Creating an inclusive workplace enables employees to feel comfortable, confident and happy in their work lives. Promoting diversity allows for an environment of acceptance and helps form a strong team.
Innovation and creativity are just a few benefits of fostering inclusivity and diversity. South Africa is home to many cultures, histories, nationalities and belief systems, making diverse workplaces essential.
This heritage month, Cube is celebrating all the different cultures and backgrounds in our office spaces. To help you do the same, here are some tips for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Tips for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Investing in creating an inclusive workplace is not only the right thing to do but also a smart business decision. There are countless benefits to an accepting and open-minded workplace, from new perspectives to increased employee engagement and trust.
1. Educating Leaders About Inclusion
If your company leaders aren’t inclusive, how can you expect your employees to do so? Good leaders need to be educated about promoting inclusion and encouraging their teams to do the same. You can even schedule cultural training sessions for managers.
By teaching them about the benefits of inclusivity both in and outside of the work environment, they can be a positive influence. Ensure the management is aware of how important inclusivity is in your company.
2. Create an Inclusion Council
In order to make sure your employees feel included, you should create a council that focuses on it. The committee should consist of people from a range of backgrounds, cultures and languages, as well as people with disabilities. Here you can get valuable feedback and ideas from your employees.
In this space, encourage feedback and ideas that can help to create better inclusion in the company.
3. Celebrating Employee Uniqueness and Differences
What makes your employees unique is what makes them valuable. Encourage people to share their heritage. Find out what cultures are represented in your company and try to accommodate them. Make sure to discourage any sort of discrimination.
A few ways to do this include having non-gendered washrooms, annual leave for cultural holidays or even organising company events to celebrate different cultures.
If you have different business locations like we do at Cube, you can even encourage employees to visit the other branches. This way, they’ll meet new colleagues and see more of your business.
4. Give Employees a Voice
Encourage employees to speak up, even if it’s not something you want to hear. Be open to what they have to say and try to understand their perspective. Letting them know that their opinion is valued will help them feel included. It’ll also give you ideas for making your company more inclusive.
You can even offer a way to provide anonymous feedback for employees that don’t feel confident expressing their feelings.
5. Create Measurable Goals
Create inclusivity goals for your company. This way, you can monitor your progress and see what still needs to be done.
Set realistic, specific targets you can meet and then make sure to celebrate when you accomplish them. Let your employees know that you are dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace.
These goals can be related to hiring, education, diverse management staff or empowering women in the workplace.
Why does Diversity in the Workplace Matter?
Inclusion should be a part of your everyday work culture. While heritage day and month are excellent times to celebrate diversity, this celebration shouldn’t be limited to just one day.
Creating an inclusive work culture will keep your employees happy and result in higher employee retention. Plus, it will make your company more attractive to potential employees. And these are just a few of the benefits that come with a diverse and inclusive workplace.
To find out more about Cube, check out our private office spaces or contact us for more information.
