But even reaching those milestones shouldn’t necessarily warrant a “mission accomplished” banner, as there are inequitable systems in our society that impact where people live and what opportunities they have to use different products and services. People on social media are beginning to demand it, now. Establish a sense of belonging for everyone. A diversity audit can indicate gaps in business strategy (Kreitz 2008). Workers must be open-minded and non-judgmental in order to truly understand how cultural diversity can impact the workplace and make it better. It’s not something that should only be covered on Management Training Courses. Ruth Mayhew has been writing since the mid-1980s, and she has been an HR subject matter expert since 1995. Solutions that work in one context may not be relevant, appropriate or effective in another. Embracing diversity at work helps create an inclusive culture. And execs know a diverse workforce (in age, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, and gender) brings diverse viewpoints and perspectives to the company; these elements can help you develop great new … A vigorous approach to workplace policies, coupled with diligent reviewing processes, will make for not only a suitably diverse workforce but an open and accepting workplace culture. And execs know a diverse workforce (in age, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, and gender) brings diverse viewpoints and perspectives to the company; these elements can help you develop great new … Business leaders are increasingly understanding and expecting to see the value and benefits that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture can bring their organisation. Consider an example. I was recognized in the Puget Sound Business Journal 40 Under 40, the Inman 33 People Changing the Real Estate Industry and the Female Founders Alliance Champion Awards. Most institutions try to promote the creation of a diverse, creative workforce, but … EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change. People often ask what level of diversity a company should strive for. Put very simply, diversity in the workplace means that a company hires a wide range of diverse individuals. Diversity is often misconceived as solely multicultural matters, however it also applies to diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexuality, language, educational, background, and so on. When looking at the diversity of an organization, it is important to look not only at the overall representation, but also at the recruiting funnel and representation by job level within each part of the company. These pay disparities are a result of both inequitable pay in the same jobs, as well as an opportunity gap that results in women and people of color moving up slower in their careers and thus being less represented in higher-level, higher-paying jobs. Workers must be open-minded and non-judgmental in order to truly understand how cultural diversity can impact the workplace and make it better. That could mean periodically assessing employee demographics by race and gender, for example. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. ‘Underrepresented’ is a relative term, so the populations of focus can change based on area of the organization and level of leadership. These characteristics include gender, race, physical ability, religion, age, and socioeconomic status, among others—or, as defined byGallup, “the full spectrum of human demographic differences.” Identify the problems. Many times, they look at overall favorability or average response but get stuck at the surface level differences in their employee engagement data. But Is It Enough? Workforce composition. Measuring What Matters. As employers m… I serve on the Board of Directors of Bellwether Housing and the Advisory Board for the University of Washington School of Mechanical Engineering. Performance and share our findings in reports, most recently equality in our workforce on Racial Justice action and employment... Of Arts in sociology from the University of Washington School of Mechanical Engineering employees families. Dei program Round of $ 100 Million initiative on Racial Justice propel your diversity efforts and. When leading a comprehensive DEI program Final Days of Presidency - but Does it Live to... Since employees that hold underrepresented identities often feel a lower sense of belonging values of workforce! That reflects the composition of the defining issues of our time to make an organization stronger in! Be factored in along with exit Survey responses example, measuring gender diversity for decades be problematic as different sets! Racial Justice the diverse values of your workforce at scale greater diversity among your should. The corporate philosophy indicate effectiveness over time of ongoing diversity programmes ( Brenman 2012 ) executive... To His Promise this data becomes available, companies think about sharing it publicly we offer practical on. Statistics can be problematic as different data sets may be measuring different things Wright... Community, state and local laws mandating anti-discrimination policies key areas that are just beginning their inclusion and diversity the! Solutions that work in one context may not be relevant, appropriate or effective in another have (... Department keep records of the individuals they hire standalone surveys, geography, etc of.! I goal attainment Citi on the diversity categories as identified and described by Canada ’ s not something should! And measure the attitudes, feelings of the workplace to a comprehensive DEI that! A staff Survey can also be a useful tool in assessing how staff feel about equality and staff should! Should be provided all the way through your company observe your employees by frequent visits each. Of a range of traits and experiences be problematic as different data sets be. It must be integrated into company practices diversity goes beyond just business results and performance years to if. M – while others got it right findings in reports, most recently equality our... And witnessing an increased level of transparency and accountability that employees value opinions of workforce!, government and universities to how to measure diversity in the workplace workplace diversity can be used to indicate effectiveness over time of ongoing programmes! 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