How to Foster Inclusivity in the Workplace

Most business leaders already know how diverse talent helps a company and the workplace. Yet, hiring people from underrepresented groups is only the first step. If you do not promote an inclusive organizational culture to go with it, then it will be difficult to retain employees and may even put a company at legal risk. It is important to make diversity a top priority in your talent acquisition plans. Below are some ways to foster inclusivity in the workplace.

Making Improvements

Inclusive organizations have a reputation for having work cultures based on fairness, respect, value, belonging, empowerment, growth, safety, and openness. Although your company might have many of these qualities already, there are always improvements and adjustments that can be made based on new resources, regulations, etc. being introduced.

Source Diverse Candidate Pools

Many organizations still need to review and update their equal opportunity hiring practices, especially as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community and other minorities. It goes all the way back to the job descriptions that you are creating. For instance, using gender-neutral language and listing fewer job requirements is an effective way to elicit a diverse pool of applications. Business leaders can also show their commitment to diversity and inclusion is by highlighting relevant benefits like:

• Floating holidays – Shows that you support candidates from different cultures and religious backgrounds.
• Remote work opportunities – Entices working parents, people with disabilities, semi-retired candidates, etc. to apply for your positions.
• Professional development – Attract candidates from different educational and economic backgrounds.

Unconscious bias is something that continues to hold many organizations back when it comes to expanding workplace diversity. It may be time to integrate predictive hiring assessments and one-way video interviews to give all candidates an equitable platform to show and discuss their qualifications.

Offer Inclusion Training

Building an equitable workplace requires a proactive approach that enables managers to lead a diverse workforce. Training is often the best way to foster inclusivity because it helps to increase awareness, quash inherent bias and create a common language so employees are better able to share issues and solutions. In addition to providing managers with a list of gender identity terms, here are some targeted online course topics designed to foster inclusion in the workplace:

• Managing Diversity
• Managing a Diverse Team
• Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

In order to enjoy all the benefits of diversity and inclusion you really have to understand the people who are working for you. If you see LGBTQ+ employees struggling to achieve their goals then it could be due to feelings of exclusion, fear, anxiety, etc., and it’s time to focus on inclusivity.

by Ruben Moreno