What is employee diversity?
Employers must create a diverse culture within their company to stay competitive. What does diversity entail for an employer and their company? Employee diversity means, creating a workforce where your staff consists of a diverse group of individuals. When people think of diversity they usually think of attributes such as different political beliefs, races, cultures, sexual orientation, religion, class, and/or gender identity differences; but there is more to diversity than that. Diversity can also include a difference in life experiences, behaviors, pathways to problem-solving, and skills.
Along with diversity comes inclusion. Inclusion in the workplace is creating a space where all employees feel accepted, included, and treated fairly. This means creating fair opportunities throughout the company and accepting those different viewpoints and ideas.
Once employers have achieved building a diverse team through their hiring process, the next step is to implement inclusion tactics. Diversity and inclusion work hand in hand and depend on each other to create a successful diverse workforce.
Workplace diversity and inclusion should be implemented throughout the work cycle, this will include:
- The hiring process
- Promotions
- Professional trainings
- Team events
- Work opportunities
Employers can broaden their diversity techniques by:
- Broadening their recruiting process by reaching out to different job posting platforms
- Embrace and celebrate different cultures in the workplace
- Implement an equal opportunity policy in your employee handbook and uphold diversity policies
- Encourage open communication through all levels of the company to create a more inclusive workforce
Companies that implement these diversity and inclusion tactics will have a higher rate of finding the best talent.
How does diversity impact employee retention in the workplace?
Diversity and inclusion play a vital role in employee retention, but how? Everyone wants to work for a company that makes them feel welcomed and appreciated. Companies that embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace will develop an environment where different working styles and learning techniques will be accepted. Here are additional reasons why diversity and inclusion can impact employee retention in a positive way:
- Creating mutual respect- When employers provide an inclusive workplace where employees come together with different backgrounds; employees get to work together and get to know and respect one another. When employees respect different backgrounds and cultures there is a lesser chance of conflict between workers. When employees gain mutual respect from one another, they are happier and more productive throughout their workday.
- Increased productivity- When a diverse group of employees comes together to tackle a project or brainstorm ideas, you will receive more diverse solutions. The more diverse solutions and brainstorming that employees share with their team, the faster and more innovative solutions become. This brings us to our third point.
- Increased Innovation- People create their own views on subjects based on their culture and backgrounds. A diverse team can come together to drive innovation, helping the problem-solving process while meeting customer needs in new and exciting ways.
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace can cause workers to feel accepted and valued which enables employees to stay longer with the company and improve the company culture. Therefore, companies with greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace maintain happier employees, providing them with lower turnover rates.
How does diversity and inclusion drive employee engagement?
Studies have found that “Companies with above-average gender diversity and levels of employee engagement outperform companies with below-average diversity and engagement by 46% to 58%.” Diversity among employees often goes hand-in-hand with improved employee engagement. Workplace diversity and inclusion can drive up employee engagement because when employees feel included and respected they are more willing to participate and collaborate more.
How does workplace diversity affect employee training and development?
Training and development is essential for companies if they want employees to grow in their position and broaden their knowledge and skills. A key component to training and development is to provide equal opportunities for all employees.
Conducting diversity training in the workplace can benefit the workforce by providing each employee with the tools to respect one another and be more accepting of other cultures. This training can provide employees with a better understanding of why and how employees have different perspectives and how each perspective matters. This will help a team come together and gain mutual respect in the workplace.
What are the benefits of gender diversity in the workplace?
Having a gender-diverse workplace will benefit a company in many ways because men and women have different views, opinions, and insights. When you create a gender-diverse workplace, you can serve a larger customer base due to the insights both men and women bring to the table. In order to become a competitive company in the market, you must hire a pool of both talented men and women.
Here are the benefits of creating a gender-diverse workforce:
- Men and women have different views which create better problem solving and new ideas.
- Implementing a gender diverse workforce creates a wider range of knowledge
- Men and women working together can serve a wider customer base
- Companies can attract more talented employees by hiring a diverse pool of workers.
How can a diverse workforce benefit the culture of a company?
Did you know that “67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities, and more than 50% of current employees want their workplace to do more to increase diversity.” Having a diverse workforce can benefit your company because studies have shown that employees value a workplace that embraces cultural diversity and inclusion. In return, employers will have less turnover because their employees are happy to work for the company.
Knowing that an employee will appreciate working for a company that makes diversity a top priority, we can gather that companies with a diverse workforce have happier workers who love coming to work. When employees love coming to work their positive attitude spreads within the company and benefits the culture of the company by bringing down the turnover rate.
Do you need help implementing an equal opportunity policy or conducting diversity training? Bizhaven can assist your company in creating a diverse workforce. For any questions regarding this topic please contact Bizhaven at [email protected] or (916) 409-7677.
