Diversity & Inclusivity In The Workplace – Should More Be Done?

The topic of diversity and inclusivity has never been more prominent within society. Thus it has never been more essential for organisations to prioritise it in the workplace and have a variety of different individuals to provide a healthy balance within their workforce. It is to be said that there is strength in difference.

Diverse and inclusive workplaces can foster greater environments that give deeper trust, increased productivity, and more committment from their employees. As well as enabling organisations to deliver their products and services more competitively, efficiently and effectively, through a combination of many voices, skills, creative and innovative minds. It was found that diverse companies enjoy 2.3 times higher cash flow per employee.

Not to mention it is now an important factor that clients and customers look for and consider when deciding what organisations to use and buy from. As well as when individuals are choosing organisations to work for. Therefore it is time for organisations to think forward on this topic, to avoid their reputation being diminished and growth paused.

It is certainly not a new concept within the business world, but the challenges of the pandemic and certain protests within the past year have brought the conversation on diversity, equality and inclusivity related topics to the forefront. Whilst some organisations have put great effort into pushing diversity and inclusion and incorporating it into their strategy, the progress in certain sectors on this issue remains slow.

Minimial effort from organisations will not go far when it comes to  addressing these issues such as one-off training sessions, random hiring, trendy marketing videos or some fancy policies and practices. Instead, it needs to be embedded and hardwired over time into a company’s organisation and culture through their DNA, morals and values. The work to promote this within your organisation is an ongoing thing, not just a one time thing. It is evident that organisations understand the value and benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace but If we reflect on data, industry news and employee perspectives we see there is still a lot more work to be done to act upon it and implement it.