The Imperative for Building Diverse and Inclusive Workplace Cultures.

Build?a Workplace That Truly Reflects Society... and Your Client Base.

?I am in the process of helping a client develop a Diversity and Belonging program within their existing culture.

When performed with honesty and transparency, such an?endeavor?by its very nature forces organizations to face their history, reflect on their vision and?mission, and assess its core values.

It is a truly revealing endeavor to ask with honesty and objectivity:

"Why should anyone WANT to work for our organization?"

"Do we really VALUE our people?"

"Do our people feel like they are welcome in?our organization?"

The research is abundantly clear...diverse and inclusive organizations attract the best talent, are able to retain top performers, consistently solicit impactful ideas that generate revenues and reduce costs from employees that they convert into lasting advantage, and outperform their competitors.

So, what is diversity?

Organizational diversity in the workplace refers to the total makeup of the employee workforce and the amount of diversity we have included. Diversity refers to differences in various defining personal traits such as age, gender, race, marital status, ethnic origin, religion, education and many other secondary qualities.?(https://bizfluent.com/info-12076820-organizational-diversity-workplace.html)

According to SHRM, diversity is ''the collective mixture of differences and similarities that includes, for example, individual and organizational characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, preferences and behaviors.''?(https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-inclusion-definition-meaning.html)

Why Diversity is crucial to your organization's future success?

?We live in a complex, interconnected world where diversity, shaped by globalization and technological advance, forms the fabric of modern society.

?Our workplaces tend to mirror the sociocultural dynamics at play in our lives outside work.

??Diversity in the workplace is an asset for both businesses and their employees, in its capacity to foster innovation, creativity and empathy in ways that homogeneous environments seldom do.

?It takes careful nurturing and conscious orchestration to unleash the true potential of this invaluable asset.

www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/business-case-for-diversity-in-the-workplace/

And What is Inclusion?

?Inclusion, according to SHRM is: ''the achievement of a work environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization's success.'' (https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-inclusion-definition-meaning.html)

Before you embark down this path, there are certain things that you need to consider and do to ensure successful implementation...

Develop your Organization "Diversity Plan."

Develop strategies to recruit, retain, coach, motivate, reward, engage, empower those people that you want to find, hire and keep to build a truly diverse workforce.

Set quantifiable metrics based on attributes by entire organization, at the Functional area, and all levels of your organization as follows:

1. Top-level/Organization-wide View of Diversity

2. Across Your Organization's Functional Areas:

What You Need to Do...Getting Started:

1. Obtain Leadership Team's Commitment IN WRITING: In addition to obtaining "buy in" from the Team, you also must have a Champion to rally the troops and serve as your internal advocate. They must be trusted, respected, and seen as a transformational leader who others can follow down this Diversity & Inclusion path.

2. Develop Your Diversity Policy Statement: You MUST have one. Once it's developed, you must communicate this internally to all of your people (contract, full-time employees, temporary workers) as well as your partners, suppliers, vendors, the media...any/all stakeholders your organization works with.

3. Communicate Your Vision, Mission, Core Values, and History: Where are you going, how will you get there, what do you stand for, and what makes your organization special. In branding parlance, what makes your culture unique, invaluable, and memorable? This "branding" approach is at the heart of Seth Godin's Purple Cow mindset. If you cannot articulate these and they are not known throughout your organization...you are in trouble.

4. Establish Your 'Ideal Employee' Attributes: This profile will serve as the roadmap for all of your recruiting, hiring best practices.

Ask your Managers: “What do all high performers - across all positions – have in common?” (www.workforce.com/articles/21787-the-big-lie-of-hiring-for-cultural-fit)

5. Identify Successful Recruiting Sources: What are your most successful avenues for recruiting.

6. Allocate Resources: You must have a working budget for at least TWO calendar years, in order to develop, implement/roll-out, and expand the program.

So, what does it take to get started?

Here's to your continued success in 2019!

Ethan L. Chazin, MBA

Chief Motivation Officer

The Chazin Group, LLC