We spend about half our day in our workplace, and this means that our co-workers are the people we tend to meet and see the most during the week. However, not all workplaces are as diverse as you want them to be. Diversity is very important, and now that we’ve just come into the new year and 2022 is starting.
Diversity and inclusivity in the workplace have many advantages for both employers and their employees, and it has a lot of benefits. Creating a diverse workplace is not a fad, and it has tangible and direct benefits and decreases employee turnover. So, without further ado, let’s learn the importance of workplace diversity and what it entails.
1. Statistics
A 2018 report by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation found that nearly 46% of queer people are closeted in their workplace. The HRC Foundation also states that 31% of queer employees feel depressed or unhappy at work, and 20% are actively looking for another job. According to a 2020 study by Forbes, gay people also make up less than 0.3% of upper management.
In addition, 358 Fortune 500 companies do not have board diversity policies, which means that gay people are underrepresented on boards and in board meetings. This shows the importance of diversity, especially in 2022; a lack of diversity and inclusion drives employees into a corner, resulting in less loyalty and talent churn. According to a study conducted by Glassdoor, 67% of job seekers said a diverse workforce is an important thing they consider when looking for work.
The McKinsey report also focused on racial and ethnic diversity in the workplace and found that 36% of companies are more likely to have a higher financial return than the average not diverse company. The report also found that companies with a more balanced gender ratio in their workforce are 25% more likely to achieve better results than companies that are not diversified.
2. Inclusive language
When introducing yourself, start with your name and preferred pronoun. This is one of the most simple ways to make your workplace more inclusive. By respecting people’s preferred pronouns, it shows that you are working towards having a more diverse workplace. As the human resource manager, you can do your best to have people abide by these rules.
Using inclusive language isn’t difficult; it is something that you get more and more comfortable with the more you do it. So, learn and use people’s preferred pronouns. Use gender-neutral terms like partner or spouse in lieu of husband and wife. If you do misgender some or use the wrong pronoun, just be the bigger person and apologize because we are human, and mistakes happen.
3. Create a safe space
Most companies are becoming more and more inclusive, and one such thing is gender-neutral bathrooms. If your company hasn’t created such a space yet, you might want to look into it because not everyone follows the heteronormative ideal of gender, some people exist outside the binary, and you need to create a safe space for them too.
Consider putting prayer rooms, too, because respecting people’s beliefs and religion is another way to create a safe space for all your employees. Create digital safe spaces by encouraging your employees to put their pronouns in their emails. To fully understand everyone’s needs, you just have to talk to your employees to ask them about their needs.
4. Expand your company’s holiday calendar
Take a look at your company’s calendar and ask yourself how inclusive it is. Not everyone is Christian or the majority of a certain country, and this is why you need to amend your company’s calendar to fit your diverse employee’s different festivals and holidays. Little things like this matter, too, and for minority groups, this makes a world of difference.
In addition to secular and Christian holidays, include other holidays that represent the religious belief of your employees. For your Jewish employees, add holidays like Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. For your Hindu employees, add Diwali, Holi, and Navrati. For Muslims, including Ramadan, Eid-al-Adha, and Muharram. You don’t have to add them to your calendar, but you can just acknowledge them to make your employee feel seen.
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