How to Promote Diversity in the Workplace

Diversity is a hot topic in our current business world. For decades, it has been part of our conversation. Today, it's moving beyond words to become a cultural, ethical, and financial game-changer that companies seeking success in the modern marketplace need to address effectively. 

What is Diversity in the Workplace?

Diversity in the workplace is the achievement of a workforce composed of individuals who bring diverse viewpoints and perspectives to the company because of differences in age, race, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and other attributes. It's important not to become tunnel-visioned about one demographic factor. For example, a company that hires multiple ethnicities of only millennials is not truly diverse. Effective diversity encompasses multiple dimensions. 

Why is Diversity Important in the Workplace?

Because of the diverse perspectives brought by each of these groups, diversity is very beneficial for businesses: companies with more diverse workplaces make more money. A study by McKinsey showed that racially and ethnically diverse companies outperform industry norms by 35%. The fact that diversity in various dimensions results in better financial returns has been confirmed repeatedly. Other studies have shown why:

A fresh array of perspectives results in better decision-making. More viewpoints equal more — and better — solutions. 

Diversity leads to more innovation. People with different life experiences offer new ways of thinking about problems and solutions that can spark industry-disrupting breakthroughs. 

A company actively seeking diversity has a broader talent pool. You have a better chance of finding workers with the skills your company needs. Also, because most job seekers today actively want to be a part of a diverse workforce, diversity generates a higher job acceptance rate. 

Many consumers and businesses today are choosing to deal with socially conscious companies. Transparent reporting on diversity can boost your brand reputation. 

People from different cultural and social businesses can help you enter new markets and retain existing ones. Targeting a market without insider knowledge can fail to appeal to what that market really wants. It could even unintentionally alienate that market through behavior perceived as insulting. 

These benefits are becoming increasingly well-known to company executives, who are motivated by ethical and business considerations to pursue diversity as a goal for their organizations. 

7 Key Steps to Achieving Workforce Diversity

Setting diversity goals is just the first step. To promote diversity in your workplace you need to:

1. Consider your specific company objectives. Which dimensions of diversity do you lack? How does diversity align with other strategic goals of your company? Adopting a plan without thinking about these things can be counterproductive. A focused survey can help you identify your gaps and set benchmarks for your organization's diversity success. 
2. Get your executive team on board to lead the way. Your workforce needs to know this is coming from the top. However, also realize that what you do goes further towards defining your culture than what you say. How diverse is your top management tier?
3. Put dedicated resources in place to define and implement your diversity strategies. Make someone accountable for progress and results. 
4. Invest in management training to help your people understand and support diversity goals. Everyone in contact with prospective employees and new hires needs to be on the same page. 
5. Stop unconscious bias in hiring practices. It's easy to think it doesn't exist, but it's called "unconscious" for a reason. Unconscious biases have been common practice for so long, we no longer see them. You can help eliminate them by being careful with language — for example, rewrite job descriptions to be gender-neutral. Also, blind-review resumes with demographic characteristics hidden. 
6. Expand the reach of your hiring process. Hold community outreach programs and job fairs, and enlist the aid of hiring consultants to access a variety of candidates. 
7. Eliminate discriminatory policies. For example, be careful about dress codes that mandate what is and is not "professional" appearance, based on standards established originally by and for white males. You won't achieve diversity if your stated policies are pushing away the very people you are trying to attract.

Kanarys is Your DEI Champion

At Kanarys, we are the diversity, equity, and inclusion people with the data-driven approach. Since 2018, Kanarys has aimed to change the world by creating equitable workplaces where everyone belongs. We guide your organization’s DEI path every step of the way with courage and collaboration. It starts with data, analytics and insights, and continues with recommendations and implementation. 

Our mission, as your partner and champion in the ever-evolving DEI journey: Help you understand what it takes to foster lasting, systemic change today and for tomorrow. Because when you succeed with DEI, your employees can thrive—and so can your organization.