of mentoring, that there can be no better constructive method to brace diversity, equity and inclusion into any organisation. When done right, mentoring is a priceless tool for creating more inclusive, equitable and culturally competent workplaces.?By using mentorships to build leaders, who model inclusion through transparency, trust and tactile feedback, a workplace that fosters advancement, commitment and allegiance, can be established.

Productive Ways – carving a roadmap to diversity & inclusivity

??Conducting a diversity, equity and inclusion audit - This will help understand the internal landscape of an organisation and create a foundation to measure progress.

??Providing role models to women - In the field of technology, it’s important to mentor women at various stages of their career. This will exhibit the extent of possibilities that can be reached.

??Leadership training on inclusivity and mentorship - There has been evidence that?diverse groups of mentors are more successful at mentoring and provide better insight to mentees.

??Recruiting for diverse senior and junior talent - By doing this, organisations can aim for creating diversity at the team level by bringing diverse perspectives to the table

??Adopting an equity and empowerment approach - This can be done by investing in one’s resources to build a comprehensive and scalable approach to meaningfully embed diversity, equity and inclusion principles into the core operations. E.g.- Training a leadership team.?

??Building company alliances with local organizations - This he done with the intent that these hiring platforms will bring together diverse workforce, in an inclusive space for learning, development and networking.

??Framing the issue as a business priority and people priority

??Technical solutions being made accessible and user-friendly - Target has to be to reach out to 100% of the population, thereby reflecting an equal level of diversity

??Using data to improve - Constant refinement of the quality and diversity of candidate slates during the onsite interview process should be pursued.

??Having employee-led communities - This will enable staff with different backgrounds and identities to create programs for personal and professional development, thereby having a direct and pragmatic impact on the business.?

Intentionality to inclusion and diversity

A lack of inclusion can be the product of unconscious bias as well as a failure of the organisation to appreciate the difference between the two concepts. Hence, if any workplace has to flourish with creative and productive content, there has to be strong and wilful intent towards inclusion and diversity.

Inclusion gives the helicopter view?at the regular elements that create inclusive environments, which in turn reflect the communities that we live in. Collaboration with senior HR leadership is instrumental in how companies develop an inclusive and equitable approach. The primary purpose in any diversity management is to establish and strengthen an organizational culture. This is achieved by effectuating a courteous environment, free from any kind of workplace discrimination. Such an environment will then become flourishing ground for every employee who intends to learn, grow, and contribute towards organizational growth.

Elements like access, attitude, choice, partnership, communication, policy, opportunities etc should ideally be entwined together and used effectively by the key decision makers of the organisation. Such an act will aide in assessing where the organisation fits in and whether its inclusiveness and diversity is enough to create a path, that is employee friendly and accommodative enough, to churn out a successful work yard.?

Leaders should intentionally and at best help their teams with a primary focus on inclusion. In a Forbes article, NLI’s Vice President of Consulting Khalil Smith talks about inclusion and says, “leaders can first create the conditions for acceptance, and then double down on embodying that acceptance in the talent represented”.

Therefore, it would be fruitful if organisations try and focus on the growth perspective at first and then gradually transition to inclusion, and finally plunge into diversity. This is because diversity in the workplace expands further than gender, ethnicity, and race. While we have come a long way, the need of the hour is, for diversity initiatives to constantly change and accommodate.

By Aparna Menon

For ? Metasearch Recruitment Services, 2023