There has been a rise in the need for workplaces that provide employees with opportunities for personal development, meaningful employment, and a sense of belonging.

The economy has never been so suddenly and severely jolted in the contemporary era. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of employees are reevaluating their goals, seeking new employment, and even making complete career shifts. Factor in the convenience of working from anywhere, and it's easy to see how telecommuting may be an excellent fit for specific business positions. You now have all the ingredients for radically altering the nature of the modern workplace.

These days, it's not enough to pay employees; they also want them to feel appreciated, pushed, and valued at work. Salary is no longer the primary motivator. Young adults born after 1980 and those born into Generation Zero are the most diverse generations in American history. The white population share of the United States' 87 million Millennials is barely 56%. Comparatively, white people comprise 72% of the 76 million-strong Baby Boomer generation. Furthermore, 76% of workers and job seekers in a 2020 Glassdoor research believed that a diverse and inclusive workforce was necessary for evaluating job offers.

Diversity and acceptance are much broader concepts than race, ethnicity, or gender. In addition, other nuances exist in the workforce, such as the presence of people with cognitive disabilities, the fact of people with different thought processing skills, the presence of people from different backgrounds whose behaviors, mannerisms, or social skills are evident, and the presence of people from other regions with different beliefs and social roles or ideologies.

It's human nature to form opinions about others shortly after meeting them. While this may benefit us as a society, it may prevent us from hiring people who can take our company to the next level. A more dynamic and responsive company that represents the variety of our consumers and clients can only be achieved via diversity and inclusion.

Of course, it's simpler to say than to execute. Including phrases like "diversity, inclusion, and equality" in your mission statement or your strategic plan's introductory paragraphs won't alter your company's culture or attract a wider pool of talent. Equally ineffective is sending several emails praising your commitment to these values. It takes a lot of small steps to make a workplace more diverse and welcoming to all types of people. Transforming a company is an involved process that involves patience, focus, investment, and leadership.

Balancing Objectives

The first area to look at is the company's stated objectives. Next, consider the current state of your company and where you want it to go. Work of this nature is done alone by the person. This isn't something you can copy and paste from another company's procedures or a guide. Taking a diversity, inclusion, and equity self-assessment survey will help your company see where it is in terms of recruiting, HR, and management. This will allow you to avoid wasting time fixing things that aren't broken and instead concentrate on filling in the blanks.

In The Vanguard

The significance of strong leadership cannot be overstated. Initiating conscious, well-considered shifts at all echelons requires buy-in from the executive team. Companies often appoint a director of diversity and inclusion to oversee initiatives of this nature. They can ensure that the company and its operations are held to account for achieving set objectives as members of the executive or leadership team. Indeed.com reports a 35% rise in diversity and inclusion-related job postings over the last two years.

Training's Crucial Role

An additional necessary component is training. Executives and managers at all levels of an organization have a significant impact on the success or failure of company-wide projects. These executives must believe in this work and know how they fit into the bigger picture of achieving corporate objectives. They will assist in reinforcing training at the employee level, offering leadership and direction in fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion across teams, units, and departments while also correcting the ship when insensitivity rears its ugly head.

It's Important to Be Patient with the Process of Change

Because of inherent prejudice in human beings, this procedure requires special care. The subconscious level of human conduct is highly susceptible to the influences of our beliefs, histories, social networks, and intuition. We frequently fail to identify when our responses are exclusive or unequal. It's possible that further training is required to combat prejudice at both the individual and institutional levels. It must first be widely acknowledged and discussed without fear of reprisal to defeat it. Finding trainers that can handle this on your company's behalf and adapt to your culture is a good idea if you don't have in-house experts.

Countering Opposition

Not everyone will be willing to get on board. Some people are reluctant to change, but most adapt to new ideas, rules, and procedures over time. The key to your ultimate success is maintaining an open discussion with others. Administration officials should demonstrate their commitment by acting on their words. Finding the people in the organization who are the most resistant to change and positioning them as informal thought leaders is an effective tactic. Find out what's making them nervous, and try to talk them down from their resistance level. Imagine you can get even a fraction of them into the corporate mainstream. If that happens, you won't have to fight against the natural changes when you stop fighting against diversity and inclusion. Your worst-case scenario is they decide your company isn't a good fit for them and leave.

In Summary

Remember that becoming more inclusive, diverse, and equitable takes time, consistency, and resources. Invest in frequent professional and personal training, such as departmental or company-wide meetings, to highlight the value of diverse and inclusive employees and their opportunities. It's also essential to keep the lines of communication open. People have valid worries and inquiries because change is difficult. Prepare yourself to respond to them with genuine openness and sincerity. Finally, keep in mind that we're all pulling in the same direction as we strive to make the office a place where everyone can feel comfortable sharing their ideas, developing their abilities, and contributing to the team's overall success.

About Jim Woods:

Jim has a passion for accelerating talent across organizations. While this passion has fueled his work in leadership assessment and development, it has crystallized in the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. 

Jim's experience spans many industries, including public, finance, consumer, retail, pharma, industrials, and technology. 'Organizational & people agility,' 'design thinking,' and 'digital transformation' are some critical themes Jim works with clients on across the globe.

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His consulting experience includes assessing, training, coaching, and developing leaders. In addition, he has delivered work in defining competencies and success profiles, designing and conducting assessment centers, integrating talent analytics, and designing and facilitating development roadmaps.

Jim is a certified coach and facilitator for Woods Kovalova Group's virtual leadership assessment and development tools, including leadership accelerators and WKG Potential. Jim holds an MS degree in organizational development and human resources. He served as an adjunct professor at Villanova University; taught fifth-grade math and science.