How employees can push for better Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace

Diversity & Inclusion benefits an entire business. It not only impacts how employees experience their day-to-day environment but performance too - ethnically diverse companies perform 33% better than the norm. Plus, according to McKinsey, companies with a gender diverse C-Suite are 21% more likely to have above average profitability and culturally diverse companies are 33% more likely to outperform on profitability. So, there is a sound business case for employees in any organization to push for policies and infrastructure that better support Diversity & Inclusion.

Workplaces are becoming more diverse

The ethnic mix of the broader population is being increasingly reflected in the workplace and this often requires a rethink when it comes to moving on from a history where that wasn’t necessarily the case. Gender mix, too, is changing although most companies are far from being an equitable space for women - although women make up around half the workforce, the median weekly earnings of full-time working women equate to just 83.1% of the same earnings paid to men. So, diversity is increasing and many workplaces need to adjust to reflect this - and to optimize the talent available to the business.

Pushing for better Diversity & Inclusion

The nature of privilege and the fact that C-suite representation of women and people of color is incredibly low means that most companies have work to do when it comes to Diversity & Inclusion. These are some of the ways in which employees can play a role in triggering that process. 

  • Ask the business to review where it is right now and set out steps that will be taken to improve Diversity & Inclusion in the present, rather than a vision for the future. Workforce representation should mirror that of the real world and most businesses need to start by reviewing how far off this they currently are.

  • Get clear on the benefits of Diversity & Inclusion. A workplace with more Diversity & Inclusion is somewhere that differences are recognized and appreciated and all employees made to feel like they belong. Does the organization see that this isn’t just a tick box exercise but a genuinely useful shift with tangible outcomes - or do perspectives need to shift?

  • Tell the company what the barriers are. If Diversity & Inclusion is poor, what are the obstacles that people feel when it comes to belonging and what changes would create an environment in which everyone feels like they belong?

  • How involved are leaders in the business? Pushing for more Diversity & Inclusion will require the support of leaders to help make change happen from the top down. More diverse leadership also has huge benefits, including 19% higher innovation revenues.

  • Dialogue is key. Diversity benefits everyone and the first step is always opening up a conversation about the challenges that people currently face so that everyone can work together to come up with a solution. 

Pushing for better Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace benefits employees and, ultimately, the entire business too. It’s something that is often easiest achieved when people at all levels start communicating more.

Volt’s mission is to make great businesses better. Whether you want to expand your flexible contingent workforce, make the right hire for your organization, streamline your processes, or improve control of your external workforce costs and risks, our experience and expertise. Get in touch with the Volt team today.

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