Diversity and Inclusion – Why doing the right thing is good for business
Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent a lifetime fighting against adversity and discrimination—not only because she was a woman but Jewish and a mother as well. Yet she never let these stereotypes get in the way of making her mark as a lawyer. In 1972, she co-founded the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to tackle one gender inequality law at a time. Her work was instrumental in the creation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and equal social security rights for both men and women.
After years of struggle and stoic resolve, she finally received due recognition in 1993, when she was appointed a justice in the US Supreme Court, making her the second woman—and the first Jewish female— to achieve the position.
During her tenure, she used her power and influence to transform society and fight for the rights of others. A trailblazing leader, she worked tirelessly for a society where men and women are treated equally in the eyes of the law. Her vision for gender equality and a common social good has been an inspiration for millions around the world.
Why does diversity really matter?
Look around in your organization or any other place of work. What do you see? Is there parity among the genders? That’s not to say that most organizations consciously discriminate against women or people of diverse backgrounds. However, more often than not, you’ll find the scales invariably tilted in favor of men or a specific ethnicity or race.
In fact, that’s what had happened at Microsoft. When they noticed it, they took action.
To solve the issue, they announced a $150 million initiative in 2020 solely focused on promoting diversity and inclusion.[1] As part of their strategy, they set targets for diversity in hiring and promotions, increased support for employee resource groups, and provided training to prevent unconscious bias in their employees. As a direct consequence of this initiative, Microsoft’s US workforce got re-jigged to include 4.9% African American employees, 6.6% Hispanic and Latinx employees, 34.7% Asian employees, and 6.1% who identify as having a disability.
This initiative helped Microsoft create a more equitable and inclusive organization. To achieve such results, organizations first need to understand what exactly diversity means.
What is workplace diversity?
Let us take a moment to define workplace diversity.
A diverse workplace is one that employs people who have visible or non-visible differences. The differences here can be defined by gender, age, background, sexual orientation, personality, culture, religion, or race.
How does workplace diversity help organizations?
Workplace diversity is not mere lip service to people with different backgrounds nor a new-age management mantra.
Here’s why it is strategic to have a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Only about 8% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, which means we have a long way to go.[4]
So, it is imperative for organizations to look more closely at diversity and inclusion, sooner rather than later. Some proven results that this brings include:
A diverse workforce brings different experiences, skills, perspectives, and insights to solve problems creatively. Besides, it improves employee relationships as coworkers can connect at a deeper level based on their backgrounds or shared experiences. Companies that have an above-average diverse workforce achieve higher innovation-based revenues.
Apples to apples, diverse teams almost invariably make better decisions than non-diverse teams. Diverse individuals are known to process facts more carefully, which is a significant factor in making smarter decisions.
Ambitious professionals are attracted to inclusive companies. This results in a more motivated and efficient workforce, which in turn results in increased profitability and productivity. Organizations with a diverse workforce are also able to retain talent more easily as their employees tend to feel more comfortable in inclusive environments.
What do we do at Zuci?
Initially, when we founded Zuci, 100% of our leadership team constituted men with similar backgrounds. Over the last eight years, we have ensured that women occupy more than 25% of the leadership team and about 35% of team members have diverse backgrounds.
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Our recruitment strategy is tuned towards diversity and inclusion. For instance, we run a campaign to attract women who have taken a break from work. This has been extremely successful, and we have some talented women in middle management who handle projects and client relationships.
On the campus recruitment front, we go to colleges that focus on under-represented talent.
We also measure the Diversity and Inclusion quotient as part of the JD building process, which helps us be on top of our workplace diversity initiatives.
We offer clear career paths with fair and equal growth opportunities to all employees. Our pay structure is consistent across people with similar roles and responsibilities.?
We also train and encourage people to be non-judgmental and to handle unconscious biases. This is a continuous learning process for us as an organization, and we eliminate any and all biases effectively.
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Diversity and inclusion are strategic drivers for any growth-focused organization, not mere lip service to people of different genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Creating an inclusive culture is only possible in an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and included.
After all, imagine going to work every day, knowing that your voice will be heard and your differences celebrated. How amazing would that be?
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
References:
1.???? According to an article in Keka.com
2.???? Based on a Harvard study
3.???? As per a survey by Indeed
4.???? According to a report by Quantic
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