How to Increase Workplace Diversity

Workplace diversity means employing a workforce consisting of people of different backgrounds, age, gender, religion, culture, social class, and other characteristics in an organization. A diverse workforce can offer many benefits to a company such as innovative ideas, new perspectives, cultural exchange, better reputation of the company and so on. So, here are some tips to enhance workplace diversity in any organization.

Top 7 Ways to Increase Diversity at Workplace:

• Adopt More Inclusive Policies- Diversity and inclusion are two different things. But, they often go hand-in-hand. Incorporating inclusivity in an organization enhances employee retention and decreases turnover rate. Inclusion means when you value the opinions, contributions, and perspective of each and every employee of the company. The employees feel respected, safe and have a sense of belongingness with the company. So, companies should use an inclusive work model for their long-term success.

• Create a Welcoming Company Culture- Try establishing a welcoming company culture. A culture where everyone is heard, respected and valued is what employees look out for in a company’s culture. Having a workplace where a person is hired on the basis of his/her skills and competencies instead of his/her background is regarded as the best organization from employees’ point of view. So, build an organization where everyone is welcomed with an open heart irrespective of their age, gender, social class, etc.

• Establish a Multigenerational Workforce- Today millennials make up the majority of the workplace. But having a multigenerational workforce in a company can offer many benefits to the companies. As we all know, millennials are more tech-savvy and innovative, on the other hand, older generations are more experienced and are efficient in problem-solving. Both of them, together, can lead an organization to the path of growth and success more rapidly.

• Unbiased Promotion and Evaluation Process- Having a non-bias promotion and evaluation process can really help a company to enhance diversity and inclusion in its culture. Some companies have a biased recruitment process in place which can be unfair for some employees. A manager should promote and evaluate his subordinates on the basis of similar standards and eliminate any kind of biasness from the whole process.

• Accentuate Diversity on Company’s Website and Social Channels- Highlight diversity on your company’s official website to encourage different job prospects to work with your company. Add the inside pictures or videos of your company’s office showing how diversity and inclusion is practiced in the company on your company’s website and social media handles to gain an advantageous position over your competitors.

• Embrace Multilingual Employees- Welcoming multilingual employees in your company can help you nurture in the future. Create such an environment where everyone can speak in the language they are comfortable in. Every employee should feel that his native language and culture is respected in the organization. But, what if employees don’t understand each other's language? For this a company can offer translation services or conduct language training programs through which employees can also learn a new language.

• Reinforce Anti-Discriminatory Policies- Strengthening the company’s anti-discrimination policy can also foster a better working environment. Clearly state your zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination, and what steps would be taken if this policy is violated by any member of the company. Such policies should be enforced both at the managerial level and the top level of an organization.