The benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace are well-documented. A diverse workforce brings different perspectives, experiences, and ideas that can lead to increased creativity, innovation, and better decision-making. Conversely, inclusion means creating an environment where everyone is valued, respected, and supported. Notice, we did not say “feels” but “is” valued, respected, and supported. That’s because workforce members today are much too savvy to be fooled by corporate “feel good” efforts that are, at best, an illusion of inclusion. According to a recent Society for Human Resource Management survey, 71% of organizations consider diversity and inclusion a high priority. So clearly, they are putting money and effort into DEI. However, a study by PwC found that only 28% of employees feel that their organization's DEI efforts are effective.
So, how can companies bridge this perceptual gap? How can they build workplaces that their employees genuinely experience as more inclusive?
Strategies for Building a More Inclusive Workplace
Joseph Santana, a futurist and DEI expert, offers a unique and innovative approach to closing that gap. His approach focuses on modifying the policies and practices of companies to better support a diverse workforce, rather than what most DEI efforts do, which is to try to change people to fit into the company.
Santana has found that the most significant area organizations ignore is that most companies today have rules and structures-built decades ago to support the less diverse workforce of the 20th century. For example, holiday policies built to honor only Christian holidays and expense reimbursement policies that don’t reimburse childcare expenses incurred in performing work. And these are just a few of the many rules and policies that block the full inclusion of a diverse 21st-century workforce in most companies. The bottom line is that most companies are designed to leverage and support the work of a white, Christian male with a stay-at-home wife caring for their family. Women, non-Christians, and other demographics (Black, Asian, Latino, etc.) being brought into these ill-fitting organizations are as supported in their success and comfortable as an elephant being shoved into a long flimsy house with weak floors, narrow halls, and tall ceilings built for a giraffe. Despite efforts to make these new workforce members feel welcome, valued, and heard, the corporate practice and policy structure are not designed to enable them to be genuinely welcome, valued, and heard.
Santana recommends that companies ask their DEI leaders, often called Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs), to work with employee community leaders to identify where policies and practices need remodeling. This can be done through facilitated internal focus group discussions between group leaders and their members, followed by the group leaders meeting with the CDO to debrief on their findings. For example, companies can review and modify their recruitment and selection processes to ensure they are attracting and hiring a diverse pool of candidates. Also, when running unconscious bias training, use that as an opportunity to ask freshly trained program participants to identify institutional policies and practices that may need to be changed. Again, focus on upgrading the company, not just changing people.
The Business Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion
Implementing strategies for building a more inclusive workplace offers a range of benefits for companies. These include increased innovation, better decision-making, market expansion, and reduced turnover costs.
According to a study by McKinsey & Company, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile. Similarly, companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on executive teams were 36% more likely to have above-average profitability. Of course, just having diversity does not produce these results. It’s having diversity that is genuinely included that produces these superior results.
In conclusion, building a more inclusive workplace is good for business today and will become increasingly important as the world becomes more diverse over the course of this century. By implementing Joseph Santana's approach and other strategies for building a genuinely inclusive workplace, companies will position themselves to fully leverage the 21st-century workforce and maintain their position as a top business competitor in their space.
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