Originally published June 12, 2022 , updated on March 23, 2024

The world is full of beautiful, smart, funny, and insightful people. People from all walks of life, cultures, ethnicities, races, and genders. It’s people’s diversity that makes daily life interesting and unique. Imagine a world where everyone had the same views, upbringing, and opinions as you? It would be rather boring, wouldn’t it?

Diversity is important. It allows for new ideas and experiences to be shared. When we open our minds to integrating with different people, we open ourselves up to learning more. It’s the same in life as it is in business. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are vital for this very reason. 

It’s not only great for the cultural side of the business but for productivity and business processes too. Studies have shown that inclusive teams have shown to have better productivity and staff engagement. This is attributed to a diverse team having better problem-solving skills, as every individual brings a unique view to the table. LinkedIn has reported that diversity is directly tied to company culture and financial performance. Their data indicates that 78% of companies prioritise diversity to improve culture, and 62% do so to boost financial performance. 

Here’s how you can improve equality and diversity in the workplace as a business owner. 

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace Means Breaking Stereotypes and Unconscious Biases

We all have an unconscious bias. These are beliefs that are hidden deep within us that may not necessarily align with our conscious beliefs. But, they’re extremely important to pay attention to. Knowing when we are being biased and creating an awareness of the stereotypes we may hold of people based on the way they look, speak or present is the first step to overcoming them. 

Leaders in companies need to question themselves and employees so that everyone is constantly aware of their assumptions. The best way to tackle this is to keep a thought journal and track behaviours. The more a company can learn about stereotypes within their organisation, the easier it will become to avoid them. With this bias test project, you can get your employees to learn about their associations with race, gender, and sexual orientation. 

It’s important to understand that having an unconscious bias does not make you a bad person. It makes you a human. Everyone – and we mean everyone – has unconscious biases. The best thing you can do as a business owner to break these biases is to have regular internal bias training seasons. Open up a path for discussion for this, and you’ll see great results for your company’s diversity. 

A diversity training program is a great idea to help employees navigate and understand cultural differences. Programs like this help employees feel connected and give them an understanding of each other’s communication styles, identities, customs, and more. In the long run, investing in training can prevent and help a company deal with conflict. 

Equal Pay for Equal Work

One of the best ways to encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace is to be a fair employer. Employer’s that reward their employees fairly are companies that retain staff at much higher rates and attract a diverse applicant pool.

When a company provides a level playing field and equal opportunity for all staff members, workplace satisfaction levels go up, and so does productivity. 

By paying employees fairly, you’ll garner the reputation of being an attractive organisation to work for. When posting a job listing, you’ll soon find that you’ll have more applicants who feel encouraged to apply and feel a positive sentiment towards your company. 

Who doesn’t want their pick of the best employees out there? 

Make sure your business evaluates its current employees’ earning potential and ensures that it matches their output only. This needs to mitigate any biases that you may have identified at this point. 

Understand and Acknowledge Different Observances

With a team that is inclusive of many cultures, religions, and orientations comes the need to be sensitive to holidays and observances. This can be a beautiful thing. Team members have the opportunity to share cultural events, learn more about their colleagues’ religious practices and extend good wishes for any celebrations. The more a team can understand one another, the more inclusivity and tolerance it breeds. 

By keeping track of various holidays and understanding who observes them, you can be respectful towards your team when it comes to scheduling meetings around these dates. It’s also important to note if these impact catering for business events, as some religions avoid certain foods, such as pork.

Acknowledging these holidays will gain your company a considerable amount of respect with your team and make each member feel seen and included. When people feel seen, they perform better. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Mix Teams up Regularly

Did you ever sit at the same desk in school and hang out with the same group of people during break time? If your answer is yes, that’s quite normal. As humans, we gravitate toward what is familiar. We like to be comfortable. However, you don’t grow within a comfort zone. It’s the same for work teams that have become “comfortable”. 

Prevent your employees from forming “cliques” and encourage them to mix up teams often. By having teams made up of people from differing backgrounds, they’ll learn from each other and better understand each other’s values, cultures, and experiences. 

Perspective increases understanding within teams, and this will spur creativity and productivity. People of different genders, backgrounds, or even ages will bring fresh ideas to the table. Your projects will benefit from this range of knowledge. 

Diversity Is a Constant Work in Progress

The benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace are clear. More perspective builds more understanding and compassion. However, always remember this is a constant work in progress. 

At Goodman Lantern, we like to reach out to our teams with anonymous surveys to discuss any concerns anyone might have. We encourage all companies to facilitate “check-in” mechanisms that discuss employee well-being as well as inclusion. If your team feels safe enough to be transparent with you, it fosters inclusion. Understand a bit more about why diverse teams are so important to our culture. We hope it can inspire your teams!

Diversity, equity, and inclusion will drive engagement in your company, making it more resilient and holistic. Focus on improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and you’ll be sure to create a thriving business.

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