The modern business landscape is ever changing and increasingly becoming more diverse. Having a multi-cultural workforce, ensuring your practices are fair and promote equality across all minority groups and promoting a culture of inclusiveness, starts with our leaders. Business reflects society, and as such Diversity and Inclusion has become a key item on the agenda for organisations and HR around the world. If done well, this can provide a competitive advantage as well ensuring the expectations of employees are met. Ensuring workers feel valued, equal and included, is now a basic requirement of all employers.
To successfully implement a diversity and inclusion strategy, gaining the buy in of senior leaders is critical. Having leaders who promote and truly value this agenda, ensures this strategy is genuine and effective. Building a diverse team can provide a range of benefits; new ideas, new skills, different perspective and unique solutions should resulting a positive return on investment and an enhanced company culture. By aligning ourselves with an inclusive vision, strategy and practices, we are championing those that need it and paving a new way forward in the world of business.
With June just passed, the focus has been on our LGBT+ community. Many organisations have changed their logo, embraced the rainbow colours and held some socials to celebrate but how many can truly say their business is inclusive, fair, equal and diverse? Doing this once a year in line with Pride month is great to recognise the community but are we truly embedding inclusivity into the workplace? Where is the education piece, the leaders promoting this culture, the speakers who can share knowledge and experiences with the workforce? Where are the changes in policies and procedures to ensure we are fully embracing and putting diversity and inclusion at the top of the agenda? Are we doing this once a year and jumping on the bandwagon or are we really driving positive and sustainable change?
Focusing on the LGBT+ community, the percentage of people identifying as heterosexual in the UK has continued to decrease, especially amongst younger people. A third of LGBT+ employees still avoid discussing their sexuality in the workplace due to fear of discrimination, and this fear is even more widespread amongst transgender or ethnic minority LGBT+ employees. All of this only heightens the need for organisations to focus on this in 2019 and going forward.
Are you looking to ensure that your HR practices are inclusive and equal? Is inclusion and diversity at the top of your agenda, but you’re not quite sure where to start? Are you looking for speakers or trainers to talk about the importance of inclusiveness in the workplace?
Energise Consulting can review your practices, develop and Diversity & Inclusion strategy or simply provide training or speakers on this topic to raise awareness in the workforce.
If you would like a free consultation and to discuss your ideas on D&I please email info@energise-consulting.co.uk
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