Diversity and inclusion are topics that are very important and have had a lot of focus lately… Lately, until we all started to be locked down. Every country, every company has been trying to fight for themselves and suddenly, we all start to be selfish again…
Even
though falling back on hold ‘habits’ might be understandable in some cases, it
never is the answer to retreat, stay and work only with people we know, people
who are like us…
So,
for companies who are (re) thinking about their organization and how to adapt
to the new normal, the need for diversity in the workplace is being felt now more than ever. To keep up the pace, companies
ought to have adequate clarity on the skills they expect their talent pools to
possess, especially in such situations as we face now.
What
does it mean to have a ‘diverse’ workforce?
When we talk about
diversity, we often think first of women in the workplace. Research has shown that the increase of women in
leadership is helping businesses to thrive in unprecedented ways. Women see
things differently and have different strengths than men. Women have more prominently exhibited the
intuitive abilities of persons who can reach out to others to resolve issues or
reduce friction; in comparison to men. How do the traits of being
multi-skilled, multi-tasking, problem solver, influencer, or bringing people
together, keeping energy levels up, maintaining a level-head, rank among the
rest of the other professional traits? Can a company see value in these traits,
that are more pronounced in women than in men?
Having
a diverse workforce does not only mean having more women, especially in more
senior roles. It means working with people that are different. Companies not
only need people from different genders, but also with different backgrounds,
different abilities, different status (married vs. single/divorced, with or
without children), different ages, different personalities and if you have a global company, people from different nationalities (and languages), different
cultures, different religions….
Having
a diverse workforce means accepting differences, including people in
discussions, in communications, in projects, etc. It means respecting others
and their opinions. Of course, there will be disagreements once in a while, but
who hasn’t got one? When two or more people disagree, they actually provide an
opportunity to look for a workaround, another idea or solution. Inclusive
companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market (Josh Bersin Research)
Why
should you have employees as diverse as possible? What are the benefits?
According
to the Boston Consulting Group, - companies that
have more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenue. Advantages are not
only seen from the employer’s point of view, but also from the employees’.
According to Fast Company, organizations with above-average gender diversity and
levels of employee engagement outperform companies with below-average diversity
and engagement by 46% to 58%.
Furthermore, we are now in a unique
situation. There has never been a time before where 4 generations can work with
each other! Boomers, GenX, Millennials, and GenZ are currently on the job
market. This is an opportunity for many companies to ensure they gather all
points of view and meet customers’ needs, no matter their age.
Global companies or companies that work
indifferent countries need to ensure they have employees representing these
countries or cultures. Something obvious for a person in one country may not be
so obvious for another person in another country. People have different
backgrounds, different histories, different habits and therefore a product or a
service that is very successful in a country may need to be customized in
another to meet the customers’ needs (or daily habits, legal requirements,
etc.)
If you intend to serve ‘everybody’, you
also need to make sure your product(s) and/or service(s) can also be used by
people with different abilities. If your workforce is all mentally and
physically able, how will you know for sure that someone in a wheelchair for
instance will be able to use that product or service? If you already have
employees in a wheelchair, they will tell you if there is any challenge before
you start implementing or even creating your product or service.
Finally,
when you have a diverse workforce, it also means you’ll have different
personalities, with different opinions and ideas. This will give you an
opportunity to create new or complementary things, things you may not have
thought of at the beginning. Hiring and working with people from different
backgrounds and life experiences give you diverse perspectives and
understanding of people’s needs.
What
can you do as a company?
Companies will have to adapt to this new world we are stepping into.
This evolutionary process has to be inclusive of skillful people from all sorts
of backgrounds, genders, races, demographics, and physical abilities. In doing so,
organizations may face challenges
in accepting D&I. Resistance, fear, aversion to change, politics,
insecurity, etc. will appear here and there. Nonetheless, the inherent fullness and variety will naturally bring out
the best possible path for the company to recover out of the crisis.
-
Start with
recruiting diverse people: if you are looking for a certain profile, keep an
open mind. Maybe someone does not have the ‘perfect profile’ or comes from a
different industry, but if that person is motivated and willing to learn,
he/she will be doing the job you wanted him/her to do and will often exceed
expectations
-
Mentor and
support men AND women so that they can get promoted and climb the corporate
ladder. Encourage coaching, reverse mentoring so that people can get additional
roles and responsibilities based on the value they can provide and not because
they ‘fit the profile’ of the current organization.
-
Empower
people. Give them tools, training, opportunities so that they can demonstrate
their potential.
-
Educate people in the workplace about different
cultures. Share the importance of celebrating/observing auspicious cultural
festivals, food, dress, and meaning behind certain behavior. The more people
know about each other, the more open they become. Fear then diminishes. A
greater awareness paves the way to healthier socialization in the workplace and
personal/workplace relationships are enhanced.
Final
thoughts
Looking forward and once you decide to include and keep the diversity
numbers high, think about the steps you would be taking to ensure these
individuals are welcomed, engaged, included, and not given a shadow treatment. Diversity and inclusion cannot be one-time activity and
neither can they be on a quota basis. QUOTAS cannot and should not be used to
automate D&I. Diversity and inclusion should be CULTURE. They should be
a conscious decision supported by senior management, business relevance, and
benefit.
Being a leader puts one under constant scrutiny for the legacy he /
she is creating. The actions and decisions of leaders during difficult
times are more prone to criticism and judgment in the future. Would they be able
to pass the tests of race, class, nationality, and marginalized groups? To be or
not to be diverse and inclusive, that is the question.
About
the authors
Virginie Lemay-Vriesde
Virginie, author of the book "My revenge on
life" as well as coach and trainer specialized in the development of world
leaders, is based in Luxembourg.
She has more than 20 years of worldwide experience in the
management of international and virtual teams.
She turns managers into global leaders and helps them
Succeed in the Adventures of Leadership and Self Assurance (SALSA 💃🏽)
Virginie is available to lead team workshops, give
training and speak at global leadership conferences.
Nagaraj N
www.linkedin.com/in/nagarajn4457621
Nagaraj N, a successful HR leader, an architect behind 5
successful Tech. start-ups, right from conceptualizing the HR blueprint, to
scaling them up rapidly across 30+ countries & further leading them to
successful mergers.
His strong business experience as a Board Director, as a
Delivery Head & his inherent belief in culture & people, helps
organizations maximize their returns on the talent.
As a mentor of senior leadership teams & as a member
of several VC Board Advisory bodies, he constantly drives the organization's
ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly to hold the
competitive advantage.
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